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INTRASTATE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN THE PIONEERS AND BLUE DEVILS

• The Sacred Heart University football team closes out its home portion of its 2023 schedule with a Northeast Conference (NEC) battle against the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) this Saturday at Campus Field. 
• Prior to the game, head coach Mark Nofri and the coaching staff will honor its 26-member senior class.
• Central Connecticut State holds a 13-11 advantage in the all-time series, but the Pioneers have won three of the last four, including last year's 14-10 win in New Britain, Conn. 
• Sacred Heart enters Saturday's contents on a five-game losing skid, while Central Connecticut is coming off a tough 24-23 loss to the Sharks of LIU. 
• The opening kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. at Campus Field in Fairfield, Conn. Fans can catch all the action live on NEC Front Row.  

LAST TIME VS. CCSU
Final Score: Sacred Heart 14 | CCSU 10
Key Highlights: 

• Arsheen Jiles' interception in the waning minutes of Saturday night's game sealed the victory for the Pioneers. 
• Sacred Heart got on the board first thanks to good field position as Rob DiNota brought the ball to the CCSU 35-yard line. Malik Grant capped the 10-play scoring drive when plunged in from two-yards out.
• After Central Connecticut took its first lead in the third quarter, the Pioneers answered on the ensuing drive as quarterback Rob McCoy accounted for 41 yards, including a 14-yard score.
• SHU's defense came up with another good performance, limiting the Blue Devils to 254 yards of total offense. CCSU had a decided 34:25-to-25:35 advantage in time of possession.

THANK YOU, SENIORS

• The Pioneers have accumulated 17 victories over the last four season and have boasted an 85% winning percentage. 
• This year's senior class has contributed to a pair of NEC Championships and two trips to the FCS Playoffs.

DEFENSE CONTINUING TO SHINE IN NCAA RANKINGS (as of 11/1)
The Pioneers' defensive unit continues to shine within the NCAA rankings as the team currently ranks within the top 15 in four categories - 

• passing yards allowed (1st)
• team passing efficiency - defense (5th)
• kick return defense (8th)
• third-down conversion percentage - defense (12th)

PIONEERS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS (as of 11/1)
Three Pioneers - Jon Moccia, Bayo Gbowu, and Ernest Howard - are currently ranked in the top 10 in two different categories - 

• Moccia (6th - combined kick returns)
• Gbowu (6th - fumble recoveries)
• Howard (6th - fumble recoveries)

SO MUCH DEFENSE
For the third straight game, the Sacred Heart defensive unit forced a turnover by recording a pair of interceptions against Duquesne. The two interceptions were a season-high for the Pioneers and were recorded by Marques Mason and Mike-Lee Joseph. Following the pair of interceptions, the Pioneers now lead the NEC in this stat category. 

GRANT RUSHING TO THE TOP
Malik Grant now has a career rushing total of 3,195, which ranks him third all-time behind former teammate Julius Chestnut, who has a total of 3,605 rushing yards. The grad running back is also sixth all-time with 29 touchdowns behind 25 rushing and four receiving. He is currently just one shy of tying Keshaudas Spence, who has 30.

MADISON BREAKS 1,000 RUSHING YARDS
Senior running back Jalen Madison ran for 70 yards in Saturday's 27-0 loss to the Duquesne Dukes to reach 1,000 career rushing yards. This season, Madison has tallied 533 total yards, including a season-high 110 against Stonehill College, ranking him second on the team behind Malik Grant.

KWARTENG MAKING BIG PLAYS
Sophomore Aboraa Kwarteng has come through for the Pioneers this season as the wide receiver is recording a breakout year leading both the team and the NEC in receptions per game behind a 4.2 average. To date, he has accumulated 339 passing yards this season behind 34 catches. This season at Yale, he recorded a career-high seven catches for 57 yards, including a 20-yard catch on a fourth and 14.

DYNAMIC DUO OF BYRD AND FOGLIA
The duo tandem of DeAndre Byrd and Nick Foglia have been key to the Pioneers' defensive unit as Byrd, who is ranked sixth in the NEC in tackles, leads the team with 67, followed by Foglia with 50, including a team-high three sacks for a loss of 23 yards. Byrd also has recorded a sack for a loss of 16 and has pushed back his opponent 21 yards behind 4.5 tackles for loss. 

