ADRIAN, Mich. --- A converted onside kick early in the fourth quarter sparked a run of 17 unanswered points for Siena Heights University (Mich.) as the hosts rallied and then hung on for a 24-21 Mid-States Football Association crossover victory over the University of St. Francis football team on Saturday afternoon.

A 19-play, 73-yard drive that took up the first 10 minutes, 48 seconds of the third quarter enabled the Fighting Saints (0-2) to take their second lead of the game at 14-7 after the two teams played to a seven-all draw through the opening 30 minutes.  Gavin Day completed the drawn-out series with his six-yard run.

The onside kick came just after Siena Heights (1-1) made it a 14-10 game on a 22-yard field goal from Carter Ball with 10:37 remaining in the contest.  Ball and his teammates then executed the onside kick perfectly to set up SHU's go-ahead score less than two minutes later.  The seven-yard touchdown pass to give the hosts the lead (17-14) for good came on the third play following the kick and was set up by a 44-yard pass to begin the drive.

Siena Heights added an insurance touchdown one series later after the Saints went three-and-out.  Another big pass play of 37 yards to begin that drive led the hosts to need just four plays to cover the 57 yards and extend the lead to 27-17 with 6:25 remaining in the contest.

That proved to be the difference in the end after the Saints worked quickly to get back in the game.  They did just that when starting quarterback Nathan Maul delivered an 18-yard touchdown strike in the left corner of the end zone to Ryan Little with 3:31 to play.  Little also had a 27-yard reception on the drive to get the ball to midfield.

The Saints then got the ball back at their own 40-yard line with 65 seconds remaining.  A 12-yard pass play got the ball just inside Siena Heights territory with 50 seconds left, but two sacks – the second one resulting in a fumble – would dash USF's hopes of a last-second rally.

The sacks would be the final two among six total on the day for Siena Heights' defense, which held Maul to just an 8-for-22 completion ratio for 117 yards with one interception.  No receiver caught more than two passes on the day with Little leading with 45 yards on his two grabs.

On the ground, the Saints nearly had an identical number of yards with 115 on 43 carries.  Aaron Larkins, Carl Bew and Day each had ten carries with Larkins topping the list with his 50 yards.  His seven-yard touchdown run in the first quarter gave USF an initial 7-0 lead.

Siena Heights, which tied the score just before halftime, outgained the Saints 388-232 with 322 of those yards coming through the air on 22 completions in 31 attempts from Braylen Himmelein.  His main target was Tendaji Alexander with six catches for 89 yards.  SHU's 16 first downs passing were also one better than the Saints had as a whole.

Defensively, Karsen Hansen was involved in 1.5 sacks and also had another tackle for loss to finish with a team-high eight stops.  Marcello Bernardi had one of USF's three other sacks and a tackle for loss, while Michael Hackman recorded his second interception in as many weeks.

Notes: For the second game in a row, the Saints were the first team to score … USF was a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone and is now 7-for-7 in that category on the year with all seven scores being touchdowns … USF's defense limited Siena Heights' offense to just one first down in nine third-down attempts, while the St. Francis offense went 3-for-3 on fourth down … Larkins' touchdown was his first as both a Saint and at the collegiate level … Of USF's 12 offensive series on the day, only four were not 3-and-out, the three touchdown drives and the final series of the contest.

Up Next
The Saints open up a two-game homestand when they face Lawrence Technological  University (Mich.) next Saturday (Sept. 20) on the turf of Busey Bank Field at Joliet Memorial Statdium.  Kickoff is 1 pm.

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