2013 Siena Heights University Football
#25 Siena Heights Saints (3-1, 0-0 MSFA Mideast) vs
#6 Saint Francis Cougars (2-1, 0-0 MSFA Mideast)
Saturday, Oct. 5 - 1 p.m. - Adrian, Michigan

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 25th-ranked Siena Heights football team will host its 2013 Homecoming game when sixth-ranked Saint Francis (Ind.) visits on Saturday, Oct. 5, for a 1 p.m. kickoff at O'Laughlin Stadium. The contest is a Mid-States Football Association Mideast League opener for both teams.

The Saints are coming off their second consecutive shutout -- a 14-0 victory at Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). The recent blankings of ONU and Waldorf (Iowa) were the first two shutouts in Siena Heights' varsity era.

Against Olivet Nazarene, SHU recorded three sacks and two interceptions while allowing only 10 yards rushing. Defensive backs Fred Butler and DeShawn Gilbert had interceptions while sacks were credited to defensive linemen Jordan Martin and Michael Vella and defensive back Keith Marshall Jr.

Linebacker Tyler Karcher was the Saints' leading tackler, finishing with five stops including one for a loss. Martin had 4 1/2 tackles (2 1/2 for-loss).

On offense, running back Travis Damron had 25 carries for 118 yards and one touchdown while quarterback Matt King completed 19 of 28 passes for 191 yards and a score.

Tight end Donovan Campbell was the leading receiver, finishing with six catches for 60 yards. Wide receiver Raphael Dunson added four grabs for 48 yards while fellow wide-out Reggie Blackmon came through with three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown.

As a team, the Saints gained 442 yards on offense and achieved a single-game school record of 28 first downs. Defensively, SHU allowed 159 yards and only nine first downs.

Heading into its previous contest, Saint Francis was ranked No. 2 in the NAIA. The Cougars fell to then-seventh-ranked Grand View (Iowa), 23-7.

USF struggled on the ground, rushing 29 times for 28 yards, and were outgained by GVU, 453-193. The Cougars also gave up seven sacks.

Saint Francis trailed, 23-0, until quarterback David Yoder found receiver David Espinoza for a five-yard touchdown pass with 1:26 left.

Defensively, the Cougars were led by cornerback Kory Stamps, who had 13 tackles. Defensive lineman Zach Bruce added two sacks and safety Cale Tabler made an interception.

THE COACHES
Jim Lyall (Michigan '74) is in his third season as head coach for Siena Heights, where he now has a 7-7 varsity record. He is 110-99-1 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.

Kevin Donley (Anderson, Ind. '73) is in his 16th year as head coach for Saint Francis. He is 265-120-1 all-time as a 35-year collegiate varsity football coach, including a 151-35 mark for the Cougars. He was named 2004 and 1991 NAIA Coach of the Year. Prior to becoming Saint Francis' head coach, he was head coach for Anderson, Ind. (1976-81), Georgetown, Ky. (1982-92) and California, Pa. (1993-96).

UP NEXT...
The Saints will play its second straight home game when defending national champ Marian (Ind.) visits O'Laughlin Stadium on Oct. 12 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

The Knights, who will host Robert Morris on Oct. 5, have struggled out of the gate in 2013 after opening the season with a win over Kentucky Christian. Since then, they lost in overtime to then-No. 4 Saint Xavier (Ill.) before dropping contests to Wisconsin-Oshkosh (NCAA Division III) and then-No. 9 Grand View (Iowa).

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
With two wins to open the 2013 season, Saint Francis (Ind.) rose as high as No. 2 on the NAIA coaches' poll before it fell to Grand View (Iowa), 23-7, last week. During the contest, injuries were suffered by two key players on the USF offense: quarterback Josh Miller and tailback Antoin Campbell.

Campbell is a two-time All-MSFA Mideast First Team running back and was one of five returning First Term performers from a year ago. He had compiled 71 rushes for 394 yards and six touchdowns (seven total TDs) before suffering his injury. Miller, an All-MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention in 2013, was 44 of 67 for 602 yards so far this season before he was knocked out of the game against Grand View.

Other returning First Team players are punter Kollin Carman, offensive lineman Cam Edwards and defensive backs Taylor Brown and Kory Stamps.

Carman has been on the First Team twice; he continues to rack up solid numbers in hte punting game with 14 kicks for 688 yards -- a 49.1-yard average, which leads the NAIA. He has booted seven punts of 50-or-more yards, including a season-long of 61.

