GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Sept. 2 • 1 pm CT
Busey Bank Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium
Joliet, Ill.

Series History
Overall: St. Francis leads 4-0.
First: St. Francis 19, at Waldorf 0 (10/31/09)
Last: St. Francis 52, at Waldorf 6 (9/29/12)
Streak: St. Francis has won each of the four games in the all-time series.

The Two Coaches
USF: Joe Curry
Alma Mater: USF 2001
Career: 57-57 (12th year)
at USF: 57-57 (12th year)

WU: Tyler Chapa
Alma Mater: Doane College
Career: 1-0 (1st year)
At Waldorf: 1-0 (1st year)


TOP STORYLINES
• USF opens its 38th season of intercollegiate football at Busey Bank Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

• Waldorf and St. Francis renew a rivalry that ran for four straight years from 2009-2012.  St. Francis won each of those four meetings with the Saints scoring 50-plus points in each of the final three affairs.  For the all-time series, USF has outscored the Warriors 186-16.

• Led by two-time Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Player of the Year Sam Tumilty, the Saints return nine all-conference selections from one year ago.  Included in the mix is Michael R. Johnson, who joined Tumilty as an American Football Coaches Association NAIA Honorable Mention All-American. 

• The Saints were a plus-13 in the takeaway department in 2022, including 18-8 on interceptions.  USF heads into the 2023 season riding a nine-game streak with at least one interception. 

GAME NOTES

THE HEAD COACH: Joe Curry enters his 12th season as the Saints' head coach, which makes him the longest serving coach in school history.  He has surpassed program founder Gordie Gillespie, who served as the head coach for eight seasons, and his own coach, Mike Slovick.  Slovick served the program from 1994 through 2004.  Curry is also the winningest coach in the program with 57 victories and second in winning percentage (.500).  Gillespie maintains the top spot in winning percentage at .593.

ABOUT WALDORF: The Warriors opened the 2023 campaign with a 35-20 victory over Briar Cliff University last week after coming off a 7-4 campaign in 2022.  Waldorf nearly had two players rush for over 100 yards in Week 1 as part of a 327-yard team rushing performance.  Senior runningback Jatoviay Hill led the way with 183 yards on just 15 carries, while senior quarterback Jordan Cooper added another 83 yards on ten attempts.  Cooper also completed 12 of his 24 passing attempts for 121 yards, but did throw two interceptions.  The Warriors have a senior-led offensive contingent with eight players in their final season.  On the defensive side of the ball, five seniors dot the starting lineup.  Speaking of defense, Waldorf did allow Briar Cliff's Matthew Mason to have a big day with his 141 yards on 26 carries last week, but were tough against the pass.  The Warriors allowed only seven completions in 22 attempts for 93 yards.   

AMONG THE TOP 25 AGAIN: For the second year in a row, the University of St. Francis football team will enter the season ranked among the top 25 programs in the nation.  After opening at No. 25 one fall ago, the Fighting Saints come in at No. 24 to start 2023.  USF climbed as high as No. 19 entering the final week of the regular season last year before finishing at No. 23.

WHERE IS EVERYONE?: For the first time since the 2014 campaign, the Fighting Saints will not face a Top 25 team in the first three weeks of the campaign.  That year, they started off 3-0, but finished 4-7.  The first and only ranked foe on this year's slate is longtime nemesis Saint Xavier University, who the Saints will face on Homecoming this year, which is Sept. 30.  The Cougars come in at No. 13.

THAT'S A LOT OF PRAISE ON THE FIELD: Led by two-time Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Player of the Year Sam Tumilty, the Saints return nine all-conference selections from one year ago.  Other first-team selections back are Scott Tumilty (three-time first-team defensive back and returner), T.J. Neal (two-time first-team linebacker), defensive lineman Michael R. Johnson and receiver Daniel Goetsch.  Offensive lineman Ashtin Sorgea, a second-team choice, is also back as are honorable mention picks Jalen Cooper (DB), Nick Mabutas (DB) and Dezzion Jordan (WR).  Earning Coach of the Year praise for the second year in a row was head coach Joe Curry.

