LORETTO, Pa. (Oct. 17) – The Saint Vincent College football team rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Saint Francis University, 17-14, on Saturday afternoon at DeGol Field in Loretto, Pennsylvania.
The Bearcats (3-2) earned their second consecutive victory after defeating Thiel, 62-20, last weekend, while Saint Francis fell to 0-4 on the season.
After trailing 7-0 at halftime, Saint Vincent outscored the Red Wolves 17-7 over the final two quarters to secure the three-point road victory.
Quarterback Jake Phillips led the Saint Vincent offense, completing 13 of 23 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for a score. Tristan Doy hauled in five receptions for a game-high 111 yards and one touchdown, while Chris Downs added three catches for 95 yards.
Defensively, Jonathan Puddie led the Bearcats with a game-high 19 tackles, while Robbie Labuda totaled 14 stops. Puddies 19 tackles are the second most in a game in the program's history. Nathan Parker added 10 tackles, while Isaiah Sosak recorded nine. Devon Dean-Coles also came up with a key interception for the Saint Vincent defense.
Saint Francis opened the scoring with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter, as Jonathan Delia scored on a two-yard touchdown run to give the Red Wolves an early 7-0 advantage.
Neither team found the end zone in the second quarter, as Saint Francis carried its seven-point lead into the halftime break.
The Bearcats responded immediately to begin the second half, putting together a 10-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard field goal from Jarrett Garn. The kick cut the Saint Francis lead to 7-3 with 10:48 remaining in the third quarter.
Saint Vincent took its first lead of the afternoon later in the third quarter. The Bearcats marched 65 yards in five plays, with Phillips capping off the drive on an 11-yard touchdown run. Garn converted the extra point, giving SVC a 10-7 lead with 6:05 remaining in the quarter.
After both teams went scoreless for the remainder of the third quarter, Saint Vincent extended its advantage midway through the fourth.
With 6:24 remaining in regulation, the Bearcats began a drive at their own 20-yard line. Just two plays later, Phillips connected with Doy for a 75-yard touchdown pass, extending the Saint Vincent lead to 17-7 following Garn's extra point with 5:51 left to play.
Saint Francis answered with an eight-play, 65-yard touchdown drive of its own. Cam Wagner scored on a one-yard run with 1:55 remaining, cutting the Bearcats' lead to 17-14.
Saint Vincent held on over the final two minutes to secure the three-point victory.
The Bearcats finished the afternoon with 292 yards of total offense, including 226 through the air and 66 on the ground. Matthew Davis led the Saint Vincent rushing attack with 38 yards on eight carries.
Saint Francis totaled 334 yards of offense, including 168 rushing yards and 166 passing yards. Elijah Villarrial led the Red Wolves on the ground with 109 yards on 22 carries, while Ashton Walk completed 10 of 19 passes for 148 yards.
The Saint Vincent defense also came up with several important stops throughout the afternoon, limiting Saint Francis to just two scores on five red-zone opportunities. Nile Thomas recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, while Dean-Coles' interception highlighted the Bearcats' defensive effort.
The Bearcats will return home on Saturday, October 24, when they host Geneva College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup at Chuck Noll Field. The contest, which will also serve as Saint Vincent's Hall of Fame Game, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
