INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- The University of St. Francis football team gave NAIA No. 7-ranked Marian University (Ind.) all it could handle before the Knights scored a pair of late touchdowns to thwart USF's upset bid and claim a 28-11 Mid-States Football Association Midwest League victory on Saturday afternoon.

Carl Bew made things interesting midway through the fourth quarter with his second kickoff return for a touchdown this season.  The 97-yarder followed by Jake Friddle's two-point conversion put the Saints within upset-striking distance at 14-11 with 8:09 remaining in the contest.

Marian, however, answered with back-to-back scores over the final 5:29 as part of a three-series, three-touchdown fourth quarter to land its eighth straight win.  The Knights, who were only 4-of-13 on third-down plays on the afternoon, converted a pair of clutch said plays over the two series to extend the drives.  The first one covered 66 yards in six plays, including a pair of 26-yard catch by Aidan Wanner (6 recp., 108 yards), with the second drive requiring the same number of plays to go 50 yards.

USF's responses to each touchdown were a three-and-out series and an interception.  The pick was one of three on the day against the Saints (3-5, 1-2 MSFA) with the first two ruining back-to-back scoring opportunities to end the first half and at the start of the third quarter. 

Trailing 7-0 after Marian scored early in the second quarter keyed by a Keagan La Belle 57-yard run, the Saints saved their best drive of the opening half until the end.  After punting on each of its first seven offensive series of the game, USF drove down to the Marian nine-yard line in the closing seconds of the first half only to be picked off at the two-yard line with 14 seconds remaining.

St. Francis then had a shot at redemption to open the third quarter, rambling 49 yards down the field in five plays to the Marian 28-yard line only to be intercepted again, this time at the 16.  Entering the contest, the Knights (8-1, 3-0) boasted the second-most interceptions in the NAIA with their 14.

Sparked by a 26-yard run from Larry Stringham, the Saints finally put points on the board on their next series.  Stringham (16 carries, 77 yards) accounted for seven plays and 42 yards on the team's longest drive of the afternoon (15 plays, 76 yards), but St. Francis was still left frustrated by having to settle for an Adrian Guerrero 20-yard field goal after having a first-and-goal situation at the five-yard line.

USF continued its offensive resurgence on its fourth straight series getting into Marian territory, this time starting from its worst field position – its own 10-yard line.  The Saints would get as close as the Marian 30-yard line, but a three-yard sack eventually left Guerrero's 50-yard field goal attempt short.  That would have made it a one-point game at 7-6 with 13:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.     

Marian went on to score on each of its three fourth-quarter possessions, while St. Francis could only counter with Bew's return.  La Belle (27 carries, 148 yards) accounted for two of the scores in that frame as part of his three-touchdown afternoon.

St. Francis nearly matched Marian in the yardage department with the Knights gaining a slight 388-323 edge courtesy of a five-minute time-of-possession advantage.  St. Francis quarterback Nathan Maul completed 19 of his 37 passes for 131 yards, but did have the three interceptions.  He went to five different receivers at least three times with Mason Hackman having the most receptions (four) and Connor Engstrom the most yards (40).

Aboubacar Barry joined Stringham in having a good ground game with his nine carries going for 58 yards.  They were the 1-2 punch to USF's second-half rushing surge.  After picking up just 41 ground yards in the opening 30 minutes, the Saints gained 121 in the second half. 

Linebackers Allan Richards and Karsen Hansen keyed a heady St. Francis defense that held the sixth-highest scoring offense in the nation 18.3 points below its average.  Richards had a team-high nine tackles, with two going for loss.  Hansen was one behind with eight stops and one for loss. 

Nathen Choute also became just the second player all season to pick off Marian starting quarterback Tristan Polk (10-of-21, 155 yards) for the Knights' only turnover of the game.  Choute finished the game with five tackles.

Notes: Bew now has the two longest kickoff returns in school history, including his school-record 100-yarder versus Lawrence Tech earlier this season …  Stringham and Barry's rushing yardage were season-high numbers for each of them … Marian came into the contest scoring no less than 35 points during its seven-game winning streak … The Knights also entered the contest converting at a 50 percent clip on third downs during the season.  On Saturday, they were held to the 4-of-13 mark (30.8 pct.) … Guerrero had his streak of consecutive field goals made snapped at seven with the 50-yard miss.

Up Next
The Saints make their final Joliet Memorial Stadium appearance for the 2025 season next Saturday afternoon when they host University of Saint Francis (Ind.)  Kickoff is set for 1 pm.

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