FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University football team put on a second-half clinic on Saturday afternoon at Campus Field, scoring 29 unanswered points, to take down Howard University, 32–14. The victory improves the Pioneers to 5–2 on the season and extends their perfect home record to 3–0.

After falling behind 14–0 late in the first half, Sacred Heart flipped the script with a dominant effort on both sides of the ball, scoring 32 unanswered points to complete the comeback.

Freshman running back Mitchell Summers powered the Pioneers' comeback, rushing for a career-high 243 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries — including an electric 80-yard score on the first play of the third quarter. Summers' 243-yard performance ranks fourth all-time in Sacred Heart's single-game rushing record book, marking the highest total by a Pioneer since 2021. The freshman has now eclipsed 100 yards in three games this season and continues to be a catalyst for the SHU offense.

Defensively, juniors Kyle Hall and Mike Deitelbaum paced the Pioneers with eight tackles apiece, while Peter Schanne and Deitelbaum combined for 2.5 of the team's three sacks.

Final Score:
Sacred Heart 32
Howard 14

Records:
Sacred Heart (5-2)
Howard (3-3)

Top Performers:
Offense – 
(QB) Jack Snyder: Passing (11-18, 147 yds, 1 TD) | Rushing (13 attempts, 73 yds)
(RB) Mitchell Summers: 18 attempts | 243 yds | 2 TDs
(WR) Payton Rhoades: 4 receptions | 71 yds | 1 TD

Defense – 
Mike Deitelbaum: 8 tackles | 1.5-6 TFL/Yds | 1.5-6 Sack/Yds
Kyle Hall: 8 tackles
Peter Schanne: 4 tackles | 1.5-6 TFL/Yds | 1.0-5 Sack/Yds

How it Happened:
It was a tale of two halves in Fairfield. After Howard capitalized on a first-quarter fumble to take an early 7–0 lead, the Bison extended their advantage to 14–0 midway through the second quarter. Sacred Heart finally broke through just before the half, as graduate kicker Matt Kling drilled a career-long 49-yard field goal as time expired to cut the deficit to 14–3 heading into the locker room.

That late spark ignited a fire. On the very first play of the third quarter, Summers broke free down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown, immediately swinging momentum in favor of the home team.

Sacred Heart's defense clamped down from there, forcing four punts and holding Howard scoreless in the second half. Kling added two more field goals— from 19 and 25 yards— to give the Pioneers their first lead at 16–14 entering the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Jack Snyder connected with grad wideout Payton Rhoades on a 15-yard touchdown strike to extend the lead. Just minutes later, Summers struck again, bursting through the middle for a 49-yard touchdown to put the game away. 

The Pioneers capped the comeback with a sack and safety from Schanne, sealing the 32–14 win and sending the Campus Field crowd into celebration.

Up Next:
The Pioneers hit the road next week as they travel out west to Missoula, Mont. for a showdown with the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday, October, 18th.