FORT WAYNE, Ind. --- A pair of missed red zone opportunities – one in each half – denied the NAIA No. 19-ranked University of St. Francis football team of remaining as the lone unbeaten in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League on Saturday afternoon with University of Saint Francis, Ind. counterpart gaining that perch courtesy of a 28-20 victory at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium.  

The battle between the 2-0 conference teams lived up to its billing with Saint Francis (Ind.) (7-2, 3-0 MSFA) answering each of USF's counterpunches on the scoreboard in never letting the Fighting Saints (6-2, 2-1) get the lead.

The hosts wasted little time in keeping their momentum going from the previous week when they upset NAIA No. 18 Marian University (Ind.) 31-28 in overtime.  They needed just two plays on Saturday to open a 7-0 lead 43 seconds into the game on a 71-yard pass play from Joshua Kulka to Adjaye Dandridge. 

The damage could have been worse if not for a trio of stops by USF's defense following a pair of short punts that kept the ball on the Saints' side of the field and another deep ball from Kulka (47 yards).  The latter series was halted by Karsen Hansen's first interception of the season to finally turn the tide in St. Francis' favor.

Head coach Joe Curry's team used that swing to knot the score at seven-all, keyed by a 27-yard reception on third-and-20 from Joey Tumilty.  Sam Tumilty completed the 9-play, 72-yard possession on runs of 6, 17 and 6 yards.

Saint Francis was quick to respond with Kulka and Dandridge connecting again from 36 yards to regain the lead just 2 minutes, 20 seconds later.  For the day, Dandridge totaled 126 yards on just four receptions.

The see-saw battle looked to continue with the Saints marching 72 yards down the field to the one-yard line only to have Saint Francis force a fumble just before Sam Tumilty dove into the end zone.

USF's defense was able to force a quick three-and-out and the Saints reached the end zone the next time with Joey and Sam Tumilty again connecting for 27 yards to produce the second tie of the game at 14-14.

That deadlock would last just over four minutes before the Cougars were back in the end zone, taking a 21-14 lead into the break.  All nine plays in the series came on the ground for 59 yards, including 47 from Lenny Bennett, who finished with 112 yards on 14 carries.

The Saints did have just under one minute to match Saint Francis (Ind.) before the intermission, but had their drive stall at the Saint Francis 35-yard line.  The same was not the case on their second possession of the third quarter with gains of no less than 16 yards from Jason Hartsfield, 17 from Ryan Little and 16 from Sam Tumilty keying what looked to be a tying score on a one-yard plunge from Tumilty midway through the third quarter.  The Saints, however, failed on the PAT, one of two missed kick-scoring chances on the afternoon.

One series later, USF would have its first chance of the game to take the lead.  A Saint Francis pass interference and a 24-yard run by Sam Tumilty would get the Saints as close as the Cougar 32-yard line before the drive was stopped on downs.

Saint Francis would continue the frustration for the Saints by then driving 64 yards in ten plays early in the fourth quarter to open its biggest lead of the game at 28-20 on Bennett's six-yard touchdown.

Seeking to tie the game and potentially force overtime, the Saints would then put together the longest drive of the game for either team (17 plays).  With a first-and-goal situation at the two-yard line, however, St. Francis was denied on three consecutive run plays before having its 19-yard field goal attempt blocked with just six minutes remaining in the contest.

USF would get one more chance with just under four minutes remaining in the contest, but would be stopped after four plays before Saint Francis ran out the clock.

Just like the tight score, many of the statistical numbers were equally disbursed between the two teams.  USF did hold advantages on first downs (25-22) and yards rushing (215-205), while Saint Francis won the overall yardage battle (497-458) and the passing game (292-243).  The Saints also held nearly a three-minute possession advantage.

Individually, Sam and Joey Tumilty and Gavin Day all had big games.  Sam threw for 243 yards with the one score on 17-of-37 accuracy, while rushing for another 143 yards on 22 carries and the two touchdowns.  Day was the only other Saint to carry the ball.  He managed 72 yards on 19 carries.  Joey Tumilty had six receptions for 89 yards.

For Saint Francis, Kulka turned 18 of his 24 pass attempts into completions for 288 yards and the two touchdowns to Dandridge.  The Cougars also ran for 205 yards.

Notes: The loss snapped a six-game winning streak on the road for the Saints dating back to last year … Tumilty's two-touchdown game was the sixth in eight games this season.  It also tied the school record and his own mark of 16 rushing touchdowns for a single season … Saint Francis (Ind.) added to its NAIA-best fumble recovery total with its 12th of the season in the second quarter … Coming into the game converting at a 54.6 percent clip on fourth downs (6-for-11) this season, USF was 1-for-5 on Saturday.

Up Next
The Saints open up a two-game homestand to close out the regular season next Saturday (Nov. 9).   MSFA Midwest League foe Olivet Nazarene University comes to Joliet Memorial Stadium at 1 pm.

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