SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY FIRE FOOTBALL

Game 3 • Southeastern vs. Bluefield Game Coverage September 16, 2017 • 7 p.m. EDT Video: fire.seu.edu/watch Victory Field • Lakeland, Fla. Radio: WSEU 93.7 FM Stats: http://www.dakstats.com/websync/Pages/Webcasts.aspx?association=10 2017 SEU Schedule Tonight’s Matchup A.26 at Union College W 62-21 #16 Southeastern University 2-0 Bluefield College 1-1 S.2 Bethel University (Tenn.) W 62-13 S.9 at No. 21Georgetown College PPD S.16 Bluefield College 7 p.m. S.23 at No. 8Lindsey Wilson College 1:30 p.m. Statistical Leaders Statistical Leaders O.7 * 7 p.m. Passing: Jonathan Pearce Passing: Harold Walker O.14 *at 1:30 p.m. 23/44, 339 yards, TD, 3 INT 18/46, 259 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs O.21 *Webber International Univ. 7 p.m. N.4 *at 7 p.m. Rushing: Jarrell Reynolds Rushing: Rashad Butler N.11 * 7 p.m. 30- 306 yards, 10.2 ypc, 3 TD 24-106 yards, 4.4 ypc, TD All times local Receiving: Marque Northington Receiving: Johnnie Myers *-Denotes Sun Division game 8- 133 yards,16.6 ypc, TD 4- 54 yards, 13.5 ypc, TD Defense: Josh Schulte Defense: Devon Jackson 2017 Bluefield Schedule 19 tackles, 2.5 TFL, sack 19 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, INT A.26 at Cumberland University L 24-17 S.9 Edward Waters College W 19-0 Will Tillo Anthony Patrick 15 tackles, 1.5 TFL S.16 at No. 16 Southeastern 7 p.m. 7 tackles, 1 TFL S.23 at No. 21 Georgetown College 1:30 p.m. Setting the Scene O.7 *St. Andrews University 6 p.m. -Southeastern hosts Bluefield College of Virginia in its second home game and third overall contest of 2017. O.14 *at 1:30 p.m. -The Fire are 4-0 all-time against current Appalachian Division members O.21 *University of the Cumberlands 6 p.m. -Southeastern’s scheduled Week 3 contest at Georgetown was postponed due to O.28 *Union College 6 p.m. Hurricane Irma approaching the peninsula. Should the game be resched- N.4 *at No. 3 Reinhardt University 1:30 p.m. uled, it will mark the second time in as many years weather has altered the SEU N.11 *at University of Pikeville 1:30 p.m. schedule. If not, it will be the first cancelled game in program history. *-Denotes Appalachian Division game -Southeastern is 16-3 at home all-time, and is 2-1 in opening games at Victory Field. Tale Of The Tape - The Rams enter today’s game at 1-1, fresh off their first shutout win since SEU BC 1941. Offense - Since restarting the program in 2012, Bluefield is 6-51, and have lost 12 Points/game 62 18 straight on the road. Rushing Yards/game 423 157 The Coaches Passing Yards/game 225 129.5 •Keith Barefield is in his fourth season with the Fire. He holds a 124-59-2 career Total Yards/game 648 286.5 record that includes stops at Evangel and Northwestern Oklahoma State. At SEU, Barefield is 27-7. He currently ranks eighth among NAIA active football coaches Defense in wins. Last season, Barefield became the first coach to lead three different Points Allowed/game 17 12 programs to the NAIA Football Championship Series. Rushing yds. All’d/gm. 159 235 Passing yds. All’d/gm. 214.5 183 •Dewey Lusk is in his first season as the head coach at Bluefield College, after Total Yds. All’d/gm. 373.5 418 spending the 2016 season at Webber International as the Offensive Coordinator. He is the 10th head coach in program history, and the third since the program resumed play in 2012. Lusk spent 11 years at Virginia-Wise as Associate Head Coach, then head coach. UNIVERSITY FACTS The Opponent Location...... Lakeland, Fla. -With a win in its second game of the season versus Population...... 