GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Sept. 28 • 1 pm CT
Busey Bank Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium
Joliet, Illinois

Series History
Overall: Indiana Wesleyan leads 1-0.
First: at Indiana Wesleyan 35, St. Francis 34 (10/6/18)
Last: at Indiana Wesleyan 35, St. Francis 34 (10/6/18)
Streak: Indiana Wesleyan has won the only game in the all-time series.

The Two Coaches
USF: Joe Curry
Alma Mater: USF 2001
Career: 67-60 (13th year)
at USF: 67-60 (13th year)

IWU: Andrew Rode
Alma Mater: Wabash College 2009
Career: 13-3 (2nd year)
At Indiana Wesleyan: 13-3 (2nd year)


TOP STORYLINES
• Saturday's contest between the Saints and Indiana Wesleyan will be just the second meeting all-time.  The latter edged out USF 35-34 on October 6, 2018 in Marion, Ind. with the Saints missing a potential game-winning 41-yard field goal in the closing seconds.  Both teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of offense that afternoon with the Saints finishing at 517..

• St. Francis (#23) and Indiana Wesleyan (#6) are not only ranked among the Top 25 teams in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, but in the Top 10, as well, in multiple offensive and defensive team and individual statistical categories.  The top ones are scoring, where the Saints are third (53.3) and the Wildcats are ninth (49.3).  Defensively, IWU has yielded the fourth-fewest points (8.5) and the Saints the sixth-fewest (9.3).  Both teams also have no less than seven picks on the year with Indiana Wesleyan returning four of its for touchdowns.     
 
• From an individual perspective, USF quarterback Sam Tumilty is sixth-best in passing efficiency (195.7), while IWU's Kyle Antoine is 11h (170.6).


GAME NOTES

THE HEAD COACH: Joe Curry is in his 13th 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 directed the program from 1994 through 2004.  Curry is also the winningest coach in the program with 67 victories and second in winning percentage (.528).  Gillespie maintains the top spot in winning percentage at .593.

ABOUT INDIANA WESLEYAN: An NAIA postseason qualifier each of the past two seasons, Indiana Wesleyan comes into Saturday's matchup ranked No. 6 in the nation.  The Wildcats advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs two years ago before falling in the quarterfinal round last fall.  Andrew Rode took over the program as the head coach last year after successful stints as an offensive coordinator at both Concordia University, Mich. (2015-19) and Morningside University, Iowa (2020-22).  Indiana Wesleyan has a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball, but especially offensively, where no fewer than five Wildcats rank among the Top 10 players in the nation in multiple categories.  Sophomore quarterback Kyle Antoine leads the unit with his 274.3 yards per game passing, which places him eighth in the nation.  He also ranks tenth with nine passing touchdowns and 11th with a 170.6 passer efficiency rating.  For the season, he has completed 59 of his 89 pass attempts for 823 yards.  Antoine's two main targets are a pair of upperclassmen in senior Levi Tidwell and junior Isaac Smith.  The latter has three Top 10 marks with his six touchdown receptions (third), 409 receiving yards (sixth) and 22 receptions (ninth).  He is also 13th in yards receiving per game at 102.3.  Tidwell, meanwhile, is eighth in yards per catch at 20.1.  On the ground, Indiana Wesleyan is equally as potent with sophomore Ryan Whitwell and junior Roosevelt Cage.  Whitwell has the fourth-most rushes in the NAIA this year (84) leading to the fifth-most yards (456).  His 114.0 yards per game rank 11th in the NAIA.  Cage has made the most of his carries, averaging 9.4 yards per attempt, while ranking 12th with his five rushing touchdowns.  Put all of those numbers together and you have the eighth-most potent offense in the nation at 508.3 yards per game.  The Wildcats are also second in third-down conversions (29), third in passing touchdowns (14), eighth in first downs per game (26.3), ninth in third-down conversion rate (55 pct.) and tenth in passing yards per game.  (313.3).  Of course, that also leads to a lot of points to the tune of 49.3 per game, the ninth-most in the NAIA.  The majority of those points (70 pct.) have come in the first half, where the Wildcats have outscored the opposition 138-24, including 72-7 in the first quarter.  They are also outscoring the opposition by 40.8 points per game and rank fourth for fewest points allowed (8.5).  The defense, which features ten senior starters, has a lot to be proud of, as well.  It boasts 11 sacks after just four games (seventh in the nation) and the fourth-most interceptions (eight) with a nation's-best four resulting in touchdowns.  Indiana Wesleyan is averaging nearly 40 yards per interception return.  Six different players have recorded picks, including two each from Neil Campbell and Da'Veon Turner.  Linebacker Luke Bays leads the unit in tackles with 30, while defensive lineman Anthony Cheeseborough has three of the team's 11 sacks.  The opposition has averaged just one touchdown per game with the Wildcats having yielded only one score on the ground.  As a team, IWU is a plus-four in the takeaway category.  On the special teams front, Myles Cox handles both kick (19.0 ypr) and punt returns (7.8).  The Wildcats have used a pair of punters in Jaden Downs (37.3 avg.) and Nolan Foley (31.6).  Josh Clifton has handled all PATs (25-of-26) and field goals (3-of-4) with a long of 37 yards.            