PIONEERS SHUT OUT AT HOME
FINAL SCORE: Duquesne 27 | Sacred Heart 0
Key Highlights: 

• Duquesne kept Sacred Heart out of the red zone all day and was in the visitors' territory twice, getting as close as the 36-yard line in the second half.
• Sacred Heart had two players - Mike-Lee Joseph and Marques Mason - register an interception on the afternoon. 
• The Pioneers were held to just 179 yards, compared to the Dukes who finished with 436 total offensive yards. 

FOOTBALL EDGED BY STONEHILL IN OVERTIME THRILLER
FINAL SCORE: Stonehill 22 | Sacred Heart 19
Key Highlights: 

• Sacred Heart broke the tie in the second overtime following a 25-yard field goal from Sam Renzi, but the Skyhawks' offense proved too much for the Pioneers as Jermaine Corbett rushed up the middle for the game-winning touchdown.
• The Pioneers' lone touchdown of the game came from Malik Grant, who rushed up the middle for his second touchdown of the season, on a first and goal. 
• Renzi finished the afternoon with 13 points after going 4-for-5 in field goals and 1-for-1 in extra point attempts. 
• The Pioneers' defensive unit had five guys finish with seven tackles, while Nick Foglia registered a sack for a loss of nine yards and Arsheen Jiles posted an interception. 
• Cade Pribula concluded the afternoon with 87 passing and 34 rushing yards, respectively, as well as went 7-of-18 in the pocket. 

FOOTBALL STOPPED BY YALE
FINAL SCORE: Yale 31 | Sacred Heart 3
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• On its first drive of the afternoon, Yale scored a touchdown on a first and 10 at the SHU 40 and converted on the extra point attempt for the early advantage, 7-0.
• The second quarter saw the Bulldogs' lead grow to 21 as the hosts tallied a rushing and passing touchdown, respectively.
• Sacred Heart's first and only afternoon points came in the third quarter when Sam Renzi put the ball between the uprights for the 19-yard field goal.
• The Bulldogs closed out the fourth quarter scoring an additional 10 points to secure the home win.
• Jalen Madison finished with 92 yards behind 15 carries, while Malik Grant carried the ball 17 times for 58 yards.
• Carson Primrose recorded a team-high seven tackles, a forced fumble, 1.0 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sack.

PIONEERS CLIPPED BY SHARKS
FINAL SCORE: LIU 23 | Sacred Heart 13
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Trailing 14-0 to the Sharks midway through the second, Sacred Heart cut the lead in half, 14-7, as Cade Pribula connected with LJ Haskett in the endzone for the 13-yard touchdown, and Sam Renzi secured the extra point attempt.
• The Pioneers closed out the first half by trimming the deficit to within four, 14-10, as Renzi put the ball between the uprights as time expired. 
• Two and a half minutes into the third, LIU scored its third touchdown of the day, pushing its advantage to 10, 20-10, before a field goal by the hosts made it a 23-10 score.
• Sacred Heart's final score of the game came in the third quarter following a 32-yard field goal from Renzi.
• Jordan Campbell finished with a team-high 10 solo tackles, while DeAndre Byrd and Ernest Howard recorded eight and seven tackles, respectively. 
• The duo of Tyreke Brown and Campbell forced a combined three fumbles for the Pioneers. 
• Cade Pribula went 15-of-29 with 151 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also finished with 53 rushing yards on 15 carries. 

FOOTBALL TRIPPED UP BY WARRIORS
FINAL SCORE: Merrimack 17 | Sacred Heart 7
Key Highlights:

• The Pioneers broke open the scoring at the 5:55 mark of the first quarter as Arsheen Jiles scored the first touchdown after recovering a Merrimack fumble at the SHU 38. 
• Shortly after, Merrimack trimmed the deficit to within four, 7-3, following a 26-yard field goal from Lliam Davis with 3:08 left in the quarter.
• Both teams could only capitalize offensively in the fourth quarter when Merrimack scored 14 points off a pick-six by Tre Jordan III and a 45-yard rushing touchdown from Donovan Wadley to push the advantage to 10, 17-7.
• Jalen Madison finished the afternoon with 40 yards behind 10 carries, while Malik Grant recorded 12 carries for 37 yards. 
• Ernest Howard led the defensive attack with 13 tackles (4 solo, 9 assist) to go along with 1.0/2 TFL/yds, 0.5/2 Sack/yds, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. 
• Nick Foglia also served as a defensive threat after tallying 11 tackles behind one solo and 10 assisted with 1.0/3 TFL/Yds and 0.5/2 Sack/Yds. 

