2013 Siena Heights University Football
Siena Heights Saints (4-4, 1-3 MSFA Mideast) vs
#23 Saint Francis Fighting Saints (5-3, 3-1 MSFA Mideast)
Saturday, Nov. 2 - 12 p.m. - Adrian, Mich.

Live Coverage: Jerry Hayes (play-by-play), Doug Goodnough (color commentary), Siena Heights Sports Network (SHUSAINTS.COM), WLEN 103.9 FM

For a complete PDF version of game notes, click HERE.

THE GAME
The Siena Heights football team will play its final regular season home game when 23rd-ranked Saint Francis (Ill.) visits O'Laughlin Stadium for a 12 p.m. Mid-States Football Association Mideast League kickoff on Nov. 2.

Last week, the Saints suffered a 21-7 loss to Taylor (Ind.) at New Stadium in Upland, Ind. Linebacker Tyler Karcher had nine tackles, including a forced fumble and recovery, while fellow linebacker Nic Acton and defensive back Fred Butler added interceptions to the SHU effort.

Taylor's defense and special teams were key to its success, finishing with two blocked punts, two forced turnovers and two fourth-down stops.

Tight end Donovan Campbell led the Siena Heights offense with seven catches for 78 yards. Wide receiver Reggie Blackmon had two grabs for 53 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Travis Zajkowski finished 16 of 34 for 167 yards and a score. Running back Ja'Tice K. Shaw II carried 15 times for 52 yards.

Saint Francis (Ill.) earned a 20-6 victory over defending national champ Marian (Ind.) last week. In the process, the Fighting Saints moved into sole possession of first place in the MSFA Mideast -- a half-game ahead of No. 10 Saint Francis (Ind.), Marian and Taylor, which are all 2-1 in the league.

Wide receiver Troy Torrence had seven catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Saint Francis offense against Marian. Quarterback E.J. White was a dual threat, completing 17 of 29 passes for 205 yards, the two scores and two interceptions; White also ran 12 times for 52 yards.

Running back Malik Norman was the Fighting Saints' leading rusher, compiling 13 carries for 53 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, linebacker Mike Passo finished with 10 1/2 tackles and an interception. Cornerback Josh Woodward added a forced fumble while defensive end Jeff Cascella and nose tackle Joe Lyman contributed 1/2 sacks each. Defensive end Eric Davis also recorded a sack for Saint Francis.

The Fighting Saints fell behind in the second quarter to Marian, 3-0, before running off 20 consecutive points. White and Torrence hooked up on a 27-yard scoring play to put USF ahead during the second quarter. In the fourth, White found Torrence again -- this time for a backbreaking 72-yard touchdown play in the fourth as USF took a 20-3 lead.

THE COACHES
Jim Lyall (Michigan '74) is in his third season as head coach for Siena Heights, where he now has a 8-10 varsity record. He is 111-102-1 all-time as a collegiate varsity football coach. During SHU's 2011 club season, Lyall went 8-1. He was previously the head coach at Adrian, where he compiled a 103-92-1 varsity slate.

Joe Curry (Saint Francis, Ill. '01) is in his second year as head coach for his alma mater. He is 11-8 all-time as a collegiate varsity football coach. Curry is coaching at Saint Francis for the ninth consecutive year. He began his collegiate coaching career immediately after graduation before he moved to Ferris State for three seasons.

UP NEXT...
The Saints will play their regular-season finale when they visit Robert Morris (Ill.) for a 2 p.m. EST kickoff (1 p.m. CST) on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The RMU Eagles are currently 6-3 overall and 2-2 in the MSFA Mideast. They are ranked just outside of the Top 25. Robert Morris is currently in its bye week.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SAINTS
Saint Francis (Ill.) is in the driver's seat as far as the MSFA Mideast race goes as it sits in first place with remaining games against Siena Heights and Taylor. One win would earn the Fighting Saints a share of the league title; two would allow USF to claim the crown outright, along with a spot in the NAIA Tournament. USF just joined the Mideast in 2011, coming over from the Midwest league. 

The Fighting Saints have bounced around since the program's inception in 1986. They were originally an NAIA Independent program before moving to NCAA Division II in 1993. USF then returned to the NAIA, joining the MSFA in 1999. The Fighting Saints made their first appearance in the NAIA Tournament in 2011, earning a share of the MSFA Midwest title and then knocking off Morningside (Iowa), 21-17, in a tournament game before their season ended in a 49-7 loss to Marian (Ind.). That season was USF's most successful to date; the Saints finished 10-3.

Saint Francis returned several impact players from a year ago, including dual-threat quarterback E.J. White. An All-MSFA Midwest Second Team performer in 2012, White currently leads the Fighting Saints in both passing and rushing. Throwing the ball, he is 203 of 299 (67.9 percent) for 2,581 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptinos. White ranks second in the NAIA in total offense and total offense per game (376.4), third in total passing (2,581) and passing yards per game (322.6) and sixth in passing efficiency (161.3).

As a team, USF does a solid job protecting its quarterback. The Fighting Saints are tied for second in the NAIA in total sacks allowed (7) and tied for the nation lead in sacks allowed per game (0.9). The team is third in the NAIA in total passing offense -- all yards thrown by White -- and are also fourth in passing offense per game, total offense per game (494.9) and third-down conversions (48.1 percent). Saint Francis also rates sixth in the NAIA in passing efficiency (160.8).

Other key performers on offense this season have included running backs Anthony Hubert and Malik Norman and receivers Troy Torrence and Trace Wanless.

