ANN ARBOR, Mich. --- The NAIA No. 25-ranked University of St. Francis football team continued its scoring frenzy on Saturday afternoon, hitting the 40-plus-point mark for the third consecutive week en route to a convincing 44-7 Mid-States Football Association crossover victory against Concordia University (Mich.).  Just one week earlier, the hosts nearly knocked off NAIA No. 6 Marian University (Ind.) in a 34-31 see-saw affair.

The day belonged to the Tumilty brothers with the trio accounting for 406 of the team's season-high 500 offensive yards and two of the three defensive takeaways.  Quarterback Sam Tumilty had the highlight-reel day with four touchdowns scored and another one thrown.  He completed 19 of his 29 pass attempts for 268 yards, while running for a team-high 138 yards on 19 carries in only three quarters of work.  His touchdown runs were a pair of one-yarders, one that went for six yards and another from 39 yards out that was only slowed by a member of the officiating crew.

Joey Tumilty matched Sam's ground yards with the exact same 138 yards through the air on ten receptions.  The first of those catches resulted in a 27-yard touchdown that opened the scoring and came only after the sophomore broke free from four separate tacklers.

USF (3-0) scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions of the game and five of its seven series in the opening half to build a comfortable 35-7 lead.  The Saints also tallied points on each of their first two opportunities in the second half on an Adrian Guerrero 37-yard field goal and a Carl Bew two-yard run.

St. Francis also had big offensive efforts from sophomore runningback Gavin Day with 73 yards rushing on just eight carries and senior wide receiver Jason Hartsfield, who turned three receptions into 66 yards.     

The Saints were also perfect inside the red zone for the third straight week, going 6-for-6 on Saturday with the five touchdowns and one field goal.

Defensively, St. Francis allowed Concordia (1-3) to pick up 329 yards of offense and get into USF territory on seven of its 11 possessions on the day.  The Cardinals, however, came away with just one touchdown on a four-yard run to wrap up a six-play, 60-yard drive that cut the deficit to 21-7 late in the first quarter.  They were intercepted three times and lost the ball on downs another three times their other six times inside St. Francis territory.

Scott Tumilty provided two of the pickoffs, including one at his team's own three-yard line midway through the second quarter.  Nick Franciskovich collected the other interception, his team-leading third of the campaign.

Karsen Hansen had another big day defensively, accounting for three of the team's four sacks.  He also combined on a tackle for loss and finished with six tackles overall. 

Trey Sayers and McKai Vann led the Saints with seven tackles each.

Notes: Sam Tumilty's multi-touchdown effort was the 16th of his 27-game St. Francis career.  It was also the fourth time he has contributed at least four rushing scores.  He shares the record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with Vic Pierzchalski.  That mark is five scores … Tumilty rushed for over 100 yards for the 15th time in his career, as well … Joey Tumilty also hit the century mark on receiving yards for the fifth time in his career … Of USF's 11 drives on Saturday, seven covered no less than 60 yards with the longest being 74 … Seven different St. Francis players had receptions in the game, including Jaime Sepulveda, who authored his first catch (12 yards) as a Saint … USF controlled possession of the ball for 12:38 of the 15 minutes in the third quarter.  That led to a five-minute overall advantage for the contest … St. Francis was 7-of-12 on third-down conversions and 1-for-1 on fourth down, while Concordia was 2-for-13 and 2-of-6 … Scott Tumilty's two interceptions were the first two for him since the 2022 season when he had one.  He totaled five picks his freshman year and now has eight for his career … Guerrero's 37-yard field goal was the longest of his career.  He also averaged 44.3 yards on his three punts, including one that covered 51 yards … Bew made his 2024 debut and scored on his first play from scrimmage ...  The Saints remained perfect on the season inside the red zone, extending the streak to 17 with 15 touchdowns and two field goals … In each of its last six wins dating back to last season, USF has averaged 51.3 points per contest … In the first half this year, the Saints have outscored their opponents 96-14.            

Up Next
The Saints face their toughest task of the season to this point when NAIA No. 7-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University comes to Joliet Memorial Stadium for USF's annual Homecoming game next Saturday (Sept. 28).  Kickoff is slated for 1 pm.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.