St. Francis Red Flash
NEC
Last year St. Francis had their first winning season since 1992. However, they lost their big showdown with Duquesne with the NEC’s automatic bid to the playoffs on the line. This time around the Red Flash snuck past Duquesne 14-10 and earned a trip to the playoffs. St. Francis may be outmatched in the playoffs, but they have a solid defense and the ability to stay in most games. They lost at Montana, Towson and Albany, but all were close games.
2016 Record: 7-4, 5-1
Coach: Chris Villarrial
Big Wins: 10/15 Bryant (38-3), 10/21 Duquesne (14-10)
Bad Losses: 9/10 at Towson (28-35), 11/19 at Wagner (24-31)
Strengths:
Senior linebacker Solomon Leaeno has had a great season, totaling 92 tackles with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles-for-loss. With fellow linebackers Da’Jon Lee and Zane Stewart also getting into the backfield on a regular basis, nobody will have an easy time protecting their quarterback. Lorenzo Jerome is a big reason for the team’s success in the turnover department. He picked off six passes and tallied 53 tackles and should earn first-team All-NEC for the second straight season.
Weaknesses:
The Red Flash has experience on offense, but has not been particularly effective on a consistent basis. Quarterback Zack Drayer can make some big throws, but he does need to be more accurate on the short passes. But most of the St. Francis passing attack comes in the form of long balls to Kamron Lewis. He is a great big play receiver, but basically the lone receiving threat on the team. Marcus Bagley is an experienced running back who is having another fine season. Jymere Jordan-Toney and Drayer will pick up most of the touchdowns on the ground, but Bagley is the back who gets St. Francis into the red zone.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Marcus Bagley, RB, 868 yards
Passing: Zack Drayer, QB, 2,357 yards
Receiving: Kamron Lewis, WR, 1,349 yards
Tackles: Solomon Leaeno, LB, 92
Sacks: Solomon Leaeno, LB, 9.5
Interceptions: Lorenzo Jerome, DB, 6
2016 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 142.5 (73rd in nation, 4th in conference)
Passing Offense: 207.9 (63, 5)
Total Offense: 350.4 (88, 5)
Scoring Offense: 27.8 (48, 2)
Rushing Defense: 108.6 (15, 1)
Pass Defense: 187.8 (28, 2)
Total Defense: 296.4 (7, 1)
Scoring Defense: 17.6 (10, 1)
Turnover Margin: 1.10 (10, 1)
Sacks: 3.50 (4, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.80 (52, 2)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
No Recent Tournament History
*all team stats through 11/12
