Saint Francis Cougars

Saint Francis Cougars
University	University of Saint Francis
Conference	Crossroads League Mid-States Football Association (football)
NAIA	Division II
Athletic director	Mike McCaffrey
Location	Fort Wayne, IN
Varsity teams	18
Football stadium	Bishop John D’Arcy Stadium
Basketball arena	Hutzell Athletic Center
Baseball stadium	Cougar Field
Nickname	Cougars
Colors	Royal Blue and White
Website	www.saintfranciscougars.com

The Saint Francis Cougars is the athletic name of the teams that compete for the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. The university fields teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The teams compete in the NAIA's Crossroads League and the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association.

National Championship appearances

Year	Sport	Result	Score	Opponent
1999	Women's Basketball	Lost	80-65	Shawnee State (OH)
2004	Football	Lost	15-13	Carroll (MT)
2005	Football	Lost	27-10	Carroll (MT)
2006	Football	Lost	23-19	Sioux Falls (SD)
2010	Men's Basketball	Won	67-66	Walsh (OH)
2011	Men's Basketball	Lost	80-71	Cornerstone (MI)
2014	Women's Basketball	Won	75-68	College of the Ozarks (MO)
2016	Men's Basketball	Lost	69-66	Indiana Wesleyan
2016	Football	Won	38-17	Baker (KS)

Basketball

The University of Saint Francis Cougars won their first NAIA Championship on March 16, 2010. The Cougars won the 2010 NAIA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament when the Cougars defeated Walsh University 67-66 at Pt. Lookout, Missouri. The Cougars entered the tourney as the 15th seed. For his success, head coach Jeff Rekeweg was named the 2010 NAIA National Coach of the Year. On April 19, 2010, after 14 seasons of guiding the Cougars, Rekeweg resigned to take the head coaches position at Northwood University, a NCAA Division II school located in Midland, Michigan.^[1]

The Cougars returned the following year to play in the championship game on March 15, 2011. That year, the Cougars were runners-up in the 2011 NAIA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament when the Cougars were defeated by Cornerstone (MI) 80-71. The Cougars entered the tourney as the 13th seed.^[2]

Football

Saint Francis named Kevin Donley the Cougars' head coach in 1997. After a year of preparation, Saint Francis began play, as Fort Wayne's first collegiate football program, in the 1998 season.^[3] Coach Donley led USF to a record of 2-8 (.200), their first and only losing football season. From the 1999 season through the 2013 season, his teams have lost 3 or fewer games each season. Six teams have completed undefeated regular seasons (2002-2006, 2008), and 3 consecutive teams finished as national runners-up (2004-2006).

The Cougars made a 4th appearance in the national championship game in 2016, winning their first NAIA national title with their 38-17 win over Baker (KS).^[4]

Following is a season by season recap of the history of Saint Francis Cougars football.

1998

(2-8 overall, 1-5 conference)

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 12		at Saint Xavier*		Chicago, IL		W 56–28
September 19		Taylor*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 18–40
September 26		at Olivet Nazarene*		Bourbonnais, IL		L 24–28
October 3		Malone		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 30–55
October 10		at Trine		Angola, IN		L 27–71
October 17		Walsh		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 41–44
October 24		at Geneva		Beaver Falls, PA		L 34–45
October 31		Tiffin		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 15–21
November 7		at Urbana		Urbana, OH		W 61–26
November 14		Iowa Wesleyan*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 35–41
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

1999

(8-3 overall, 6-0 conference)

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 4		at Valparaiso*		Valparaiso, IN		L 6–35
September 11		Saint Xavier*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–38
September 25		McKendree*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 21–27
October 2		Geneva		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 56–26
October 9		at Tiffin		Tiffin, OH		W 21–14
October 16		Urbana		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 35–12
October 23		Trinity International*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 54–36
October 30		at Malone		Canton, OH		W 30–14
November 6		Trine		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 61–14
November 13		at Walsh		North Canton, OH		W 40–21
November 20		at Georgetown*		Georgetown, KY (NAIA First Round)		L 0–38
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2000

(10-2 overall, 6-0 conference)

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 2		at Butler*		Indianapolis, IN		W 56–37
September 9		Iowa Wesleyan*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 84–9
September 16		Valparaiso*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 34–30
September 23		at McKendree*		Lebanon, IL		L 14–28
September 30		at Geneva		Beaver Falls, PA		W 21–20
October 7		Tiffin		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–13
October 14		at Urbana		Urbana, OH		W 44–14
October 28		Malone		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 48–10
November 4		at Trine		Angola, IN		W 21–14
November 11		Walsh		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–14
November 18		Lambuth*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 48–33
November 25		at Georgetown*		Georgetown, KY (NAIA Quarterfinal)		L 19–37
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2001

(9-2 overall, 5-1 conference)

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 1		Butler*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 41–20
September 8		at Iowa Wesleyan*		Mount Pleasant, IA		W 49–0
September 15		Wisconsin - LaCrosse*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 20–12
September 22		McKendree*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 23–15
September 29		Geneva		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 30–6
October 6		at Tiffin		Tiffin, OH		W 20–14
October 13		Urbana		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–38
October 27		at Malone		Canton, OH		W 58–17
November 3		Trine		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 20–27
November 10		at Walsh		North Canton, OH		W 30–12
November 17		Campbellsville*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		L 21–42
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2002

(11-1 overall, 6-0 conference)

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 14		at Tiffin*		Tiffin, OH		W 41–31
September 21		Iowa Wesleyan*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 45–20
September 28		at William Penn*		Oskaloosa, IA		W 49–14
October 5		at Geneva		Beaver Falls, PA		W 35–28
October 12		Quincy*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 77–21
October 19		Urbana		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 70–0
October 26		at Taylor		Upland, IN		W 35–20
November 2		Malone		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 33–27
November 9		at Trine		Angola, IN		W 48–28
November 16		Walsh		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 40–29
November 23		Saint Xavier*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 34–30
November 30		at Georgetown*		Georgetown, KY (NAIA Quarterfinal)		L 0–24
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2003

(12-1 overall, 6-0 conference)

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 13		Tiffin*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 48–31
September 20		at William Penn*		Oskaloosa, IA		W 49–14
September 27		St. Ambrose*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 45–40
October 4		Geneva		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 49–16
October 11		at Butler*		Indianapolis, IN		W 47–16
October 18		at Urbana		Urbana, OH		W 38–23
October 25		Taylor		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 48–14
November 1		at Malone		Canton, OH		W 36–14
November 8		Quincy		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 34–13
November 15		at Walsh		North Canton, OH		W 41–24
November 22		Georgetown*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 34–23
November 29		St. Ambrose*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 41–14
December 6		at No. 1 Carroll*	No. 2	Helena, MT (NAIA Semifinal)		L 14–38
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2004