100,710 Edward Waters 19-0, this marks the earliest the program Founded...... 1935 has picked up a win since restarting the program in 2012. Joined The Sun Conference...... 2009 It was also the program’s first shutout since 1941. First Year of Football...... 2014 -Devon Jackson has been named the Mid-South Confer- All-time Record...... 18-4 ence Appalachian Division Defensive Player of the Week Enrollment...... 5,000 in each of Bluefield’s first two games. The junior corner Nickname...... Fire recorded 10 tackles and a pair of sacks last week against Mascot...... Scorch Edward Waters. The Mechanicsville, Va. native was in on School Colors...... Red, White, Black nine total stops with one for loss in the Week 1 loss to Affiliation...... NAIA Cumberland. Conference...... The Sun -The Rams’ defense has been the key to success in the President...... Dr. Kent Ingle first two contests, holding opponents to an average of VP Student Development...... Dr. Chris Owen 12 points per game, ranking third in the NAIA. Opposing Athletic Director...... Drew Watson quarterbacks have had a hard time having success with Alma Mater/Year...... Cairn Univ./1995 the eighth-lowest pass efficiency rating at 98.3. On third Athletics Phone...... 863-667-5046 down, BC opponents have just a 29% success rate, 16th- Athletics Fax...... 863-667-5950 worst in the NAIA. Athletic Website...... SEUFire.com - Under Center, Bluefield features redshirt sophomore Twitter...... @FireAthletics, @SEUFireFootball Walter Harold. Formerly at Virginia State, Harold has started both games for the Rams. Harold has completed HEAD COACH just 39.1% of his passes thus far, but leads the team in Head Coach...... Keith Barefield rush attempts with 25 for 71 yards gained. Alma Mater/Year...... Evangel University/1978 - he remainder of the Bluefield rushing attack, which has Record...... 123-59-2 averaged 157 yards per game, will be comprised of junior At Southeastern...... 25-7 Alex Martin and true freshman Rashad Butler. Both backs have 24 attempts on the season and have each found the ASSISTANT COACHES end zone once. Defensive Coordinator...... Chad Adams Offensive Coordinator...... Jeff Lebby Irma Offensive Line Coach...... Randy Clements -Southeastern was just one of many institutions impacted Defensive Backs/Special Teams...... Waleed Gaines by Hurricane Irma, having suffered minimal damage to Defensive Line...... Steve Smith campus along with eight athletic events cancelled/post- Running Backs Coach...... Dave Robson poned. This included last weekend’s scheduled football Defensive Assistant...... Austin Steele game versus No. 21 Georgetown (Ky.). Graduate Assistant (WR)...... Ricky Gillespie -Irma was the strongest Atlantic basin hurricane ever re- Graduate Assistant (Inside Receivers)...... Armani Lonardo corded outside the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Graduate Assistant (OL/TE)...... Beau Blair -It spent three days as a Category 5 hurricane, the lon- Graduate Assistant (LB)...... Boone Tollison gest Category 5 hurricane since satellite storm-tracking began. ATHLETIC TRAINING -No storm on record has maintained winds 185 mph or Head Athletic Trainer...... Jem Sirrine above for as long as Irma (total of 37 hours). Assistant Athletic Trainer (Football)...... Josh Flannery -Irma prompted an estimated 6.3 million Floridians to Assistant Athletic Trainier (Football)...... Kyle Santo evacuate the state and caused 1.3 million people to lose power within the first four hours of making landfall in the state.

