GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Sept. 24  • 1 pm CT
Busey Bank Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium
Joliet, Ill.

Series History
Overall: Siena Heights leads 4-1
First: St. Francis 17, at Siena Heights 13 (11/2/13)
Last: at Siena Heights 13, St. Francis 8 (9/25/21)
Streak: Siena Heights has won each of the last four games

The Two Coaches
USF: Joe Curry
Alma Mater: USF 2001
Career: 50-56 (11^th year)
at USF: 50-56 (11^th year)

SHU: Matt Kohn
Alma Mater: University of Indianapolis, 2005
Career: 33-23 (7th year)
At SHU: 33-23 (7th year)

TOP STORYLINES
• Three of the five games in the all-time series have been decided by five points or less with the winning team scoring no more than 19 points in each of those contests.  Last year's 13-8 affair in favor of Siena Heights was the lowest-scoring game in the five-year series.
 
• The two teams are the least penalized in the nation with 12 penalties each to rank seventh best in the country.

• The Fighting Saints are still seeking their first points of the opening half.  They have been outscored 38-0 in the first 30 minutes of their first two contests and have averaged just 10.5 points per game.

• After starting out 0-2 one year ago, USF ran off six wins in a row en route to sharing the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League title.

• Jason Hartsfield took over the team lead in both receptions and receiving yards after his six-catch, 70-yard day against Marian.

GAME NOTES
THE HEAD COACH: Joe Curry is in his 11th season as the Saints' head coach, which ties him as the longest serving coach in school history.  He has surpassed program founder Gordie Gillespie, who served as the head coach for eight seasons, and is now tied with Mike Slovick.  Slovick served the program from 1994 through 2004 and mentored Curry at one time.  Curry is also the winningest coach in the program with 50 victories and second in winning percentage (.472).  Gillespie maintains the top spot in winning percentage at .593.

ABOUT SIENA HEIGHTS: Siena Heights will be making its second trip to the Chicagoland area in as many weeks after dropping a 24-21 decision to Saint Xavier University last Saturday.  Besides SXU, the Saints have also played another MSFA Midwest League foe in Olivet Nazarene University, claiming a 28-24 victory.  Thus, each of their first two contests of the season have been decided by no more than four points.  SHU is averaging 24.5 points per game and splitting its offense evenly with 58 passing attempts and 56 rushes.  That has led to a 259.5 yards-per-game average overall with a breakdown of 147.0 yards per game through the air and 112.5 on the ground.  QB Ryan Minor oversees the fortunes of the Saints' offense having completed 31 of his 58 passing attempts (53.4 pct.) for 254 yards with three touchdowns opposite two interceptions.  Kaleb Jefferson is the top rusher with his 18 carries on the season covering 87 yards.  A total of eight SHU players have had at least one rush on the season.  Five of Siena Heights' eight players to have caught a pass have made at least five receptions with Eric Williams II leading the way (6 recp., 81 yards).  On special teams, Andrew Bookman has averaged 35.5 yards per punt, while placekicker Anthony Secchi is perfect on PATs (7-for7).  However, he is still looking to make good on his first field goal after two previous misses.  Defensively, the Saints are tough against the run, having allowed less than one yard per carry (70 carries, 63 yards).  Kole Murlin (25 tackles) and Zach Keyser (22) are SHU's main two disruptors.  As a team, Siena Heights has averaged four sacks through its first two games.  The Saints are also one of the least penalized teams, ranking tied for seventh in total penalties (12) and 10th in yards penalized (111).  Other SHU numbers include a 33 percent conversion rate on third-down plays and five scores in eight red-zone attempts.    

HERE WE GO?: After starting out 0-2 one year ago, the Fighting Saints put together wins in each of their next six games before dropping the finale to finish 6-3.  That netted them a share of the MSFA Midwest League title.

RANKED FOES: Each of USF's first two foes are currently ranked among the Top 16 schools in the nation with Marian University (Ind.) remaining in the No. 5 slot and University of Saint Francis (Ind,) climbing from No. 20 to No. 16.  The top Mid-States Football Association Midwest League team is Roosevelt at No. 20.

STILL SEEKING POINTS BEFORE THE BREAK: Through its first two games, the Fighting Saints have been held scoreless in the opening 30 minutes of play, while the opposition has totaled 38 points.

BALL HOGS: USF has held nearly a ten-minute advantage in time of possession over its first two games.  Curry's club has a 34:12-25:48 advantage in that category, which ranks 12th best in the NAIA.

EFFICIENCY MARKS: The Fighting Saints have converted four of their six fourth-down plays (eighth best in the nation), but have allowed the opposition to convert at a 59.3 percent rate on third downs (16-of-27).  St. Francis itself has made good on 14 of its 33 third-down plays (42.4 pct.), including 8-of-15 this past week.

PLAYING NICE: The Fighting Saints are the seventh-least penalized team in the country, having been flagged just 12 times, the same number of times as Siena Heights.  The team's 133 penalty yards also rank 16th best.

RED ZONE: One year ago, USF's opponents turned 17 of their 25 red-zone chances into scores.  Thus far, in 2022, they are a perfect 8-for-8 with seven of those drives resulting in touchdowns.  The Fighting Saints are 3-for-5, having failed to score once in the zone in each of the first two games.  

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Jason Hartsfield made quite the splash on the statistical sheet last Saturday.  After catching the first pass of his collegiate career in Week 1, Hartsfield finished with six receptions for 70 yards – both of which were team-high numbers – last week.  He is now tied for the team lead in receptions with seven, while also manning the top spot in receiving yards (74).

ERASING HIS NUMBERS QUICKLY: After setting a career mark with his seven tackles in the season opener, T.J. Neal was four tackles better last week when he totaled a game-high 11 stops versus Marian.  The junior linebacker has also produced one sack in each of his first two contests.  For the season, he ranks second on the team with his 18 tackles.

TOP THE CHART HERE, TOP THE CHART THERE: One can find Scott Tumilty's name atop a pair of  team leaderboards.  Besides his team-best 25 total tackles, he also sits No. 1 in average all-purpose yards at 80.5 per contest.

MY FIRST PICK: Nick Mabutas collected his on Marian's first possession last week, but the Saints could not turn it into points.

OTHER NUMBERS: After being intercepted only six times in 2021, Sam Tumilty has already been picked off four times in the first two games combined in 2022.     

FOR THE RECORD: The Saints are 158-224 all time, 129-166 in day games and 82-100 at home.