(13-1 overall, 7-0 conference)
The 2004 season was the first of three consecutive trips to the NAIA championship game in Savannah, TN. The Cougars finished as runner-up in the nation with its 2-point loss to Carroll (MT). As tribute to this team's success, Donley was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year for the second time.^[5]

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 11		Ohio Dominican	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 55–3
September 18		at No. 10 McKendree*	No. 4	Lebanon, IL		W 33–10
September 25		Iowa Wesleyan*	No. 3	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 62–8
October 2		at Geneva	No. 3	Beaver Falls, PA		W 30–24
October 9		Butler*	No. 3	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 35–7
October 16		Urbana	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 37–20
October 23		at Taylor	No. 2	Upland, IN		W 46–0
October 30		Malone	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 40–6
November 6		at Quincy	No. 2	Quincy, IL		W 49–13
November 13		No. 15 Walsh	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–14
November 20		No. 12 Morningside*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 53–3
November 27		No. 16 Hastings*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 48–17
December 4		No. 3 Georgetown*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Semifinal)		W 12–7
December 18		vs. No. 1 Carroll*	No. 2	Savannah, TN (NAIA Championship)		L 13–15
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2005

(13-1 overall, 7-0 conference)
The 2005 saw a rematch of the 2004 NAIA championship game. Once again, the Cougars finished as runner-up to Carroll (MT). For the three seasons 2003-2005, the USF record was 38-3, with all 3 losses coming as season-ending losses to Carroll (MT).^[6]

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 10		at Indiana State*	No. 2	Terre Haute, IN		W 42–10
September 17		No. 6 McKendree*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 28–21
September 24		Wisconsin – Eau Claire*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 35–10
October 1		No. 19 Geneva	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 50–22
October 8		at Ohio Dominican	No. 2	Columbus, OH		W 49–7
October 15		at No. 16 Urbana	No. 2	Urbana, OH		W 35–3
October 22		Taylor	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 55–0
October 29		at Malone	No. 2	Canton, OH		W 28–7
November 5		Quincy	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 53–19
November 12		at No. 11 Walsh	No. 2	North Canton, OH		W 21–7
November 19		No. 13 Pikeville*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 41–7
November 26		No. 5 Georgetown*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 44–14
December 3		No. 3 Morningside*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Semifinal)		W 42–14
December 17	1:05pm (FW time)	vs. No. 1 Carroll*	No. 2	Savannah, TN (NAIA Championship)		L 10–27
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2006

^[7] (13-1 overall, 7-0 conference)
On September 23, 2006, Saint Francis named its football field after Coach Donley in pregame ceremonies.^[8] A third consecutive return to the NAIA championship game saw the third consecutive runner-up finish for the Cougars, this time to Sioux Falls (SD).

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 9	2:00pm	at William Penn*	No. 2	Oskaloosa, IA		W 39–6
September 16	Noon	No. 38 Pikeville*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 63–0
September 23	Noon	Wisconsin – River Falls*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 63–8
September 30	Noon	No. 27 Ohio Dominican	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 21–17
October 7	Noon	No. 18 Urbana	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 35–12
October 14	1:00pm	at Taylor	No. 2	Upland, IN		W 49–0
October 21	Noon	No. 23 Malone	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 34–13
October 28	1:00pm	at Seton Hill	No. 2	Greensburg, PA		W 55–0
November 4	Noon	No. 3 Walsh	No. 1	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 21–7
November 11	1:30pm	at No. 29 Geneva	No. 1	Beaver Falls, PA		W 21–20
November 18	Noon	No. 16 Walsh*	No. 1	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 42–3
November 25	Noon	No. 8 Bethel*	No. 1	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 42–35
December 2	Noon	No. 9 Saint Xavier*	No. 1	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Semifinal)		W 49–20
December 16	1:00pm (FW time)	vs. No. 2 Sioux Falls*	No. 1	Savannah, TN (NAIA Championship)		L 19–23
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2007

^[7] (11-2 overall, 6-1 conference)
On September 29, 2007, the Saint Francis loss to Ohio Dominican snapped a 54-game regular season winning streak dating back to 2001.^[9]

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 8	Noon	William Penn*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 71–7
September 15	1:30pm	at Pikeville*	No. 2	Pikeville, KY		W 55–3
September 22	2:00pm	at No. 15 St. Ambrose*	No. 2	Davenport, IA		W 20–7
September 29	12:30pm	at No. 6 Ohio Dominican	No. 2	Columbus, OH		L 20–30
October 6	Noon	Marian	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 57–7
October 13	Noon	Taylor	No. 5	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 69–29
October 20	Noon	at Walsh	No. 5	North Canton, OH		W 42–14
October 27	Noon	No. 31 Urbana	No. 5	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–16
November 3	4:00pm	at No. 18 Malone	No. 5	Canton, OH		W 31–17
November 10	Noon	No. 6 Saint Xavier	No. 5	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–13
November 17	Noon	No. 12 Lindenwood*	No. 5	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 35–14
November 24	3:30pm (FW time)	at No. 4 Bethel*	No. 5	McKenzie, TN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 30–27
December 1	2:07pm (FW time)	at No. 2 Carroll*	No. 5	Helena, MT (NAIA Semifinal)		L 7–23
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2008

^[7] (12-1 overall, 6-0 conference)
After an undefeated regular season, USF finished with a loss at Sioux Falls. This was the second time in three seasons that Sioux Falls put the only blemish on the USF record.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 6	Noon	Trinity International*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 67–0
September 13	2:00pm	at Quincy*	No. 4	Quincy, IL		W 21–0
September 20	1:00pm	at Taylor	No. 4	Upland, IN		W 55–7
September 27	Noon	No. 10 St. Ambrose*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 43–14
October 4	Noon	No. 8 Ohio Dominican*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 35–0
October 11	2:00pm	at Marian	No. 4	Indianapolis, IN - Pike HS		W 63–14
October 25	Noon	Walsh	No. 3	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 52–12
November 1	Noon	at Urbana	No. 3	Urbana, OH		W 62–20
November 8	Noon	No. 10 Malone	No. 3	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 45–24
November 15	2:00pm	at No. 18 Saint Xavier	No. 3	Chicago, IL		W 47–30
November 22	Noon	No. 11 Union*	No. 3	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 58–3
November 29	Noon	No. 8 Cumberlands*	No. 3	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 31–20
December 6	1:00pm	at No. 2 Sioux Falls*	No. 3	Sioux Falls, SD (NAIA Semifinal)		L 6–24
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2009