ABOUT THE SERIES: The two teams have met only once previously (Oct. 6, 2018) with Indiana Wesleyan edging out the Saints 35-34 in an offensive see-saw affair.  The two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of offense with USF winning that battle, 517-456.  The contest featured five lead changes and a pair of ties with the Saints missing a potential 41-yard game-winning field goal late in the contest.

THE FAMOUS #23: Chicago sports teams have had their share of prolific stars wear No. 23, in particular Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg and Devin Hester.  The Saints are wearing it well currently as USF bumped up two spots to No. 23 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll following its third straight success to begin the season.

LOOKING FOR TWO IN A ROW: The Saints come into Saturday's contest looking to start the season at 4-0 for the second time in as many years.  The only time USF has started 4-0 besides one year ago was in 2008.  St. Francis is currently riding a four-game win streak if you include the victory over Judson University to close out the 2023 campaign.

SWEET 16: Sam Tumilty's four-touchdown performance against Concordia University (Mich.) marked the 16th time in his 27-game St. Francis career that he has scored two or more touchdowns in a contest.  His high-water mark is five from his freshman campaign (2021), which ties the school record with Vic Pierzchalski from the 1989 team.  Saturday's performance was the third time Tumilty produced four scores in a game and it came in just three quarters of work.  That effort, along with his 138 yards rushing on 19 carries and 19-of-29, 268-yard passing day, landed him MSFA Midwest League Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in three weeks.

ANOTHER 100: Tumilty's team-leading 138 yards rushing against Concordia marked the 15th time in his career that he has reached the century mark.

GETTING CLOSER: Despite falling one game short of the NAIA statistical minimum of playing 75 percent of all games, Joey Tumilty's numbers through two games are still eye-popping.  His 9.0 catches per game and 144.5 yards receiving per contest would both rank him second in the nation if he qualified.  By playing Saturday, he will meet the 75 percent threshold moving forward having played in three of the team's first four games.  Wide receiver Dezzion Jordan is also short on the qualification numbers in terms of yards per catch, where he would lead the nation at 27.7.  Jordan has 194 yards on seven attempts and needs to average 3.0 catches per game to qualify.    

YOU CAN'T STOP ME: On Joey Tumilty's first touchdown last Saturday as part of a 138-yard, ten-reception day against Concordia, the sophomore broke free from four different tacklers to reach the end zone and complete his 27-yard score.

THAT'S A LOT OF OFFENSE: The Fighting Saints totaled 11 drives on Saturday with seven of those being 60 yards or more, resulting in an even 500 total yards of offense.  It marked the highest offensive output of the campaign for USF and kept it as the 12th-best offense from a per-game perspective at 484.0 yards per contest.  St. Francis also ranks fourth in passing yards per attempt (10.7), fifth in rushing touchdowns (14), seventh in passing yards per completion (16.6) and eighth in both rushing yards per game (234.3) and yards per carry (5.9).

