Monday, April 2, 2007

Schedule

   FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The University of Saint Francis has released its football schedule for the Cougars’ 10^th season and it includes two games against teams ranked in the final postseason NAIA Top 25 ratings Top 10 teams and two more against Top 25 teams including a rematch of the 2006 NAIA Semifinal game to close the 2007 season.

   “This is a tough schedule,” USF head coach Kevin Donley said. “We’ve got our work cut out just to try to win the conference. Three of our opponents played in the 2006 playoffs and we played two of them – Walsh and St. Xavier.”

   USF will open at home with William Penn University on September 8, then play three consecutive road games. The Cougars, who won their eighth consecutive Mid-States Football Association Mideast League title and advanced to their third consecutive NAIA Football Championship Series Championship Game, play three of those ranked teams on the road – at No. 9 St. Ambrose University on Sept. 22 and at No. 17 Ohio Dominican University on Sept. 29.

   Later the Cougars travel to No. 16 Walsh University on Oct. 20.
   After playing at Pikeville (KY) Sept. 15, at SAU Sept. 22 and at ODU on Sept. 29, the Cougars play host to first-year program Marian College on Oct. 6 and then Taylor University on Oct. 13 for Homecoming. After the trip to Walsh, Urbana travels to Bishop D’Arcy Stadium on Oct. 27. USF play at Malone College (OH) on Nov. 3, then finishes the 10-game regular season schedule against St. Xavier, which finished No. 4 after USF defeated the Cougars 49-20 in one NAIA FCS Semifinal game on Dec. 2, 2006.

    Urbana and Malone were both ranked in the NAIA Top 25 earlier in the 2006 season before losing to USF, so that’s six of 10 opponents that were in the Top 25 during the 2006 season.

    All USF home games will kick-off at noon. USF will play seven MSFA MEL games in 2007 including St. Xavier. SXU will play in MEL in 2007 and 2008, then a different MSFA Midwest League team will rotate into the MEL. Marian College (Indianapolis) is playing its first season of football and will be in the MEL replacing Geneva College, which has left NAIA for NCAA Division II.

    After falling to the University of Sioux Falls 23-19 in the 2006 NAIA FCS Championship Game, the University of Saint Francis slipped from No. 1 to No. 2 in the NAIA Postseason Final Rating. Playing in just its ninth season, Saint Francis held the No. 1 slot for the final three regular season NAIA Top 25 Ratings, the first time USF had ever been No. 1.

Cougar Prowl Blue & White Game on April 22
   The Cougars open spring drills on April 12 and will conclude with the annual Cougar Prowl Blue and White Game at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium on Sunday, April 22 starting at 1 p.m.

 Season tickets on sale
   USF season tickets are now on sale for the 2007 season. Call 260-434-7772 to order Cougars season tickets.

USF Schedule Quick Facts

• In Postseason NAIA Top 25 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
• In Postseason NAIA Top 25 Top 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
• Opponents ranked in Top 25 Regular season . . . . .6
• Opponents with winning record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5