^[7] (7-3 overall, 5-2 conference)
The 2009 season saw the first home loss since 2001 in a November 7 defeat by St. Xavier. Over that time period, the Cougars won 56 consecutive home games.^[10] It also marked the first time the Cougars were not in the NAIA postseason playoff since their inaugural 1998 season.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 12	Noon	Iowa Wesleyan*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 55–0
September 19	2:00pm	at No. 9 St. Ambrose*	No. 4	Davenport, IA		W 30–10
September 26	Noon	Marian	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 28–7
October 3	7:00pm	at No. 23 Malone	No. 4	Canton, OH		W 42–14
October 10	6:00pm	at No. 20 Walsh	No. 4	Canton, OH		W 20–14
October 17	Noon	Trinity International	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 63–7
October 24	2:00pm	at Missouri U of S&T*	No. 4	Rolla, MO		L 37–39
October 31	Noon	Olivet Nazarene	No. 8	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 56–7
November 7	Noon	No. 6 Saint Xavier	No. 8	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 24–36
November 14	1:00pm	at No. 25 Taylor	No. 11	Upland, IN		L 16–23
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2010

^[7] (10-2 overall, 6-1 conference)
The 2010 season began explosively as the 17th-ranked Cougars won impressively on the road, 70-7.
9/18/2010 - Week #2 saw the Cougars elevated to 11th in the national rankings. The opponent for the home-opener was another ranked team, 17th-ranked St. Ambrose. Trailing 17-0 at the half, the Cougars showed some maturity by rebounding in the second half for a 31-20 win. For their victory, the Cougars were rewarded with a rise in the rankings to the 9th best team in the country.

9/25/2010 - Leading 28-3 at the half, USF held on for a hard-fought road victory against a highly regarded Marian. The road win was the first game for Marian in their new St. Vincent Health Field.

10/9/2010 - The win over Walsh was an upset in the national rankings that listed Walsh as #8 and USF as the #9 team in the nation.

10/23/2010 - With a 41-14 home win over Missouri U S&T, the 7th-ranked Cougars remained undefeated and avenged a 2-point loss on the road against last year's Miners.

10/30/2010 - With their 63-0 win over Olivet Nazarene, USF record moved to 8-0 for the season. Next week's game at #3 St. Xavier will match two undefeated, NAIA top-10 Cougar teams to decide the conference and division championships.

11/6/2010 - St. Xavier dominated this game in a 30-6 victory for the home team. The six point offensive output was the lowest points scored by a USF team in a regular season game since the 11th game of their program, the opening game of the 1999 season. For the second time in two years, this victory gave the MSFA conference and league title to St. Xavier.

11/13/2010 - With their 33-21 win over Taylor University, USF avenged the season-ending loss from a year ago. The win guarantees the 10th-ranked USF an appearance next week in the opening round of the 16-team NAIA Championship tournament.

11/20/2010 - Ranked #10 in the final NAIA regular-season poll, USF drew a road trip to Lindenwood for the first round of the playoffs. The 5th-ranked Lions, 9-1 on the regular season, entered the game with the nation's highest scoring offense. The Cougars pulled off the upset win, 44-38, with an offense that efficiently controlled the football for over 40 minutes of the 60-minute game. For the win, the Cougars earned a rematch in the second round against MSFA foe St. Xavier.

11/27/2010 - The Cougars return visit to St. Xavier ended with the same results as the first meeting of the year, a 40-21 loss. Thus, the USF season ended with a 10-2 record, with both losses coming on the St. Xavier home field.

1/10/2011 - The Cougars were recognized for their successful season by voters in the postseason NAIA football polls. The Cougars improved 5 spots in the polls, behind only the four semifinalists in the national tournament. The 5th-place ranking gave the Cougars their best poll position of the season.^[11]

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 11	2:00pm	at Iowa Wesleyan*	No. 17	Mt. Pleasant, IA		W 70–7
September 18	Noon	No. 17 St. Ambrose*	No. 11	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 31–20
September 25	1:00pm	at No. 13 Marian	No. 9	Indianapolis, IN		W 28–25
October 2	Noon	Malone	No. 9	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–14
October 9	Noon	No. 8 Walsh	No. 9	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 20–14
October 16	2:00pm	at Trinity International	No. 8	Deerfield, IL		W 33–6
October 23	Noon	Missouri U of S&T*	No. 7	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 41–14
October 30	1:00pm	at Olivet Nazarene	No. 7	Bourbonnais, IL		W 63–7
November 6	2:00pm	at No. 3 Saint Xavier	No. 7	Chicago, IL		L 6–30
November 13	Noon	Taylor	No. 10	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 33–21
November 20	1:30pm	at No. 5 Lindenwood*	No. 10	St. Charles, Mo. (NAIA First Round)		W 44–38
November 27	2:00pm	at No. 3 Saint Xavier*	No. 10	Chicago, IL (NAIA Quarterfinal)		L 21–40
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2011

^[7] (9-3 overall, 3-2 conference)
The 2011 season opened with the Cougars ranked #4 in the coaches preseason poll.^[12]
9/10/2011 - After a hard-fought 1-point victory over St. Ambrose, the Cougars gained two spots in the NAIA national rankings. After their first game, the Cougars trailed only conference rival Saint Xavier in the polls.^[13]

9/24/2011 - The game was over early as Saint Francis ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown. With 30 seconds gone off the clock, the score reached 14-0 after Saint Francis capitalized on a Concordia turnover. The score was 41-0 after one period of play. This was the first season for football at Concordia, so the lop-sided outcome was not a surprise. The win sets up an anticipated game next week as undefeated and NAIA #1 Saint Xavier visits undefeated and NAIA #2 USF.

10/1/2011 - The NAIA's #1 ranked Saint Xavier visited the #2 ranked Saint Francis in a battle for the conference and national lead. The anticipated matchup between the two teams, both nicknamed the Cougars, never materialized. Saint Francis took the opening kickoff and turned it into a field goal for a quick three-point lead. But from that point to the end, Saint Xavier controlled both sides of the ball and won more convincingly than the final score indicated.

Saint Xavier’s offense ended with 452 yards while Saint Francis totaled 360 yards. The Saint Francis effort included 27 rushes for 72 yards, or 2.7 yards per attempt. Passing tallied another 268 yards on 19-46 and 4 interceptions. Additionally, the offense fumbled the ball 6 times and lost 2 to Saint Xavier. The surprisingly uncharacteristic total of 10 turnovers and 6 fumbles for the USF Cougars was the same disappointing play that has resulted in 4 straight losses to SXU.