Edwards is the right tackle on an offensive line that also includes two Second Team selections from last year: center Zach Greiner and left tackle Kegan Morris. 

For the USF defense, Brown and Stamps have interceptions in 2013. Stamps, a cornerback, is the team's leading tackler with 28 1/2 stops while Brown, a safety, has a forced fumble. Fellow defensive back Cale Tabler also has an interception, defensive lineman Zach Bruce leads the squad with 3 1/2 sacks, and outside linebacker Devon Rush -- an All-MSFA Mideast Second Team player last year -- also returned for the Cougar defense.

Along with Campbell, other key performers for the USF offense include quarterback David Yoder, an All-MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention in 2013, who has completed 9 of 14 passes for 111 yards and a score; wide receiver Cam Smith, who has caught eight passes for 211 yards; and another wide receiver, Aaron Knight, who has 14 catches for 138 yards.

As a program, Saint Francis continues to make its mark on the national stage. The Cougars appeared in the NAIA Tournament quarterfinals last year before falling to eventual NAIA champ, Marian (Ind.), 45-34. In the first 15 years of the program's existence, Saint Francis qualified for 13 NAIA Tournaments and has played in three national title games (2004-06).

LAST TIME WE MET
The Saints dropped their MSFA Mideast finale to seventh-ranked Saint Francis (Ind.), 31-7, on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2012.

Tight end Donovan Campbell had eight catches for 73 yards while wide receiver Raphael Dunson scored the Saints' lone touchdown and finished with 11 carries for 38 yards and four catches for 40 yards.

Quarterbacks Travis Zajkowski and Matt King split time for the Saints (3-6, 2-3). Zajkowski completed 11 of 19 passes for 116 yards while King went 7 of 8 for 34 yards.

Defensively, the Saints were led by linebacker Lamarr Marshall, who had seven tackles, and Grant Benschoter, who finished with 6 1/2 stops.

Benschoter and defensive end Anthony Patritto had sacks. Patritto also forced a fumble, which was recovered by fellow defensive end Joseph Mravec.

For Saint Francis, wide receiver Austin Coleman had four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown while Antoin Campbell contributed 17 carries for 73 yards.

Cougar QBs David Yoder and Josh Miller shared the backfield, combining to go 17 of 27 for 273 yards and two scores.

On defense, Taylor Brown had 6 1/2 tackles and a blocked field goal for USF.

Emerson Ueber opened the game's scoring with a 33-yard field goal for Saint Francis. Running back Andre Turner added 4- and 1-yard touchdown runs and Miller hooked up with Campbell on a 63-yard touchdown reception, helping the Cougars to a 24-0 halftime lead.

Yoder found wide receiver Brendton Williams on a 27-yard play for USF's final touchdown before Dunson scored from two yards out for SHU in the fourth.

DOUBLE ZERO
One week after recording their first shutout as a varsity program -- a 30-0 victory over Waldorf (Iowa) -- the Saints managed to blank another team and take down Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), 14-0.

The host Tigers managed to push their way into SHU territory twice during their game on Sept. 28. ONU ran its first play on Siena Heights' half of the field in the second quarter, punting on 4th-on-4 from the SHU 47.

In the third, Olivet Nazarene worked its way down to the Saints' 26 -- its deepest penetration of the game -- before Siena Heights defensive back Fred Butler made a drive-ending interception.

The Siena Heights defense allowed 10 yards on 16 carries; on the other side, the SHU offense had nine carries of 10-or-more yards, including five by running back Travis Damron.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
SHU received its first-ever ranking in the NAIA coaches' poll on Monday and is now rated as the No. 25 team in the nation. After posting back-to-back shutouts -- 30-0 against Waldorf (Iowa) and 14-0 versus Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) -- SHU received 22 total points.

Siena Heights was completely absent from the poll a week ago -- in both the Top 25 and "receiving votes" category -- but managed to catch the attention of enough voters around the NAIA to completely bypass the RV portion.

MARTIN HONORED
Siena Heights junior defensive lineman Jordan Martin was named MSFA Mideast Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday. He is the first Saint to receive the accolade and second SHU player to get a weekly honor; kicker Victor Bodrie was honored as MSFA Mideast Special Teams Player of the Week earlier this season.

Martin had 4 1/2 tackles, including 2 1/2 for-loss and one which was a sack, as Saints defeated Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). The shutout was the Saints' second consecutive shutout -- the first two shutouts of the Saints' varsity era.

