JOLIET, Ill. --- Seeking revenge for its near-upset of No.25 ranked Olivet Nazarene University one year ago, the University of St. Francis football team got it and then some with its 43-30 victory over the defending Mid-States Football Association Midwest League champion and current No.17 ranked Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Joliet Memorial Stadium. The result kept USF's lock on its title as the lone remaining unbeaten in either division of the MSFA and extended St. Francis' winning streak to five games.

One year ago, the winless Saints at the time had Olivet Nazarene on the ropes only to allow a 93-yard punt return for a touchdown with just under two minutes to play enabling the Tigers to escape with a 31-27 victory en route to their perfect 8-0 regular season.

This time around, Jalen Cooper made sure the same ending did not result when he intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone with just 69 seconds remaining on third down to thwart an Olivet Nazarene scoring drive with the Saints clinging to a 36-30 lead. The interception was one of three on the day for the Saints (5-2, 5-0 MSFA) as part of a four-takeaway afternoon for the men in brown and gold.

Sam Tumilty then sealed the deal 26 seconds later with his 77-yard touchdown run, capping off another big afternoon for the freshman quarterback. He authored his first collegiate 200-yard double-double by passing for a season-best 202 yards on just eight completions in 14 attempts and running for another 241 yards on a season-high 30 carries. He also scored three more touchdowns giving him 11 in his last four games and passed for one more on Saturday.

Wendell Newton and Ravon Johnson were also part of the Century Club on Saturday resulting in the Saints' season-high 550 yards of total offense. Newton, back in the lineup after missing last week with an injury, produced his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game with his 108 yards on 23 carries. Johnson, meanwhile, had his third 100-plus yard receiving day of the season with his 145 yards on just five catches. Both players also contributed to the scoring column with Newton's 13-yard first-quarter rushing touchdown putting the Saints up 13-6 and Johnson's 65-yard touchdown catch coming just one play after Olivet Nazarene tied the score at 13-all early in the second quarter.
The Tigers (5-3, 3-2) would also force a 20-all tie with just 44 seconds remaining in the second quarter before taking their only lead of the game on Andrew Ryczek's 24-yard field goal to start the second half.

Sam Tumilty took over from there. After rushing for just 59 yards on 12 carries in the opening half, last week's MSFA Midwest League Offensive Player of the Week would kick it into overdrive with 182 yards and all three of his touchdowns in the second half. The first score came right after the Saints were hit with back-to-back holding penalties to move the ball from the Olivet Nazarene eight-yard line back to the 25 and put the Saints up for good 27-23.

One series later, USF had its biggest lead up to that point (33-23) when Tumilty finished off a 10-play, 85-yard drive with his 13-yard touchdown.

Olivet Nazarene, however, would not go away, nearly matching USF's touchdown script with its own 10-play, 87-yard march to cut the deficit to 33-30.

The Saints would answer with a 28-yard field goal from Brian Maday with 3:16 to play before Cooper's immaculate diving interception in the end zone off a Terrence Nicholson tip. It was one of numerous big plays for St. Francis' defense, which set the tone for the wild day when Scott Tumilty, Sam's older brother, returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown on Olivet Nazarene's first drive of the afternoon.

Nicholson and Angel Mata would add interceptions of their own with the latter's closing the books on the day. He also set up Scott Tumilty's touchdown by forcing the fumble and totaled seven tackles – one for loss – and one pass breakup. Cooper provided six tackles and three pass breakups besides his interception, while Chris Johnson led the defensive unit with his 11 tackles.

A total of 1,006 yards of offense was produced between the two teams after the dust had settled. For Olivet Nazarene, quarterback Cameron Crouch threw for 289 yards on 21-of-36 passing with three touchdowns and the three interceptions. Aaje Grayson just missed the 100-yard plateau with his 98 yards on 17 carries, while Brian Jenkins reached it with his six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. All three players keyed ONU's 456-yard offensive day.

SIDELINES
With his third 200-plus yard rushing performance of the season, Sam Tumilty has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark, sitting at 1,034 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns in just seven games.

USF averaged over 25 yards per catch on Saturday with its eight receptions going for 202 yards.

The Saints were a solid 9-of-15 on third-down conversions (60 percent) against Olivet Nazarene.

After scoring just 25 points in its first two games combined, the Saints have averaged 34.8 points per game during its current five-game winning streak.

USF's last five-game winning streak came in Weeks 2-6 of the 2015 season when that team went 8-3.

Up Next
The Saints travel to Arlington Heights next Saturday (Nov. 6) to face Roosevelt University in a 3 pm MSFA contest.

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