One bright spot was the play of the special teams. Early in the first quarter, a Saint Francis punt bounced off the Saint Xavier punt returner and was recovered in the end zone for a Saint Francis touchdown, pushing the lead to a hopeful 10-0 margin.

Saint Francis still lead 17-16 at halftime when Saint Xavier lined up for the third quarter kickoff. Instead of kicking the ball deep, SXU successfully executed an onside kick, and their offense soon capitalized on the play. A touchdown gave Saint Xavier their first lead of the game, 23-17. However, the Saint Francis return team took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards to quickly regain the lead, 24-23. That was the last highlight for Saint Francis except for an inconsequential touchdown late in the game after the outcome was already determined. The loss dropped USF to 7th in the national polls. Saint Xavier retained the #1 position and was closely followed by MSFA conference foe Marian, who took over the #2 spot held the prior week by Saint Francis. The latter two teams will meet in two weeks in Fort Wayne, and Saint Francis hopes to get another shot at Saint Xavier in the postseason tournament.

10/8/2011 - After last week's loss, USF had another difficult opponent in Walsh. Formerly a MSFA conference meeting, the game was a non-league contest this year due to the transition of Walsh from the NAIA to NCAA-II football. The game was won in the 2nd overtime period when USF scored and converted the extra point kick after a missed extra point effort by Walsh. The game was highlighted by USF redshirt freshman Antoin Campbell, who set a new Cougar record by scoring 5 touchdowns in the game. For the week's effort, the Cougars moved up one spot in the national rankings to 6th. The tough opponents continue next week with another conference game, Homecoming Week against Marian, the nation's #2 ranked team.

10/15/2011 - Facing their second top-2 ranked team in 3 weeks, the outcome this week was known from the start. Marian drove the opening kickoff to a touchdown and a 7-0 lead, and they were up 14-0 before Saint Francis put any points on the board. Marian dominated the game, led by the nation's top-ranked scoring and passing defense, and USF never raised a serious threat. The final outcome was another home defeat for USF, by a final score of 40-13. The 27-point deficit was the largest differential for a home game in the history of Saint Francis football. The 2-game home losing streak matched a feat not seen since the inaugural 1998 football season. With the loss, the Cougars dropped to 12th in the national rankings. Marian stayed undefeated and set up a likely showdown in the final game of the regular season, a home contest against Saint Xavier. The game could feature two undefeated teams, ranked #1 and #2 in the NAIA national polls, vying for the top seed in the playoffs, an undefeated regular season, and the MSFA Mideast division championship.

10/22/2011 - The Cougars returned to their winning ways with a 47-10 victory over visiting Malone. This might be the last game ever against the Cougars' former conference rival. Malone has begun a transition to leave the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II football level. Therefore, today's game was not a conference win for USF.

10/29/2011 - The Cougars posted a 34-7 road win over conference opponent Quincy University. After the win, USF rose one spot in the national polls to 11th among all NAIA football programs.

11/5/2011 - Turnovers plagued the Cougars offense this week just as they have all season. A pick-6 interception resulted in one Taylor touchdown, and a muffed field goal attempt was returned for a second touchdown, and the Cougars found themselves tied with Taylor at the half, 14-14. But the Cougars settled down in the second half, scoring 32 unanswered points for a 46-14 victory. The defensive play was solid for the Cougars, completing a TSO (technical shut-out) for the day. With two losses and one game left in the regular season, the Cougars likely need to win their final game to enter the 16-team, post-season NAIA football playoffs.

11/12/2011 - The Cougars finished the regular season with an impressive 59-20 home win over NCAA Division II opponent Central State. The victory completed a season whose two losses ironically came to conference foes who were ranked #1 and #2 in the nation at the time the games were played. The USF season was extended with an invitation to the NAIA playoffs, playing the following week as the 9th seed in the 16-team tournament.

11/19/2011 - The Cougars opened the 2011 NAIA playoffs with a 28-14 road win at Missouri Valley. The win was the 9th straight first round postseason win for the Cougars.

11/26/2011 - The USF season ended with their 3rd loss of the year to an undefeated, top-3 ranked team. Each of the 3 teams advanced to the NAIA Championship semifinal round. This time, the Cougars traveled to undefeated and #3 Georgetown College (KY), and they were handed a 26-14 loss. Turnovers and untimely penalties once again contributed significantly to the loss.

With their performance against the tough 2011 schedule, including a first round postseason win, the Cougars were elevated to 7th place in the final Coaches poll of the season.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 10	2:00pm	at St. Ambrose*	No. 4	Davenport, IA		W 34–33
September 17	Noon	McKendree*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 33–7
September 24	1:00pm	at Concordia (MI)	No. 2	Ann Arbor, MI		W 69–0
October 1	Noon	No. 1 Saint Xavier	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 31–42
October 8	Noon	at Walsh*	No. 7	Canton, OH		W 42–41 2OT
October 15	Noon	No. 2 Marian	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 13–40
October 22	Noon	Malone*	No. 12	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 47–10
October 29	2:00pm	at Quincy	No. 12	Quincy, IL		W 34–7
November 5	1:00pm	at Taylor	No. 11	Upland, IN		W 46–14
November 12	Noon	Central State*	No. 10	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 59–20
November 19	Noon	at No. 7 Missouri Valley*	No. 9	Marshall, MO (NAIA First Round)		W 28–14
November 26	1:30pm	at No. 3 Georgetown (KY)*	No. 9	Toyota Stadium • Georgetown, KY (NAIA Quarterfinal)		L 14–26
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2012

^[14] (9-3 overall, 4-1 conference)
The 2012 season opened with the Cougars ranked #6 in the coaches preseason poll.^[15]
8/25/2012 - The Cougars traveled to Texas to play the season opener against a new opponent. The game was the farthest west the Cougars had ever ventured to play a football game. The Cougars returned to Fort Wayne with a 46-10 victory.

9/1/2012 - The Cougars opened the home season with a 39-31 victory over the Pointers from Wisconsin - Stevens Point. The game started with USF taking the opening kickoff and driving for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead. The Pointers responded with a field goal, and Saint Francis added another first quarter score to reach the first break with a 13-3 lead. What began to look like a rout quickly changed as Stevens Point scored 3 straight second half touchdowns to take their biggest lead, 24-13. A late Cougar touchdown moved the halftime score to 24-19 in favor of the Pointers. The Cougars made some adjustments in the locker room, and they dominated the second half of play. They scored 4 unanswered touchdowns to regain and extend the lead to 39-24 before a late Pointers TD put the final points on the scoreboard. The second half comeback was led by 3rd string quarterback Wes Hunsucker (David Yoder was recovering from injury) after starter Josh Miller sat out due to dizziness reported after the first half of play.

