Flash Points:

• SFU visits Columbia this Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff in its first ever meeting against an Ivy League school.
• Columbia will play its season opener this Saturday.
• Columbia's defense ranked among the Top 20 in the nation in multiple categories last season.

Columbia | Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium | 1 p.m. | Ivy League Digital Network
 
Columbia Game Notes | Columbia Two-Deep
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team travels to Columbia on Saturday for its third non-conference game of the 2016 campaign.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.  The field is named after the owner of the New England Patriots.  The game will be available on a live stream on the Ivy League Digital Network.
 
Head Coach Al Bagnoli is in his second year leading the Lions.  Bagnoli is in his second stint as a head coach in the Ivy League, coaching at Penn for 23 years.  In 32 years of coaching, Bagnoli is 236-107, a career winning percentage of 71.8%, good for third among active FCS coaches.
 
Columbia is playing its season opener against the Red Flash.  The Lions finished with a 2-8 record in 2015, including 1-6 in the Ivy League.  Columbia earned wins over Wagner and Yale last season.  Though Columbia is playing its first official game of 2016, they played a scrimmage against Cornell on September 3.
 
The Lions offense averaged 14.3 points per game last season, ranking 111th in the FCS.  Columbia also ranked 103rd in the nation in total offense, averaging 296.7 yards per contest.  The Lions averaged 158.2 passing yards and 138.5 rushing yards per game.
 
Senior Skyler Mornhinweg, son of Baltimore Ravens Quarterbacks Coach Marty Mornhinweg, started nine games last season, while appearing in all 10.  The former University of Florida transfer completed 59 percent of his passes in 2015, for 1,338 yards, six touchdowns and 11 interceptions.  The six-foot-three, 220-pound Mornhinweg also rushed for 249 yards and three scores.  In the scrimmage against Cornell, Mornhinweg completed 8-of-14 passes for 78 yards.
 
In the backfield, senior Chris Schroer leads the running backs group.  The six-foot, 215-pound Schroer ran for 76 yards on 22 carries last year.  Freshman Tanner Thomas, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, rushed for 21 yards on five carries against Cornell.  Five-foot-nine, 185-pound Alan Watson, a senior, is also in the rotation.  The senior rushed for 159 yards on 40 carries last year, while catching five passes for 23 yards.
 
Seniors Scooter Hollis and Cameron Dunn lead the receivers.  Hollis, a 5-foot-11 senior, led the Lions with 51 catches for 515 yards and a touchdown in 2015.  The six-foot-three Dunn added 206 yards and two touchdowns on 21 catches.  Freshman Josh Wainwright, 5-foot-11, starts at the third receiver spot and made four catches for 31 yards in the scrimmage.  Sophomore Tre Gabriel, five-foot-six, had a 43-yard touchdown catch against Cornell.  Christian Everett, a six-foot-two freshman, and Toure Douglas, a six-foot-four senior, each had two catches in the scrimmage.   Tight end John Hunton, a six-foot-four senior, caught 15 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown last year.
 
The Columbia offensive line features two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore.  The group has combined for 45 career starts. Senior left tackle Kendall Pace leads the group with 20 starts, while senior right guard Nathan Gibbs and junior right tackle Bewley Wales each have 10 starts.  Sophomore left guard Charlie Flores has made five career starts, while sophomore center Tyler Schonewolf is set to make his first career start.
 
The Lions, who run a 4-3 system, boasted one of the top defensive units in the nation last year, allowing just 19.8 points per game to rank 17th in the FCS.  Columbia also ranked eighth in the nation in total defense, giving up just 291.1 yards per contest.  The Lions allowed 187.7 passing yards and 103.4 rushing yards per game, ranking 26th and eighth in the FCS, respectively.  They forced 13 turnovers in 2015, including seven interceptions.
 
The Columbia defensive line will feature three new starters after graduating three All-Ivy League performers.  Senior defensive tackle Dominic Perkovic anchors the line.  Perkovic recorded 30 tackles, 21 solo, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last year.  He also forced a fumble and blocked a kick.  Lining up next to Perkovic, at the other tackle spot, is junior Lord Hyeamang, who made seven stops, with two for loss and a sack in 2015.  Senior end Connor Heeb has appeared in 16 career games, with three career tackles.  Sophomore end Mike Hinton will make his first career start.
 
The Lions return all three starters at linebacker.  The group accounted for three of the team's top four tacklers a year ago.  Senior Keith Brady, who lines up on the outside, tied for the team-lead with 57 tackles last year, including 10 for loss and a sack.  Fellow senior Christian Conway, also an outside linebacker, recorded 57 tackles, with 28 solo, 7.5 for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble in 2015.  Senior Gianmarco Rea starts on the inside.  He made 48 stops last year, with 25 solo, five for loss and a sack.  In the scrimmage against Cornell, freshman linebacker Jalen Williams led the team with eight tackles, including four solo and one for loss. 
 
In the secondary, senior free safety Brock Kenyon leads the returning members.  Kenyon recorded 44 tackles last year, with 29 solo, two for loss, broke up four passes and recovered a fumble.  Junior Landon Baty will line up at strong safety, making his third career appearance.  At cornerback, junior Jared Katz returns after receiving All-Ivy League honorable mention accolades a season ago.  Katz had 39 tackles last year, with 24 solo, one for loss, seven pass breakups and an interception.  At the opposite corner will be junior Cameron Roane, who recorded 12 tackles, with seven solo, three pass breakups and a pick last season. 
 
Senior kicker/punter Cameron Nizialek converted on 8-of-14 kicks last year, with a long of 40 yards.  Nizialek was All-Ivy League honorable mention as a punter in 2015 after averaging 42.9 yards per kick.  Freshmen Lynnard Rose and Wainwright will handle the return duties.
 
Saturday will be Saint Francis' first ever meeting against an Ivy League school.