Hubert was an All-MSFA Midwest First Team selection. So far in 2013, he has 67 carries for 409 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, Norman has 69 carries for 272 yards and three TDs.

Torrence is one of the top receivers in the NAIA. He is tied for eighth in the nation with 50 total receptions while ranking fifth in receiving yards (842) and receiving yards per game (105.3). His 6.3-receptions-per-game average has him tied for 11th in the country.

Wanless, who can also line up at quarterback, has been featured mostly at the wide-out position in 2013. He has 39 catches for 401 yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, the Fighting Saints can really get after the quarterback. Led by defensive end Jeff Cascella -- an All-MSFA Midwest First Team honoree last season -- USF ranks sixth in the NAIA in total sacks (24), sixth in opponents' third-down percentage (28.6) and eighth in sacks per game (3.0).

Cascella himself ranks fifth in the NAIA in total tackles-for-loss (16 1/2) while rating 10th in total sacks (7 1/2).

Also on defense, end Eric Davis has 12 tackles-for-loss, including six sacks, and linebacker Mike Passo is the leading tackler with 52 1/2 stops.

ALL-AMERICAMPBELL?
Among those players in NAIA Football who are listed as tight ends, Donovan Campbell leads the crowd in total receptions. Campbell, who is tied for fourth overall in the NAIA with 52 receptions, is the leading pass-catcher among tight ends. The next closest tight end is Bobby Tisch of Dakota State (S.D.); Tisch has made 38 grabs.

Campbell continues to lead the Siena Heights receiving corps. His 52 receptions have totaled 681 yards and eight touchdowns. In two varsity seasons, Campbell has accumulated 93 catches for 1,095 yards and 14 scores. He became the first Saint to record over 1,000 yards receiving and is now seven catches from becoming the first one to 100 receptions.

Campbell is also tied for ninth in the NAIA in receptions per game (6.5), 14th in receiving yards and 17th in receiving yards per game (85.1).

There is one mark that continues to elude Campbell: matching his jersey number for receptions in a game. He has recorded a school-record eight catches on five separate occasions, but has not once gotten one more to hit nine.

O-H..... 
The Saints have certainly hit the recruiting trail in Ohio in search of running backs for their program. Three of SHU's top rushers hail from the Buckeye State. 

Junior Travis Damron is included in the Ohio group. He is a Champion High School graduate from Warren, Ohio -- a city in the Youngstown area. The Saints' other Ohio RBs are freshmen Ja'Tice K. Shaw II and Dwayne Aaron II. Shaw is from Akron where he went to Firestone High School while Aaron is a Cleveland native and grad of Coach Jim Lyall's alma mater -- Saint Edward.

Damron, who has 94 carries for 349 yards and one touchdown, became the first SHU rusher to eclipse 500 yards in a career earlier this season (teammate Julius Taylor Jr. became the second individual to accomplish that feat last week at Taylor). Damron now sits on 541 career yards for SHU and seven rushing touchdowns -- both of which can be considered SHU all-time records... for now.

Shaw has been the squad's leading runner in 2013 with 69 carries for 362 yards and two scores. Aaron has 41 rushes for 185 yards and a TD.

As a trio, the Ohio running backs are 204 for 896 yards and four scores with a yards-per-carry average of 4.4. 

STAYING STRONG
The Siena Heights defense continues to lay claim to being one of the tougher units to score upon in the NAIA. The team is currently ranked eighth in the entire NAIA in points allowed per game (16.8), trailing only Grand View (Iowa) within the conference. The Vikings are rated fifth in the nation (15.5).

Linebacker Tyler Karcher is the squad's leading tackler with 59 stops. He also leads the team in tackles-for-loss (7 1/2), including one sack. Last week against Taylor, he forced a fumble and then recovered the ball -- just one play after SHU had committed a turnover itself. He rates fifth in the MSFA in tackles per game (9.2).

The next three leading tacklers for the Saints are defensive back Sederick A. Dunbar II (42 1/2), linebacker Trenton Bragg (37 1/2) and defensive back DeShawn Gilbert (35).

Dunbar has also compiled two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery while Gilbert has four interceptions and eight pass breakups. Gilbert's four picks have him tied for 12th in the NAIA rankings. He also leads the MSFA in passes defended (12) while tying for fourth  in passes defended per game among all NAIA schools (1.6). Defensive lineman Kyle Connors holds the team lead in sacks (5).

As a unit, the SHU defenders are tied for sixth in the NAIA in opponents' fourth-down percentage (25.0) -- a stat that leads the MSFA. The Saints also have an MSFA-leading 100.6 opponents' pass efficiency, which has them ranked eighth in the nation.

In total defense, SHU is 12th in the NAIA (301.9).

FOLLOW THE MARCH
All Siena Heights football games will be webcast on the Siena Heights Sports Network, which can be accessed via the Stretch Internet link on WWW.SHUSAINTS.COM. Live stats can be followed online at WWW.SHUSAINTS.COM.

SHSN will provide live video for each Saint home game. Play-by-play will be called by Jerry Hayes while Doug Goodnough will provide color commentary. Zach Stultz is the producer. Games will be archived in Stretch's on-demand feature.

SHSN and WLEN 103.9 FM have also enjoyed a three-year partnership. All games will be audio-streamed online at WLEN.COM while select games will be broadcast live on the radio.

HAVE AN AWESOME FRICKIN' THURSDAY
Frickers Restaurant of Adrian will replay Siena Heights football games every Thursday at 8 p.m. at its establishment. Frickers is a supporter of Siena Heights Athletics, providing food to the press box for every SHU Football home game.