9/8/2012 - The home season continued with a non-conference game against MSFA rival Saint Ambrose. It was an uncharacteristic defensive contest as all 8 quarters resulted in less than 10 points being scored by the respective teams. As was the case in week 1, the Cougars won the coin toss and took possession of the football. Their first drive culminated in a touchdown. After an unsuccessful kick attempt, they led 6-0. Saint Ambrose then took the ensuing kick-off and marched downfield with similar precision. When the drive stalled, they kicked a field goal on 4th down. But the kick was never counted because a USF player ran into the kicker for a penalty that kept the SAU drive alive. They got the ultimate finish, a touchdown. After a successful kick, the Cougars trailed 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. There was no scoring in either the second or third quarters. In the 4th quarter, the Cougars made a quarterback change, bringing Wes Hunsucker into the game. He got immediate results. His second play from scrimmage was a 10-yard pass to Austin Coleman, who raced down the right sidelines evading a handful of SAU players on his way to a 70-yard TD. The following 2-point conversion was equally exciting as RB Antoin Campbell did a high jump-like leap over two defenders to reach the endzone. The 2 points extended the USF lead to 14-7. But SAU responded with a late touchdown of their own, and a successful 2-point conversion sealed their first victory in the history of games between the two.

9/22/2012 - After a week off, after a loss two weeks ago, the Cougars returned to the field for a game filled with notable happenings. The 7:00pm marked the start of the first home night game in USF history. The Homecoming game's outcome was never in doubt once the Cougars started putting points on the board. Soon after the offense scored to give USF a 7-0 lead, the defense contributed immediately. On the next series of plays by Concordia, a pass was intercepted and run back to extend the score to 24-0. The Cougars never looked back as they continued putting points on the board. The final score of 76-14 represented the third-highest score in USF history, and the most points scored since 2002. The victory was win #257 for Coach Kevin Donley. Coupled with a loss by Dickinson State (and coach Hank Biesiot), the win broke a 3-way tie and placed Coach Donley solely atop the leader ladder of most wins all-time by a NAIA coach. The win record was formerly held by Frosty Westering.^[16]

9/29/2012 - This week's opponent was defending NAIA national champion Saint Xavier. The StX team was undefeated and ranked #1 in the current year's polls, and USF had not beaten them in the past four contests between the two. In addition, it was Homecoming weekend for Saint Xavier. But USF was prepared for the occasion and returned to Fort Wayne with an upset victory, defeating the Saint Xavier team 25-13. It was the first time that USF had defeated a #1-ranked team, in a game that will forever remain one of the program's great accomplishments. The Cougars are idle next week before hitting the road again to visit a pair of Top 10-ranked teams the following two Saturdays. As a result of the upset, Saint Xavier dropped to 6th in the NAIA Coaches' Weekly Poll, and USF climbed to 7th.

10/13/2012 - The Cougars had the improbable task of facing the #1 ranked team in the nation for the second consecutive game with their visit to Marian. Once again, the Cougars fought hard; but the outcome was a 45-38 loss in the high-scoring game. Time ran out as the Cougars were driving for a game-tying score. With the loss, the Cougars dropped 2 places to #9. Next week, USF continues their tough road schedule with a visit to #5 William Penn.

10/20/2012 - For the third time in 3 games, the Cougars found themselves on the road against a team ranked in the NAIA top-5. This week's opponent was William Penn, an undefeated team that had not lost a home game in over two years. Saint Francis scored touchdowns in each of the first two quarters, and their opponents kicked two field goals - the second one as time expired in the half - to bring the score to 14-6 in favor of Saint Francis at the half. The gap was quickly closed as William Penn took the second-half's opening kickoff and returned it for a touchdown to shorten the deficit to 14-13. But just as suddenly, the Cougars took the next kickoff and ran it back for a touchdown of their own. The touchdown restored the 8-point margin to 21-13. With less than a minute off the second half clock, two touchdowns had been scored before either team's offense had touched the football. William Penn added two field goals, and USF added another touchdown to bring the score to the final margin of victory, a 28-19 upset win for Saint Francis. During the game, the Cougar's Austin Coleman set a USF record for most return yards in a single game. Including the kickoff return, Coleman returned the ball for 207 yards in the game. For the win, Saint Francis improved to #7 in the NAIA national rankings.

10/27/2012 - After being tested on the road for over a month against top-5 powerhouses, USF returned home to face a relatively new program from Siena Heights. The outcome was as expected. Saint Francis kicked a field goal on their first possession and added a touchdown on their second on their way to a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. They added two more touchdowns against the Saints as the offense experimented by using two backup quarterbacks for most of the second half. Siena Heights avoided a shutout when they scored on their final possession of the game, with less than a minute left on the clock. The final score of this conference game was a victory for USF, 31-7. Next week, USF faces their final conference foe of the season when it hosts Taylor.

11/3/2012 - The offense sputtered, but the defense played well enough to create a victory and a share of the MSFA Midwest League title. In their final conference game of the season, USF prevailed 21-0 over Taylor University. The defensive effort included 4 interceptions: one was returned for a touchdown, and two were made at the goal line to halt Taylor scoring drives. In addition, the defense posted a goal line stance that prevented a Taylor score with a first and goal from inside the 5-yard line. The offense scored two touchdowns, each resulting from Taylor punt miscues that gave the Cougars the ball deep inside Taylor territory. The first score came shortly after a Taylor snap that sailed over the punter's head, and the second came when USF blocked a punt attempt. All scoring occurred in the first half; in a rare occurrence, USF was forced to punt the ball on all five possessions in the second half. Combined with a Marian home loss to Saint Xavier, the victory gave all 3 teams one conference loss on the season and a share of the conference championship. The conference automatic bid to the postseason playoffs will go to the team finishing with highest rating in the final regular season polls; the other two teams will presumably receive at-large berths into the tournament.

11/10/2012 - The Cougars completed their regular season with a 44-7 road win with a visit to another first year football program, Lindenwood (IL). With starting QB Josh Miller on the sidelines nursing an ankle injury, backup David Yoder led the offense for most of the game. Third-stringer Wes Hunsaker came in to take several snaps near the end of the game. The final regular season rankings and the postseason draw will be released tomorrow to show the Cougars' path through the postseason.

