College
Red Flash seeking first NEC victory
LORETTO — St. Francis finds itself in an unusual situation.
The Red Flash will travel to Pittsburgh today to face a Robert Morris team that has yet to win a game (0-6, 0-3). The Red Flash (1-5, 0-3) are searching for their first Northeast Conference win.
St. Francis journeyed to Connecticut last week to face a Sacred Heart team that was winless, but they returned with a disappointing 29-7 defeat.
St. Francis coach Dave Opfar hopes that the opportunity to play before a regional television audience will help his squad. The game at Joe Walton Stadium on the Moon Township campus will be televised by Fox Sports Pittsburgh, and the telecast can be seen locally on WWCP-TV (Channel 8) in Johnstown at noon.
Opfar wants his team to play consistently for 60 minutes, but he realizes that the Colonials will be hungry for a win.
“They are desperate right now, but (Robert Morris coach) Joe (Walton) has been down this road before and is not panicking,” Opfar said.
“They have been having quarterback problems and have used four different guys.
“But, I just want some consistent play from our guys.”
The Red Flash enjoyed a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter against Wagner, eventually losing, 56-48, in triple overtime.
St. Francis’ offense has improved this season under the leadership of freshman John Kelly. It is averaging 235 yards of total offense per game, and 173 of that has been through the air.
Kelly has completed 99 of 183 passes
(54 percent) for 1,038 yards and seven touchdowns. He has thrown just three interceptions. However, the running game was struggled, rushing for 369 yards in their six games.
Defensively, the Red Flash have been an enigma for Opfar, a former defensive coordinator.
“I just can’t put my finger on it,” the SFU coach said about their woes.
“We start off tentatively, and then we get into the flow of the game and can shut people down,” Opfar said. “Last week, we started off blitzing to try to get them moving, and then went back into a base defense. We just have to get off to a good start (today) and try to do some good things.”
The Colonials have played a tough out-of-conference schedule, falling to a full-scholarship squad in VMI, 14-13, then to Patriot League competitor Bucknell, 26-23, and to Dayton, 21-14.
Robert Morris has struggled with its running attack, averaging only 98.5 yards per game. It will start freshman Jeff Sinclair at quarterback and has been averaging 161 yards through the air
Leading the rushing attack for the Colonials is junior Myles Russ, who has recorded 649 yards on 120 carries and one touchdown.
The Red Flash defense is led by juniors Matthew Parker (66 tackles and four sacks) and Bishop McCort graduate Scott Lewis (63 tackles and three sacks).
Today’s game
What: St. Francis (1-5, 0-3 NEC) at Robert Morris, (0-6, 0-3).
When: Noon.
Where: Joe Walton Stadium, Moon Township.
TV: WWCP.
Radio: WWGE 1400 AM.
The Web: www.edge-radio.com.
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