RENZI TABBED NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK (9/25)
Sam Renzi was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Renzi was on point in Sacred Heart's thrilling 37-34 road victory against Saint Francis, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts. The senior kicker scored 13 points after converting two 40-yard field goals, including the game-winner that lifted the Pioneers to victory, and one from 44 yards out.

RENZI LIFTS PIONEERS TO VICTORY OVER SFU
FINAL SCORE: Sacred Heart 37 | Saint Francis 34
Key Highlights:

• Despite a game-tying touchdown from the Red Flash, the Pioneers maintained their composure offensively, moving the ball from the SHU 45 to the SFU 23 over the final 2:20 to set up Sam Renzi for the game-winning field goal with two seconds left on the clock.
• Jalen Madison kicked off the scoring for the Pioneers after recording his fourth straight rushing touchdown in the first quarter. 
• A Payton Rhoades touchdown and a pair of field goals from Renzi gave the visitors a 20-17 lead heading into halftime.
• Sacred Heart's largest lead came in the third as Rob McCoy threw a perfect pass to LJ Haskett to build on the Pioneers' halftime advantage, 27-17.
• The fourth quarter began with Saint Francis tying the game thanks to a 26-yard field goal from Mac Plummer, but a four-yard rushing touchdown from Malik Grant and a Renzi extra point put the visitors back on top, 34-27.
• DeAndre Byrd led the defensive unit for the second game of the season after tallying nine tackles, behind three solo and six assisted tackles, while pushing the Red Flash back four yards on 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
• Tyreke Brown finished with six tackles behind two solo and four assisted.
• Jordan Campbell recorded the lone interception on the day for the Pioneers. 
• The Pioneers' defense forced the Red Flash to go 3-of-13 in third down conversions while holding the offense to only one rushing touchdown.

PIONEERS FALL IN NEC OPENER TO WAGNER
FINAL SCORE: Wagner 17 | Sacred Heart 10
Key Highlights:

• Trailing 17-0 heading into the fourth quarter, SHU broke through on offense, tallying seven quick points on a rushing touchdown from Jalen Madison and a Sam Renzi extra point. 
• Madison's touchdown kept the momentum in favor of the Pioneers as a Renzi field goal trimmed the deficit seven, 17-10, with 2:32 left on the clock.
• Madison has scored a rushing TD in all three games, while Malik Grant tallied a season-high 135 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards.
• A late roughing of the kicker call against the Pioneers sealed a Seahawks' road victory, their first of the season.
• Tyreke Brown led the defensive unit with seven tackles behind two solo and five assists with 2.5 TFL/13 yards. 
• The duo of DeAndre Byrd and Bayo Gbowu also served as defensive threats for the Pios as the pair finished with six tackles each.

PIONEERS DROP ROAD CONTEST TO GEORGETOWN
FINAL SCORE: Georgetown 27 | Sacred Heart 10
Key Highlights:

• With 4:02 left in the first stanza, Sam Renzi cut the deficit to within four, 7-3, after putting the ball between the pipes for the 34-yard field goal. 
• SHU's offense went to work in the second quarter and managed to battle back to within four, 14-10, following a 27-yard rushing touchdown from Jalen Madison and a Renzi extra point.
• Malik Grant led the red-and-white with 80 rushing yards behind 11 attempts, while Madison finished closed behind with 49 rushing yards on six attempts.  
• Carson Primrose and Myles Talley led the defensive attack with six tackles, while Arsheen Jiles, Quinn Hart, Maximus Mongelli, and DeAndre Byrd finished with five tackles each.
• Jiles also added a forced fumble, a strip sack, and a pass breakup to his stat line against the Hoyas. 
• Bayo Gbowu recorded both of SHU's fumble recoveries. 
• The Pioneers' defense held the Hoyas to only a field goal in the third quarter following a two-hour lightning delay. 

PIONEERS HOME OPENER VS. LAFAYETTE
FINAL SCORE: Lafayette 19 | Sacred Heart 14
Key Highlights: 

• A 17-yard rushing touchdown from Jalen Madison and a Sam Renzi extra point brought the Pioneers to within six, 13-7, with 1:28 left in the second quarter. 
• SHU's Ethan Hilliman made things interesting by making an impressive 11-yard reception from a Cade Pribula throw to put the Pioneers ahead 14-13 with 11:41 left on the clock.
• DeAndre Byrd and Nick Foglia led the defensive attack with 16 tackles (4 solo, 12 assisted) combined.
• Foglia also recorded a team-high 1.5 sacks for a total loss of 12 yards.