11/17/2012 - Before the game, a fan seated behind me was overheard to employ an unusual method of predicting the final outcome. USF was ranked #6; Baker was ranked #11. Therefore, USF would win by 5. Scientific or not, the fan’s prediction proved to be prophetic as USF prevailed in the contest by a final score of 22-17. The game’s outcome was largely determined by a USF defense that would bend but not break. After winning the opening coin flip, Baker elected to receive. Saint Francis kicked the ball into the endzone, and Baker started at their own 25 after the touchback. A few plays later, the defense responded with the first interception of the game, and USF took over deep in Baker territory. The turnover led to the first score of the game, an 11-yard pass to give the Cougars a 6-0 lead. No other scores were logged in the first quarter. In the second quarter, USF tacked on a field goal after the defense forced and recovered a Baker fumble. It was the first of 3 on the day for the Cougar placekicker, tying the school’s record for most field goals in one game. Baker took the ensuing kickoff and marched in for their first score of the game, narrowing the USF lead to 9-7. USF then took over on offense and produced their best sustained drive of the game. With 33 seconds left in the first half, the Cougars’ quarterback scored on a 13-yard scamper into the end zone to bring the score to 16-7. Not to be outdone, Baker took the following kickoff and marched close enough to kick a field goal with 10 seconds left to bring the halftime score to 16-10 in favor of Saint Francis The third quarter was a back-and-forth defensive struggle, and neither team scored. The fourth quarter saw Saint Francis convert their second field goal. But Baker took the kickoff and marched the length of the field, scoring another touchdown that narrowed the gap to 19-17 in favor of the home team. USF responded by kicking their third field goal, extending the margin to 5, with 3:44 left in the game. The outcome of the game was uncertain until USF intercepted a Baker pass with 2:33 left in the game. After that, Saint Francis ran out the clock with Baker having only two timeouts to halt the runoff. On the day, the USF defense captured 4 Baker turnovers, 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. Although the Baker offense outgained the Cougars, the Cougar defense came through with big plays to stop Baker’s momentum most of the time. The win was the 17th consecutive home playoff win for USF, who has not lost a home game in their entire playoff history.^[17]

11/24/2012 - These two teams met earlier in a regular season game at the same field, and the outcome of this one was very similar to the earlier match. Saint Francis played an inspired game; but in the end, the Cougars were no match for the offensive efficiency that was displayed by the Marian Knights. Saint Francis received the opening kickoff and sustained a drive that resulted in a score and a 7-0 lead. They kicked the ball to Marian, who lost possession when a downfield bomb was intercepted by the USF defender. At that point the Cougars were in control, but the momentum eventually shifted and stayed with Marian for the remainder of the game. Marian scored with about 3 minutes left on the clock, and the first quarter ended tied, 7-7. An efficient passing game and the ability to maintain control of the ball were two of Marian’s biggest assets. Marian’s offense kept the ball for about 11 minutes in the second quarter, producing a field goal and a late touchdown to bring the halftime score to 17-7 in favor of the Knights. The third quarter opened with Marian returning to offense. But the Cougars’ defense held, and the Knights kicked the ball. The Cougars misplayed the punt, and Marian recovered the ball. That drive ended with a USF interception. But the Cougars’ offense failed to move the chains in 3 plays, and a USF punt sent the ball to Marian’s 11-yard line. Marian went 3-and-out, and USF was set to receive the ball once again. A poor punt never made it to the midfield line, giving USF great field position. Unfortunately, a Cougars defensive player ran into the kicker, and that penalty allowed Marian to retain possession of the football. The error proved costly as Marian drove the ball for a touchdown that extended the lead to 24-7. USF took the kick and marched for a touchdown of their own to move the score to 24-14. The Knights immediately countered by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. After a missed extra point, the quarter ended with Marian leading 30-14. Early in the 4th quarter, USF drove for a touchdown to bring the lead back to 30-21. The Cougars played good defense, and Marian punted the ball back to the Cougars. But the next possession saw two dropped passes before the third attempt was intercepted by the Knights. Most of the rest of the quarter was burned up by Marian’s offense, who held the ball for nearly 12 minutes of the period. Marian marched for a score, and a 2-point conversion extended their lead to 38-21. The next kick was immediately returned for a 100-yard touchdown return by the Cougars’ Austin Coleman. For Coleman, the touchdown return was the 8th in his career, setting a new NAIA record for most touchdowns on returns in a career. Marian again took over on offense, and they drove the ball for their final points of the game, making the score 45-28. A late Cougars’ touchdown with 12 seconds left on the clock brought about the final score of 45-34 after the Cougars failed to convert a 2-point pass attempt.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
August 25	1:00pm	at Texas College*	No. 6	Tyler, TX		W 46–10
September 1	Noon	Wisconsin-Stevens Point*	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 39–31
September 8	Noon	No. 20 Saint Ambrose*	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 14–15
September 22	7:00pm	Concordia (MI)	No. 12	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA All-time Wins)		W 76–14
September 29	7:00pm	at No. 1 Saint Xavier	No. 10	Chicago, IL		W 25–13
October 13	1:00pm	at No. 1 Marian	No. 7	Indianapolis, IN		L 38–45
October 20	2:00pm	at No. 5 William Penn*	No. 9	Oskaloosa, IA		W 28–19
October 27	Noon	Siena Heights	No. 7	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 31–7
November 3	Noon	Taylor	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 21–0
November 10	2:00pm	at Lindenwood (IL)*	No. 6	Belleville, IL		W 44–7
November 17	Noon	No. 11 Baker (KS)*	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 22–17
November 24	1:00pm	at No. 5 Marian*	No. 6	Indianapolis, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		L 34–45
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2013

^[18] (9-3 overall, 5-1 conference)

9/14/2013 - The Cougars opened the season against a formidable opponent in William Penn. The week prior, the Statesmen had opened their season with a convincing victory over then 9th-ranked Bethel (TN). The lack of a poll after that week kept the Statesmen from a higher national ranking. This game was tied 10-10 at the half. But USF took control in the second half, aided by a game-ending injury to the Statesmen's starting quarterback. The Cougars scored the last 21 points in the game. For their effort on the week, the Cougars were elevated to #2 in the NAIA Coaches Poll.

9/21/2013 - The Cougars home opener was against St. Ambrose, a tough 7th-ranked team that gave the Cougars a 1-point loss last season. The game's outcome wasn't certain until all time had expired from the clock. After scoring a late 4th quarter touchdown, the Bees had a chance to kick for 1 point to tie the score at 38-38. But the Bees opted instead to attempt a 2-point conversion. An incomplete pass denied the Bees the lead at that time. Later in the quarter, as time was running out, The Bees attempted a game-winning field goal. But the kick sailed wide as the clock struck :00, and Saint Francis came away with a 1-point victory of their own, 38-37. Next week, the Cougars return to the road to face their 3rd ranked opponent in 3 weeks when they visit #7 Grand View (IA).