THE TOP TWO: Tumilty and Johnson were also both American Football Coaches Association NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans last fall.  Tumilty finished among the top ten players in the nation in a pair of statistical categories.  He ranked fourth in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 16 and finished tied for eighth in points scored per game at 9.6.  The 16 rushing touchdowns also established a new school record and led the conference.  Combining that number with his 14 scored the previous year puts him second on USF's all-time list in that category after only two seasons.  In terms of total touchdowns (rushing and receiving combined), the 2022 figure was the second most in the history of the program for a single season with his 30 career scores placing him third all-time.  Tumilty's 96 total points on the campaign were also good enough to rank second for a single season in school history and his 180 total points for his career place him in the No. 4 position.  Among his other numbers, Tumilty ranked fourth in the conference in both rushing yards per game (85.6) and passing efficiency (124.9), fifth with his 11 passing touchdowns and eighth in passing yards per contest with 124.9.  His final numbers on the season saw him rush for 847 yards on 244 carries, while going 94-of-181 (.519) through the air for 1,259 yards. Johnson, meanwhile, turned in the best season of his four-year career, boasting the third-most tackles on the team with 59.  Of those stops, 11 went for loss, including five sacks.  The latter total ranked tied for sixth in the league, while his tackle-for-loss count was seventh best in the MSFA.  The senior defensive lineman's top conference mark were his three recovered fumbles, which placed No. 1 on the charts.  He also tied for third in the league with a pair of forced fumbles and intercepted one pass.

REACHING HIGHER: The Saints will be looking to build off last year's success, where they earned their most wins (seven) since the 2015 campaign and established a new school record with seven straight victories.

REMEMBERING OTHER 2022 NUMBERS: The Saints were a plus-13 in the takeaway department in 2022, including 18-8 on interceptions.  USF heads into the 2023 season riding a nine-game streak with at least one interception.  Offensively, St. Francis outscored its opponents 192-94 in the middle two quarters last year, including 103-35 in the third.  The two outside quarters saw the Saints outscored 105-79.

TUMILTY TIMES THREE: Joining Scott and Sam Tumilty on this year's roster is their younger brother Joey, a freshman wide receiver.

FOR THE RECORD: The Saints are 165-225 all time, 136-167 in day games and 86-100 at home.

CHART WATCHING: The Tumilty brothers have both put together some impressive single-season and career numbers wearing the Brown & Gold. Listed below is where they rank among some of the top Saints all-time:

SAM TUMILTY
Rushing Touchdowns – Season
1. 16 - Sam Tumilty (2022)

Rushing Touchdowns – Career
1. 31 – John Larsen (1987-89)
2. 30 – Sam Tumilty (2021-22)

Total Touchdowns – Season
1. 17 – John Larsen (1989)
2. 16 – Sam Tumilty (2022)

Total Touchdowns – Career
1. 38 – Brandon Ruffin (2016-19)
2. 37 – John Larsen (1987-89)
3. 30 – Sam Tumilty (2021-22)

Total Points – Season
1. 106 – John Larsen (1989)
2. 96 – Sam Tumilty (2022)
3. 90 – Sam Tumilty (2021)

Total Points – Career
1. 234 – John Larsen (1987-89)
2. 229 – Brandon Ruffin (2016-19)
3. 196 – Lexus Jackson (2011, 2016-17)
4. 180 – Sam Tumilty (2021-22)


SCOTT TUMILTY
Punt Return Yards – Career
1. 513 – Elliot Allen (2010-13)
2. 504 – Scott Tumilty (2020-22)

Kick Return Yards – Season
1. 673 – Elliot Allen (2010)
2. 613 – Keyon Kemp (1998)
3. 604 – Lexus Jackson (2017)
4. 601 – Tyrell Mitchell (2016)
5. 566 – Gannon Novak (2007)
6. 557 – Scott Tumilty (2022)

Kick Return Yards – Career
1. 1,754 – Elliot Allen (2010-13)
2. 1,544 – Gannon Novak (2005-08)
3. 1,380 – Scott Tumilty (2020-22)