44 OR MORE: Coordinator Matt McCarthy's offensive unit has scored no less than 44 points in each of the team's first three contests this season leading to the third-highest scoring offense in the NAIA at 53.3 points per game.  The Saints are outscoring the opposition by a 44-point margin (53.3-9.3). 

POINTS EQUAL WINS: In each of its last six wins (among seven contests) dating back to last year, St. Francis is averaging 51.3 points in each of those games.

UNLUCKY SEVENS: USF's opponents have scored no more than seven points in any one quarter this season, while the Saints' lowest number is 27 in the fourth.  St. Francis has outscored the opposition 96-14 in the opening half, including 54-7 in the second quarter.

LUCKY SEVENS: USF's top two rushers, Gavin Day and Sam Tumilty, are both averaging at least 7.0 yards per carry with Tumilty right at that mark.  Day's 7.7 average based off 223 yards on just 29 carries ranks him 14th in the nation.

HALFWAY THERE ALREADY: Sam Tumilty set the school record for touchdowns rushing in a season in 2022 when he reached the end zone 16 times.  He is already halfway to that mark after just three games this year with his eight rushing touchdowns.

SHARING IS A GOOD THING: A total of ten different Saints have scored touchdowns this season, while on Saturday seven different players recorded a catch, including Jaime Sepulveda, who tallied the first one of his collegiate career.  Jason Hartsfield also had a big day with three catches for 66 yards.

PICK PARTY: Scott Tumilty joined his brother Sam on the awards stand this week after snaring a pair of interceptions against Concordia.  That resulted in his second MSFA Midwest League Player of the Week honor for 2024.  It was Tumilty's first game with an interception since the 2022 campaign.  He now has eight for his career with five coming in his freshman season.  As a team, USF had three picks on the day on Saturday to give the Saints seven on the season, seventh-best in the NAIA.  USF is a plus-eight in the takeaway department this fall.

PUNT, KICK AND TACKLE: That is what Adrian Guerrero did last week, averaging 44.3 yards on three punts and making a career-long 37-yard field goal to go along with five PATs.  However, it was his tackle on one of the kickoffs that made the highlight reel in film sessions this week.

BEW(TIFUL) TOUCHDOWN: Sophomore quarterback Carl Bew made his first appearance of the season on Saturday and needed just one rush of two yards to score his first touchdown of the year, which came on the first play in the fourth quarter.

KEEPING PERFECT: The Saints have scored all 17 times that they have entered the red zone this season with 15 of those resulting in touchdowns.  That 88 percent red-zone mark on touchdowns ranks eighth in the nation.

RANKINGS OF THEIR OWN: USF's offense is not the only one putting up Top 10 performances.  Its defensive unit has allowed the sixth-fewest points (9.3) and the fifth-lowest yards-per-game passing (108.3).

CLUB HANSEN: Despite playing practically one-handed with his one arm completely taped up like a club, that has not deterred sophomore linebacker Karsen Hansen from leading USF's sack attack.  Of his 18 tackles this season, 9.5 have gone for loss with five being sacks.  As a team, the Saints have nine sacks.  Hansen's 18 total tackles are third-most on the squad.   

THE VANN MAN: USF defensive back McKai Vann had a career day on Saturday with his seven-tackle output.  He shared team-high honors with Trey Sayers.

SPECIAL TEAMS SCOTT: Scott Tumilty remained in the top spot in the nation on punt returns with his 22.7 average, but slipped out of the top spot on kickoff returns due to not having enough attempts.  He has only three in three games and a player needs to have an average of 1.2 per game to qualify.  Nonetheless, he is averaging 40.7 yards on his kickoff returns, which would be first in the nation.  As a team, USF ranks first in the NAIA on kickoff returns (36.5) and sixth on punt returns (23.2).

FOR THE RECORD: The Saints are 175-228 all time, 146-169 in day games and 91-102 in home games.