9/28/2013 - The Cougars went on the road and fell to defeat against an impressive Grand View team, 23-7. For their win, Grand View improved to #4 in the national polls, while Saint Francis dropped 4 places to #6. The Cougars next opponent, Siena Heights (Mich.), entered the national polls for the first time, appearing at #25 in this week's rankings.

10/5/2013 - The Cougars went on the road to another tough ranked opponent. The Cougars trailed 17-14 at halftime. Under the leadership of quarterback David Yoder, who replaced an injured Josh Miller, the Cougars scored two touchdowns in the second half while holding Siena Heights scoreless to give them a 28-17 victory. This was their first conference win of the season.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 14	2:00pm	at No. 16 William Penn (IA)*	No. 5	Oskaloosa, IA		W 31–13
September 21	7:00pm	No. 7 St. Ambrose (IA)*	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 38–37
September 28	2:00pm	at No. 7 Grand View (IA)*	No. 2	Des Moines, IA		L 7–23
October 5	1:00pm	at No. 25 Siena Heights (MI)	No. 6	Adrian, MI		W 28–17
October 12	7:00pm	No. 10 Saint Xavier (IL)*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 45–20
October 19	5:00pm	at No. 20 St. Francis (IL)	No. 4	Joliet, IL		W 37–28
October 26	12:00pm	Robert Morris (IL)	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 24–28
November 2	12:00pm	Concordia (MI)	No. 10	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 54–0
November 9	1:00pm	at Taylor (IN)	No. 8	Upland, IN		W 20–12
November 16	12:00pm	Marian (IN)	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 41–24
November 23	12:00pm	No. 9 Faulkner (AL)*	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 20–13
November 30	12:00pm	at No. 1 Cumberlands (KY)*	No. 6	Williamsburg, KY (NAIA Quarterfinal)		L 14–28
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2014

^[19] (6-5 overall, 4-2 conference)

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result
September 4	7:00pm	Missouri Baptist*	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–10
September 13	12:00pm	William Penn (IA)*	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 27–28
September 20	2:00pm	at No. 25 St. Ambrose (IA)*	No. 12	Davenport, IA		W 27–13
September 27	12:00pm	No. 8 Grand View (IA)*	No. 9	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 9–21
October 4	7:00pm	Siena Heights (MI)	No. 15	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 21–27
October 11	7:00pm	at No. 16 Saint Xavier (IL)*	No. 24	Chicago, IL		L 26–53
October 18	12:00pm	No. 18 St. Francis (IL)		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–20
October 25	2:00pm	at No. 12 Robert Morris (IL)		Chicago, IL		W 38–20
November 1	1:00pm	at Concordia (MI)		Ann Arbor, MI		W 30–14
November 8	12:00pm	Taylor (IN)		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 42–0
November 15	1:00pm	at No. 9 Marion (IN)		Indianapolis, IN		L 18–51
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2015

^[20] (11-1 overall, 6-0 conference)

11/7/2015 - The Cougars originally scheduled a game against Redemption Christian College of Virginia Beach, VA. When the opponent failed to field a team for the 2015 season, USF found an opening in their schedule.^[21][22] The opening was filled with a game against the College of Faith, an Arkansas college whose schedule had also previously included Redemption. The Warriors traveled to Fort Wayne to compete in an exhibition game that did not count in the record or record books of USF.^[23][24]

11/14/2015 - With their 64-6 victory over Missouri Baptist, USF completed the 2015 season as the year's only undefeated team in the regular season of NAIA play.

11/21/2015 - The Cougars opened the 2015 playoff season with a 37-26 win over Reinhardt (GA). The game was played under adverse weather conditions as a steady, wet snowfall began shortly after the opening kick-off and persisted beyond the end of the game. For the game, Cougars' running back Justin Green rushed for 252 yards on 32 carries, setting a new single-game record for the victors. With the win, the Cougars continued their undefeated home playoff record, posting their 19th consecutive victory since their first home playoff victory in 2000.

11/28/2015 - The Cougars continued their home playoff winning streak, stretching it to 20 consecutive wins without a defeat. This week, the Cougars battled Montana Tech, champions of the Frontier League. The Cougars prevailed 42-20, marking the first time the team posted a playoff victory against a Frontier League opponent. After his record-setting game played last week, Justin Green added a second-straight game of rushing for over 200 yards.

12/5/2015 - The experience of the Knights was apparent as the Knights defeated USF 45-14. With the win, the Knights returned to the national championship game for the 2nd consecutive season and the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons. The Knights controlled the game in most all aspects, and they took control by scoring 24 points in a productive 2nd quarter. The loss avenged a regular-season loss to the Cougars which resulted in the Knights finishing in second place in the MEL regular season standings. The loss also ended the Cougars' streak of 19 consecutive playoff home game victories.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	7:00pm	Olivet Nazarene (IL)*		Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 59–16
September 12	7:00pm	at Taylor (IN)		Upland, IN		W 48–42	2,517
September 19	12:00pm	Trinity International (IL)*	No. 17	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 45–3	3,275
September 26	2:00pm	at Lindenwood-Belleville (IL)	No. 14	Belleville, IL		W 74–13	550
October 3	1:00pm	at No. 6 Marian (IN)	No. 11	Indianapolis, IN		W 45–42	2,712
October 10	12:00pm	Siena Heights (MI)	No. 9	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 49–25	3,175
October 17	12:00pm	No. 28 Concordia (MI)	No. 7	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 48–7	2,883
October 24	2:00pm	at No. 9 Robert Morris (IL)*	No. 7	Chicago, IL		W 38–29	534
November 7	12:00pm	College of Faith (AR)*	No. 6	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (EXHIBITION)		61–0	1,699
November 14	2:00pm	at Missouri Baptist	No. 5	St. Louis, MO		W 64–6	1,103
November 21	12:00pm	No. 12 Reinhardt (GA)*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 37–26	1,277
November 28	12:00pm	No. 5 Montana Tech*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 42–20	1,597
December 5	12:00pm	No. 6 Marian (IN)*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Semifinal)		L 14–45	3,377
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

2016

^[25] (13-1 overall, 5-1 conference)

10/1/2016 - The #2-ranked Cougars played another historic game vs. the #1-ranked Marian Knights, undefeated conference rivals and defending NAIA national champions. Saint Francis matched up well, and they took a 21-14 lead into the half. However, USF’s second-half mistakes allowed the Knights to take control of the game, and the Knights prevailed 35-21.

10/8/2016 - The Cougars only fell 3 places to 5th after last week's loss to Marian. This week, Saint Francis traveled to Siena Heights to face another tough conference opponent. The Cougars led 21-10 at the half. However, a strong effort by the Saints defense in the second half made the game close. In the end, Saint Francis returned home with a victory by a score of 24-22.