THROW SOME D'S
The Siena Heights defensive unit continues to excel, recording back-to-back shutouts and having one of its members receive the MSFA Mideast individual defensive honor, although said honoree -- defensive lineman Jordan Martin -- is just one of many key contributors so far for the SHU defense in 2013. The team is currently tied for fifth in the entire NAIA in points allowed per game (13.8).

Linebacker Tyler Karcher is the squad's leading tackler with 25 1/2 stops. He has three tackles-for-loss. The next three leading tacklers include defensive back Sederick A. Dunbar II (20 1/2), DeShawn Gilbert (18) and Trenton Bragg (17 1/2).

Dunbar has also compiled an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery while Gilbert has had a solid start to the season with three interceptions and five credited pass breakups. Gilbert's three picks has him tied for sixth in the NAIA rankings.

Defensive lineman Kyle Connors holds the team lead in sacks (3) and is tied for the team lead in tackles-for-loss with Martin (3 1/2).

The Siena Heights defense also claimed its first touchdown of the varsity era this year when linebacker Nic Acton returned an interception 69 yards to paydirt.

PASSING ATTACK
Quarterbacks Matt King and Travis Zajkowski and a pair of receivers -- tight end Donovan Campbell and wide-out Reggie Blackmon -- have certainly provided the Saints with a much-improved passing attack thus far in 2013.

Last season, Siena Heights totaled 137 completed passes for 1,461 yards and a 119.06 rating. The Saints are well ahead of the pace needed to break those marks; currently, they have 67 completions for 926 yards and a 153.38 rating.

SHU's completion percentage has improved to 61.5 percent (56.4 last year) and its yards-per-game average has jumped from 146.1 to 231.5. Also, the Saints had 12 touchdown passes in 2012; so far in 2013, they have eight.

King has seen the bulk of playing time under center, completing 47 of 73 throws for 630 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception. His 156.7 passing efficiency rating has him ranked 11th in the NAIA. The senior from Rockville, Ind., is also the Saints' second-leading rusher with 24 carries for 91 yards and one TD, which came on a 33-yard scamper.

Campbell continues to lead the receiving corps. He has made 26 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns. In two varsity seasons, Campbell has accumulated 67 catches for 876 yards and 11 scores, giving him a decent shot to become the first Saint to eclipse the 1,000-yard-receiving plateau.

Wide receiver Reggie Blackmon has come on lately himself and now totals nine catches for 150 yards and three TDs. He has touchdown receptions in each of SHU's last three games.

KEEPING IT CLEAN
Penalties were a major factor in Siena Heights' season-opening loss to then-No. 19 Grand View (Iowa) as the Saints racked up 11 fouls for 114 yards. Since then, SHU has totaled 12 penalties  worth 110 yards in the three games since that opener.

GO FOUR IT
SHU has outperformed opponents on fourth-down plays in 2013, converting 5 of 10 opportunities. Opponents have went 0 of 4.

BATTLE ON THE GROUND
The Saints struggled against the rushing attacks of Grand View (Iowa) and Saint Joseph's (Ind.) in their first two games of 2013, surrendering 466 yards on 110 carries (4.7 average).

In the next two contests, Siena Heights limited opponents Waldorf (Iowa) and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) to a 2.0-yard-per-carry average. Waldorf managed only 62 yards on the ground before ONU picked up only 10; those defensive performances rank third and first in the Saints' single-game team records in rushing defense. The previous record was SHU's allowance of 23 yards on 23 carries during their 28-14 win over Taylor (Ind.) in 2012.

BATTLE ON THE GROUND, pt. 2
Two teams have truly bottled up SHU's rushing attack over the past years: Grand View and Saint Francis (Ind.). The Saints picked up 29 yards on 33 rushes in their 37-25 loss at GVU -- the lowest total in SHU varsity history. The second-lowest amount happened during Siena Heights' 31-7 loss to Saint Francis (32 for 73) while the third-lowest came in the 2013 season opener against Grand View (31 for 88).

ONE NEW RECORD AND MORE SEASON-HIGHS
The Siena Heights offense recorded a varsity program record in the Saints' victory over ONU -- 28 first downs. The previous mark involved a 25-first-down performance during Siena Heights' 31-21 victory at Waldorf (Iowa) in 2012.

As a team, the Saints also set a season-high mark for rushes (50) and sacks (3).

A number of season-high numbers were recorded by individuals. Travis Damron set team season-high marks of 25 rushes and 118 yards rushing while defensive lineman Jordan Martin's 2 1/2 tackles-for-loss was the highest mark for a SHU defender in 2013.

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.