USF Football Ends Season in NAIA FCS First Round
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (8-4) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
|
#15 Southwestern (11-1) | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
WINFIELD, Kan. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) football team traveled to Southwestern College for the First Round of the NAIA Football Championship Series on November 23.
The Cougars' second-half rally fell short as the Moundbuilders won Saturday's playoff game by a final score of 31-24.
Southwestern took a 14-0 lead at the 6:34 mark of the first quarter. After the Cougars drove down the field, freshman kicker Austin Deleon kicked a 26-yard field goal to make the score 14-3 at the end of the first. The Moundbuilders answered with a 42-yard field goal to open the second quarter. With 7:11 left to play in the first half, Grant Gremel connected with Adjaye Dandridge for a 6-yard pass in the back of the end zone to cut Southwestern's lead to 17-10. The Moundbuilders put another seven points on the scoreboard for the 24-10 lead at halftime.
Lenny Bennett ran the ball four yards for a touchdown to cut Southwestern's lead to seven at the 6:53 mark of the third quarter. The Cougar defense held the Moundbuilders scoreless in the third quarter. McCall Ray caught a 15-yard pass from Gremel with just under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter to the tie game at 24-24. With just 15 seconds left on the clock, Southwestern scored a touchdown as the Moundbuilders won Saturday's game to advance to play No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan in the Second Round of the NAIA FCS.
USF finished the afternoon with 339 total yards of offense, including 199 net passing yards and 140 net rushing yards. Gremel completed 22 of 43 passing attempts for 192 yards and two touchdowns. David Smith led the Cougars on the ground with 73 yards on 16 carries. Bennett rushed for 53 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Adam Smith brought in six catches for 57 yards, while Ray and Dandridge combined for 67 yards on eight carries with a touchdown each. Deleon was three for three on extra points and finished with a successful field goal attempt for six points total on the day.
Defensively, Saint Francis had 56 tackles, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and five tackles for a loss of yards. Jaydin Evans led the Cougars with nine total tackles, including six solo. The senior linebacker also forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery against the Moundbuilders. Elijah Hunter added eight tackles, while Emmanuel Davis finished the afternoon with seven tackles, including one for a loss and a pass breakup. Trey Morrell had a sack for a loss of two yards and Wyatt Penney had the Cougars' second fumble recovery.
USF football concluded the 2024 season with an overall record of 8-4 and a conference record of 4-1. The Cougars returned to the NAIA Football Championship Series for the first time since the 2019 season and claimed their record-extending 14th MSFA title and first-ever Midwest League title this season. This was the Cougars' 20th appearance in the NAIA FCS.
Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.
