Flash Points:

• SFU football opens NEC play on Saturday at Robert Morris, with a 3 p.m. kick on ESPN3.
• The Colonials are 1-4 this season after falling 41-7 at Liberty last Saturday.
• RMU LB Gee Stanley is third in the FCS with 5.5 sacks.
• Kick Returner Dante Satcher leads the FCS, averaging 43 yards per return.

Robert Morris | Joe Walton Stadium | 3 p.m. | ESPN3
 
Robert Morris Two-Deep
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team begins Northeast Conference play this Saturday at Robert Morris. The Red Flash and Colonials are set for a 3 p.m. kick at Joe Walton Stadium.  The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, with Paul Dottino on play-by-play, Kevin Gilbride on color and John Schmeelk on the sideline.
 
The annual rivalry game will have a little extra meaning this year, falling on Robert Morris' homecoming.
 
Head Coach John Banaszak is in his third year at Robert Morris, with a 6-21 record while leading the Colonials.  Banaszek served as the head coach at Washington & Jefferson University for four years before joining the RMU staff.  Banaszak owns a 44-30 career record.
 
The Colonials are 1-4 this season and will also play their NEC opener on Saturday.  Robert Morris fell 41-7 at CAA-member Liberty last week.  Robert Morris totaled 204 yards, with 105 passing and 99 rushing.  Quarterback Andrew Romanchak completed 12-of-23 passes for 105 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.  Running back Malik Wells ran for 73 yards on 17 carries and added two catches for 16 yards, while TJ Neal had 10 carries for 30 yards.  DeLano Madison caught two passes for 38 yards and Tim Vecchio recorded five catches for 28 yards.  Fullback Blake Skuratowicz caught a two-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
 
The Robert Morris defense allowed 412 total yards, including 340 passing yards and 72 rushing yards.  Outside linebacker Gerald Ferguson and inside linebacker Joseph Uhatafe tied for the team-lead with 10 tackles each.  Ferguson added 1.5 tackles for loss.  Cornerback Drew Allen contributed eight tackles, while safety Andy Smigiera had five tackles and a pass breakup and linebacker Gee Stanley made two stops and forced a fumble.
 
The RMU ranks seventh in the NEC, averaging 8.2 points per game.  They are also seventh in total yards, averaging 150.  The Colonials are seventh in both passing and rushing yards per game, averaging 92.4 and 57.6 yards, respectively.
 
Romanchak, a redshirt freshman, is completing 46.6 percent of his passes for 376 yards, a touchdown and five interceptions.  Sophomore Mathew Barr has also seen time at quarterback, completing 5-of-13 passes for 24 yards and a score.
 
At the running back position, sophomore Dante Satcher leads the group with 225 yards on 59 carries for an average of 3.8 yards per carry and 56.2 yards per game.  The six-foot, 170-pound Satcher also has seven catches for 20 yards.  Wells, a five-foot-eight, 175-pound sophomore, has 99 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries this year. 
 
Freshman Tim Vecchio, 5-foot-10, leads the receiving corps with 16 catches for 136 yards.  He averages 8.5 yards per catch.  Warren Robinson, a five-foot-nine sophomore, has nine catches for 42 yards and a touchdown, while five-foot-eight freshman DeLano Madison has six receptions for 71 yards.  Redshirt sophomore Kyle Buss, 5-foot-11, has only played in two games so far this season after being vote NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015, and has two catches for 41 yards.  Tight end Reggie Green, a six-foot-two redshirt junior has five catches for 26 yards. 
 
The Robert Morris offensive line includes two freshmen, two redshirt sophomores and a redshirt junior.  The group has combined for 50 starts.  Left guard Blake Chambliss, a redshirt junior, leads the way with 24 career starts, followed by 16 starts by redshirt sophomore right tackle Mike Lamb.  Freshman left tackle Rene Rodriguez, freshman center Conner Mundy and redshirt sophomore right guard, Ian Bjuro, a Louisiana-Lafayette transfer, are all in their first year as starters.
 
The Colonials defense, a 3-4 scheme, is allowing 25 points per game, ranking fourth in the NEC.  They also rank sixth in the conference in total defense, giving up 366.4 yards per game.  RMU allows 227.6 passing yards and 138.8 rushing yards per game, ranking sixth and fifth, respectively, in those categories.  Robert Morris has forced six turnovers this year, including five interceptions, and has 14 sacks, ranking 20th in the FCS in that category.
 
The RMU defensive line is one of the most experienced units on the team with two seniors and a redshirt junior among the starters.  Senior defensive tackle Zack Zamiska leads the line with 18 tackles, including seven solo, two for loss and a sack as well as a forced fumble.  Redshirt junior defensive end Ryan Lewis has recorded 16 stops, with for solo, two sacks and four QB hurries.  Senior end Steven Fiadewornu has added 13 tackles, with 1.5 for loss and a forced fumble.
 
Inside linebacker Adam Wollet, a sophomore, leads RMU with 41 tackles this year, including 18 solo, 1.5 for loss, half a sack, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery.  Fellow inside linebacker Joseph Uhatafe, a junior, has 37 tackles, with 12 solo, one for loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.  On the outside, freshman Gee Stanley ranks third in the nation with 5.5 sacks this year.  He also has 28 tackles, with 16 solo, and a forced fumble.  Senior outside linebacker Zach Cooper has recorded 34 stops, with 12 solo and 1.5 sacks.  Gerald Ferguson, a junior outside linebacker has 18 tackles, with 13 solo and 1.5 for loss.
 
Preseason All-NEC cornerback Marcelis Branch, a redshirt senior, leads the secondary.  He has 24 tackles to go with three pass breakups and an interception.  Fellow Preseason All-NEC selection, safety Andy Smigiera returned to action last week and posted five tackles and a pass breakup.  At the corner position opposite of Branch is junior Drew Allen, who has 26 tackles, with 16 solo, an interception and three pass breakups.  Junior safety Ryan Richards has contributed 22 tackles, with two for loss, a sack and two pass breakups.
 
Robert Morris boasts one of the best return units in the FCS.  Satcher leads the FCS, averaging 43 yards per kick return.  He has 215 total yards on five returns, including a 99-yard touchdown return in the season opener against Alderson Broaddus.  As a team, RMU is second in the FCS with a kick return average of 29.9 yards.  Robinson handles the punt return duties and averages 15.4 yards per return, including an 81-yard touchdown return against Malone.  He is 12th in the FCS in punt return average.
 
Senior kicker Connor Shennan is looking for his first field goal make of the season, missing his first four tries, with two being blocked.  Sophomore punter Adam Check is averaging 36.9 yards per kick and has placed seven inside the 20.
 
Saint Francis trails the all-time series, 15-6-1, but has won the last four matchups, including last year's 21-0 victory at DeGol Field.  The Red Flash won its last road contest against RMU, 40-7, in 2014.