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NEC PLAY CONTINUES IN PENNSYLVANIA
- The Sacred Heart University football team looks to snap a three-game losing skid as the Pioneers head to Loretta, Pa. to square off against the Red Flash of Saint Francis University.
- This is the 27th meeting between the two teams with SHU holding a 14-12 advantage over the Red Flash.
- The opening kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m at DeGol Field. Fans can catch all the action live on NEC FrontRow.
LAST TIME VS. SAINT FRANCIS
FINAL SCORE (10/29/22): Saint Francis 44 | Sacred Heart 14
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Trailing 34-0, Sacred Heart found the end zone right before the half as Malik Grant rushed for 48 yards on the drive and caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Marquez McCray.
- SHU cut into the lead with another touchdown coming out of the break. Grant rushed for another 54 yards and scored from five yards out.
- The Red Flash added 10 insurance points in the fourth quarter.
- Saint Francis had a 568-to-313 advantage in total yards, including 304 on the ground.
- Grant crossed the 100-yard mark for the fifth time that season.
- Half of DeAndre Byrd's six tackles were for a loss as the linebacker was the team's leading tackler.
OFFENSIVE RECAP VS. WAGNER
- 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 Grant tallied a season-high 135 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards.
DEFENSIVE RECAP VS. WAGNER
- A late roughing 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 assisted to go along 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.
- Mike-Lee Joseph tallied the Pioneers lone interception.
- Myles Talley and Maximus Mongelli also served as a defensive threat as the two combined for one sack for a loss of five yards.
BROWN AND GRANT NAMED NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
After a stellar performance last weekend against Wagner, Tyreke Brown and Malik Grant were named Week 3 NEC Prime Performers as announced by the league Monday afternoon.
Brown led the defensive unit in Sacred Heart's conference opener against Wagner with seven tackles behind two solo and five assisted. The senior defensive lineman pushed the Seahawks back 13 yards on 2.5 tackles-for-loss.
Grant registered a season-best 173 yards of offense behind his first 100-yard rushing game of the season against Wagner on Saturday. The graduate running back carried the ball 27 times for 133 yards and added 40 receiving yards on three catches.
DEFENSE MAKING A SPLASH IN THE NCAA RANKINGS (as of 9/18)
The Pioneers' defensive unit continues to shine within the NCAA rankings as the team currently ranks within the top 15 in two categories -
- fumbles recovered (11th - 3)
- passing yards allowed (3rd - 101.3)
NEC STANDINGS ENTERING WEEK 4
| School |
NEC |
Overall |
Streak |
| Stonehill |
1-0 |
2-1 |
W2 |
| Wagner |
1-0 |
1-2 |
W1 |
| Duquesne |
0-0 |
1-2 |
L2 |
| Merrimack |
0-0 |
1-2 |
W1 |
| LIU |
0-0 |
0-3 |
L3 |
| Saint Francis |
0-0 |
0-3 |
L3 |
| CCSU |
0-1 |
1-2 |
L2 |
| Sacred Heart |
0-1 |
0-3 |
L3 |
PIONEERS DROP ROAD CONTEST TO GEORGETOWN
FINAL SCORE: Georgetown 27 | Sacred Heart 10
Key Highlights:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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 -
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 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, 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. 28 as the red-and-white return to Campus Field to host the Warriors of Merrimack College on Family Weekend. Game time is set for 1 p.m. in Fairfield, Conn.
