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NORTHEAST CONFERENCE OPENER

• The Sacred Heart University football team returns home this weekend as the Pioneers open up Northeast Conference (NEC) play against the Seahawks of Wagner College. 
• This is the 25th meeting between the two teams with SHU holding a 13-11 advantage over the Seahawks. 
• The opening kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m at Campus Field. Fans can catch all the action live on NEC FrontRow. 

LAST TIME VS. WAGNER
FINAL SCORE (11/12/22): Sacred Heart 38 | Wagner 28
KEY HIGHLIGHTS: 

• SHU dominated the Seahawks in the first half, out-gaining them 285-124, but didn't punch it across the goal line until right before halftime. 
• On 4th & 2 from the WC four-yard line, Rob McCoy found Malik Grant out of the backfield for the score.
• The SHU defense was in the Wagner backfield all game, racking up 10 tackles for a loss. DeAndre Byrd led the way with six stops while Terron Mallory and Myles Talley had five each.
• SHU produced over 500 yards of total offense as it had the 551-to-322 advantage.

OFFENSIVE RECAP VS. GEORGETOWN

• The Pioneers suffered a 27-10 road setback to the Hoyas of Georgetown University Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at Cooper Field.
• 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. 
• SHUs' 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. 
• Madison's touchdown was his second of the season.
• 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 each, while Arsheen Jiles, Quinn Hart, Maximus Mongelli, and DeAndre Byrd finished with five tackles each.
• Jiles also added a force fumble, a strip sack, and a pass break up to his stat line against the Hoyas.
• Byrd also tallied a forced fumble for the Pioneers in the second quarter.
• 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 Hear 14
Key Highlights: 

• Despite outscoring Lafayette in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers fell short to the visiting Leopards under the lights at Campus Field in their home opener.
• 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 a combined 16 tackles (4 solo, 12 assisted).
• 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. 
• 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. Joining the Pioneers is Nigel Madison, Ernesto Purnsley, Zuril Hendrick, and Kevin Woodring.

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 be aired 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 un-drafted 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, three receptions for 41 yards while returning 10 kickoffs for 215 yards. 
• Chestnut continues to make a strong case for himself once 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 made appearances 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, and highlights as well as 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 return to action on Saturday, Sept. 23 for a road game against Saint Francis (Pa.) The NEC contest is scheduled for a 12 p.m. kick-off.