Wrapping Up Bethel -Southeastern won its home opener for the third time in four years with a 62-13 win over Bethel (Tenn.). The 62 points scored tied last week’s total for the second most points scored by the Fire at Victory Field in program his- tory. -Even with four turnovers, the Fire rolled up 617 yards on 83 plays, totaled 30 first downs, and scored 62 points for at 62 points per game, and its 33.5 first downs per game the second straight game. ranks second. -The ground game was the key once again, with redshirt -SEU is second in total yards per game (648), and rushing senior Jarrell Reynolds rushing for 136 yards and a score, per game (423). and sophomore Tyrell Williams finding the end zone four -The Fire were the second ranked scoring offense in The times. Sun Conference and 30th in the NAIA last season at 31.2 -Defensively, the Fire recorded three sacks, recovered points per game. two fumbles, and forced eight punts. -The Fire ranked 20th in rushing yards per game (221.1) and 39th in first downs per game (20.7). Welcome Back -SEU has never been shut out at home. -The Fire welcome back eight starters from the 30th -The most points scored by Southeastern in a countable ranked scoring offense in the NAIA and eight starters game at home is 66 versus Ave Maria on 10/17/15. from the eighth ranked defense in the NAIA last year. -The Fire have 12 players that received All-Sun Confer- Fire Start Hot ence recognition in 2016 returning to action this year. -Last season, SEU outscored opponents in the first half -On offense, senior running back Jarrell Reynolds returns 163-77. The Fire scored 58% of their points scored in the after being named Sun Conference Player of the Year for first half of action. the second time in three years. First Team offensive line- -To start 2017, Southeastern has outscored its opponents man Jordan Heldreth and Cody McGahee are back for the 59-28, accounting for 47.5% of its total scoring. Fire, along with senior tight end Matthew Craig who was -The Fire are 20-2 all-time when leading at the half. also a first teamer. Quarterback Jonathan Pearce also returns after earning second team honors. Leaving the Locker Room -On defense, defensive backs Mark Myers and Tyson Kee - The third quarter has been the most productive this return after First Team All-Conference seasons, while season, with Southeastern scoring 38 of its 124 points defensive lineman Blade Denmark along with linebackers (30.6%) in the quarter after intermission. Josh Schulte and Will Tillo return after being selected to the Second Team. Run Reynolds Run -Caleb Winter earned First Team recognition on special -Against Bethel, Jarrell Reynolds picked up his 50th teams, as did Marque Northington as a return specialist. career rushing touchdown, and the 54th total score of his Both are back in 2017. career. -It was his eighth-straight 100-yard rushing effort, dating New Coaches back to 9/24/16 at home against Warner. •The Fire coaching staff gained two new members during -Versus Union, Reynolds rushed 170 yards on 13 car- the offseason. ries, scoring twice. His long run of the day was a 60-yard •Jeff Lebby begins his first season as Offensive Coordi- score in the third quarter. His performance earned him nator at SEU, following a nine-year stay on staff at Baylor Mid-South Conference Sun Division Offensive Player of University. Lebby replaces Keith Barefield Jr., who is now the Week honors. the Passing Game Coordinator at Northwestern Oklahoma -At home last season, Reynolds averaged 130.5 yards per State. game, averaged 6.4 yards per carry, and found the end • Randy Clements is in his first year in Lakeland, serv- zone five times. ing as Offensive Line Coach. Clements worked on staff -Only four times at home in his career has Reynolds been with Lebby at both Houston and Baylor. He replaces John held under 100 rushing yards. The last was Albany State Flath, who is now the head coach at Lamar County High in 2016, a game that was called due to severe weather in School in Barnesville, Ga. the third quarter. -The Fire are 20-2 all-time when Reynolds rushes for 100 Finishing Strong or more yards. •Last season the Fire outscored their opponents 107-82 -Reynolds needs 188 rushing yards to become the pro- in the second half. gram’s first 4,000-yard rusher. •Only twice in program history have the Fire been out- scored in the fourth quarter. Fierce as Pearce •In 2017, Southeastern has allowed just six fourth quar- -Redshirt senior Jonathan Pearce brings veteran leader- ter points in