GRANT NAMED TO EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL 1,000 LIST
Preseason awards for Malik Grant (Bronx, N.Y.) started with the running back being named to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 list. 

ALL-NEC PRESEASON 
The Pioneers had four selections to the preseason team, one on the offensive and three on the defensive side of the ball. 

•  Malik Grant (RB)
•  Ernest Howard (LB) and DeAndre Byrd (LB)
•  Arsheen Jiles (DB)

WATCH OUT, HERE COMES GRANT
Preseason accolades kept rolling in for Malik Grant as the fifth year running back was named Third Team All-American by Stats Perform and was added to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. 

Grant has earned preseason All-American honors by Stats Perform for the second year in a row while being named to the Payton Watch List for the third time in his career.

OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
Head football coach Mark Nofri named his captains for the 2023 season - 

• Graduate students DeAndre Byrd and Rob McCoy
• Seniors Tyreke Brown and Carson Primrose

IN THE NEC PRESEASON POLL
Sacred Heart was picked to finish third, along with Duquesne, in the eight-team league. 

Defending champion Saint Francis earned five first-place votes to be tabbed as the preseason favorite for 2023.  Merrimack earned two first-place votes to be tabbed second, while the Dukes and Pioneers rounded out the top three.

COACH EDWARDS PROMOTED TO DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
In December of 2022, Coach Nofri announced the promotion of Darin Edwards to defensive coordinator. 

In the past two seasons, the Pioneers have had one of the top passing defenses in the country, ranking in the top three of yards allowed. Sacred Heart has also been one of the best-scoring defenses. 

NOFRI ADDS THREE MEMBERS TO COACHING STAFF
Sacred Heart University head football coach Mark Nofri has added four members to his coaching staff. Nigel Madison, Ernesto Purnsley, Zuril Hendrick, and Kevin Woodring are joining the Pioneers.

BRIEF LOOK AHEAD TO 2023
The 2023 schedule features five home games and a full seven-game Northeast Conference slate. 

The new schedule is also highlighted by road games against intrastate foes Yale and UConn, the defending Ivy League champs, and a FBS Bowl qualifier.

PIOS VS. DUQUESNE GAME ON ESPN+
The home football game scheduled on Oct. 28 against the Dukes of Duquesne University will air on ESPN+. 

SHU has won five NEC titles over the last decade, while the Dukes have captured four conference crowns during that same time frame.

CHESTNUT CONTINUES TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN PROS
Julius Chestnut signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans to provide depth to the running back rotation. He appeared in six games as a rookie in 2022, recording nine rushing attempts for 12 yards and three receptions for 41 yards while returning 10 kickoffs for 215 yards. 

Chestnut makes a strong case for himself again through the preseason. Over three games, he recorded 29 carries for 174 yards and five receptions for 58 yards. He also tallied one rushing and two receiving touchdowns. 

As announced by the Titans this week, Chestnut claimed a spot on the 53-man roster for the upcoming 2023 season. The last Pioneers to play in the NFL was Jon Corto, who signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills and played from 2007-11.

SOKOL, DIRENZO EARN NFL PRESEASON SPOTS
Fellow SHU alums Josh Sokol and J.D. DiRenzo also appeared in the NFL preseason with the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers. 

LAST SEASON RECAP
Sacred Heart finished the 2022 season with a 5-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark in NEC action. 

The Pioneers won four of their first six games but lost four of their final five contests, including an overtime setback against Duquesne and a three-point loss to LIU to wrap up the season.

FOLLOW LIVE

• Pioneer fans can find the latest news, scores, highlights, up-to-the-minute breaking news, or schedule changes at the Official Website of SHU Athletics. 
• Follow the Pioneers at @SHU__FB on Twitter and @shufb_ on Instagram.
• All the Pioneers' home and NEC contests can be seen live at NECFrontRow.com
• Live Stats are also available at sacredheartpioneers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

ON DECK
The Pioneers close out the 2023 season on Saturday, November 18 with a road non-conference tilt against the UConn Huskies. Game time is set for 12pm at Rentschler Field.