10/22/2016 - The Cougars returned home after a 2-game road trip to face the 24th-ranked Eagles from Robert Morris University. The match between two Top-25 teams certainly lived up to expectations. Robert Morris took the opening kick-off and scored to take an early 7-0 lead. That score held until just before halftime when the Cougars scored to tie the game. The Cougars took the second half kick-off and scored to take the lead, 14-7, a lead that never would be surrendered. Late in the game, the Cougar defense put up a defining goal line stand. Facing 1st and goal from inside the 1-yard line, The Cougars beat back the Eagles' offense on four consecutive plays to preserve the victory. For their strong performances, each team retained their position in the weekly polls. Saint Francis broke a tie to take 4th place outright, and Robert Morris retained the 24th position in the poll.

11/19/2016 - The game started out as a shoot-out as each team scored on their first 3 possessions, resulting in a 21-20 Saint Francis lead. From that point, it was all USF. The Cougars scored on each of their 7 first half possessions, taking a 44-20 lead into the half. Their scoring continued into the second half with 35 unanswered points to arrive at the final score of 79-20. The game was played under adverse weather conditions. A clear field was quickly covered with snow at the start of the game, and neither defense was able to react to the potent offenses. Cougar quarterback Nick Ferrer threw for over 350 yards as the Cougars amassed over 600 yards of total offense. Ferrer completed 5 touchdown passes, 3 of them going to Seth Coate, who had over 150 yards of receptions for the game. For their efforts, Ferrer and Coate were named the game's offensive co-MVPs. The defensive MVP award went to Lucas Sparks.

11/26/2016 - With two teams that combined to score 145 points in the first round, this game was expected to be a high-scoring affair. This game matched the #4 Saint Francis Cougars vs the #5 Morningside Mustangs, and the two teams were expected to be evenly matched. The game started with Morningside breaking out to a 20-0 lead. Saint Francis got on the scoreboard in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime lead favored Morningside by that 20-7 score. In the second half, the Cougars finally got their offense rolling, scoring the next 14 points to set the lead at 21-20. Morningside immediately responded with a touchdown of their own. Their two-point try was good, and Morningside regained the lead, 28-21. But Saint Francis scored to tie the game again, 28-28. Then, late in the 4th quarter, Saint Francis took control of the game by scoring the next two touchdowns to generate a 14 point lead, 42-28. Once again, Morningside countered with a quick touchdown, and the gap was closed to the final score of 42-35. Saint Francis controlled the ball at the end of the game to run the Mustangs out of time-outs, and the Cougars advanced to the semifinal round. The USF offense had multiple stars in the contest. For the second straight game, QB Nick Ferrer threw for 5 TD's, 3 of them once again going to Seth Coate. But the offensive Player of the Game was awarded to Justin Green, who ran for 296 yards and 1 TD on 25 carries. The defensive award went to Eric Hemmelgarn. Of special note: The win was a milestone victory for USF head coach Kevin Donley. The win was the 300th victory in his long and illustrious career as the all time leader in wins in the NAIA division of football. After the game, Donley was presented with an encased football to commemorate the achievement.

12/03/2016 - With the upset loss by #1 Marian last week, USF missed the anticipated rematch with the Knights. Instead, the Cougars hit the road to make the 600 mile road trip to Waleska, GA to face the undefeated and #3 ranked Reinhardt Eagles. The Cougars were the last team to beat Reinhardt, in last season's FCS opening round at Saint Francis. The potent offense of the Eagles proved once again to be a tough challenge to stop. But the Cougars prevailed 42-24 due largely to big plays and turnovers. Highlights of the game include a second half 98 yard touchdown run by Justin Green on the first play after the Cougars had just completed a strong goal line stand to prevent an Eagles first down and likely score; two interceptions on back to back possessions by Saint Francis, the first being a pick-6 touchdown return and the second setting up another quick score by the Cougars; three touchdown runs by Justin Green and two touchdown catches by Seth Coate. A score in the first quarter put the Eagles in front 7-0. But Saint Francis responded quickly to tie the game, and two additional scores led to a 21-7 Saint Francis lead. This was the Eagles' largest deficit of the season and only the third time they had trailed in a ball game all season. The Eagles ended the half by kicking a field goal with zero time on the clock, an untimed down granted due to a pass interference call against USF. Each team scored once in the third quarter to take the score to 28-17. The two interceptions pushed the score to 42-17, and Reinhardt scored once again to create the final margin of victory. The Cougars will be playing in two weeks in the title game for the 4th time in their history, hoping this time to gain their first national championship. The offensive Player of the Game was once again Seth Coate, and the defensive Player of the Game was awarded to Spencer Cowherd.

12/17/2016 - For the first time in team history, the Saint Francis Cougars won their last game of the season. With their 38-17 victory over #2 Baker Wildcats, the Cougars attained their first NAIA football national championship. The win was the second for head coach Kevin Donley, having won a first title 25 years earlier while coaching the Georgetown Tigers.^[26]

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 27	2:00pm	at Trinity International (IL)*	No. 4	Deerfield, IL		W 34–20	523
September 3	7:00pm	at Olivet Nazarene (IL)*	No. 4	Bourbonnais, IL		W 58–14	1,563
September 10	12:00pm	Taylor (IN)	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 37–6	3,277
September 24	12:00pm	Lindenwood-Belleville (IL)	No. 3	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 63–7	3,591
October 1	12:00pm	No. 1 Marian (IN)	No. 2	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		L 21–35	4,300
October 8	1:00pm	at No. 29 Siena Heights (MI)	No. 5	Adrian, MI		W 24–22	2,132
October 15	1:00pm	at No. 26 Concordia (MI)	No. 4	Ann Arbor, MI		W 44–6	1,650
October 22	12:00pm	No. 24 Robert Morris (IL)*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 28–21	1,759
October 29	12:00pm	Missouri Baptist	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN		W 56–24	1,677
November 5	12:00pm	at Davenport (MI)*	No. 4	Grand Rapids, MI		W 35–6	1,213
November 19	12:00pm	No. 11 Missouri Valley (MO)*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)		W 79–20	1,495
November 26	12:00pm	No. 5 Morningside (IA)*	No. 4	Bishop D'Arcy Stadium • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)		W 42–35	1,579
December 3	1:30pm	at No. 3 Reinhardt (GA)*	No. 4	Ken White Field • Waleska, GA (NAIA Semifinal)		W 42–24	1,567
December 17	6:00pm	vs. No. 2 Baker (KS)*	No. 4	Municipal Stadium • Daytona Beach, FL (NAIA Championship)	ESPN3	W 38–21	2,500
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

References