two games. ship to the Fire offense. -In 24 career appearances for SEU, Pearce has thrown for Getting Offensive 3,442 yards and tossed 27 touchdowns. He is responsible -Southeastern currently leads the NAIA in scoring offense for 62.9% of the passing yards and 61.4% of the passing touchdowns in program history. for the Fire. -Last week versus Union, Pearce completed 13 of his 24 -Winter averaged 39.8 yards on 44 punt attempts last pass attempts for 196 yards, one touchdown, and never season. turned the ball over. -He has been honored as the conference Special Teams -The Fire are 16-6 with Pearce starting under center all- Player of the Week nine times in his years as an SEU time. kicker/punter. -Last season at home, Pearce was 3-2 with four touch- -The senior kicker made nine field goals in 2016, which downs. ranked 13th in the NAIA. -SEU is 5-1 all-time when Pearce throws for 200 or more -Versus Union, he was 2-2 on field goal attempts with a yards. long of 41 yards and 8-8 on extra points. -In the game against Bethel, Winter made his 100th Getting Defensive career extra point. -The Fire led the conference in rushing defense last year, -Over four seasons Winter has scored a total of 165 only giving up 87.6 rush yards per game (ranked 2nd in points for the Fire. the nation), which was a 30 yard improvement from 2015. -Southeastern’s defense ranked in the top 10 in the NAIA Senior Citizens in eight statistical categories in 2016. -The Fire have 25 seniors on the roster, the largest senior -Eight starters return to the defensive unit that held op- class in SEU football history. ponents to a 26.9% third down conversion rate. -There are currently 11 Fire players on the team who -After surrendering 21 points and 240 yards of offense were part of the redshirt season in 2013-2014 known in the first half versus Bethel, the Fire defense buckled as the “Bonny Park Boys”, for the park they regularly down, shutting out the Wildcats and allowing just 150 practiced at. yards of offense while forcing a pair of turnovers. -Against Union, the Fire defense was held without a sack Fresh Faces for just the third time in program history and the first -There are a total of 35 true freshmen on the 2017 Fire since 9/5/15 versus Faulkner. squad.

Drawing the Line(backers) Home Grown -Senior linebacker Will Tillo has amassed 193 career total •Of the 121 players currently on the Fire roster, 92 are tackles entering tonight’s contest. from Florida. -Senior linebacker Josh Schulte led the Fire with 70 total •Seven are from Polk County, where Southeastern is tackles (11 TFL) in 2016. located. -The duo has combined for 19.7% of the team’s tackles as well as 26.7% of the tackles for loss. Sunset -Versus Bethel, the two tied for the team lead in tackles •For the first three seasons of competition, Southeastern with nine each. Schulte added a sack and a forced fumble competed in The Sun Conference, along with fellow full to his impressive performance. members Warner, Webber International, and Ave Maria. Point and Edward Waters were affiliate members in No Fly Zone football. -The SEU secondary is allowing opposing quarterbacks to •The Fire were 13-2 in The Sun Conference, winning a complete just 44.3% of their passes this season.. pair of league championships, and were a touchdown -The Fire are 15-2 all-time when limiting an opponent to away from winning one in 2014. 250 passing yards or less. The Mid-South Conference •Those six Sun Conference programs are now part of the Takeaways Mid-South Conference. -The Fire forced 18 turnovers last season. •The Mid-South is the largest college football conference -The defense forced five fumbles, intercepted 13 passes, in the nation with 20 members. blocked four kicks, and recorded one safety. •Three members are ranked in the top 10 of the lat- -Southeastern has won the turnover battle in every year est Coaches’ Poll- Reinhardt (3), Lindsey Wilson (6), and of competition. The Fire have a plus-17 turnover margin Southeastern (10). Georgetown is the lone other MSC in their three seasons of action. team ranked at T16.

The Winter Soldier -With three years of experience under his belt, senior Caleb Winter returns to handle kicking and punting duties By The Numbers Fire Dress List 9/16 2,424- Attendance at the first home game of the 2017 No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/High School/ Previous School 1 Ander Griffin DB 6-2 190 Fr. Marshville, N.C. / Forest Hills HS season. 2 O LaQuvionte Gonzalez WR 5-11 175 Sr. Cedar Hill, Texas / Cedar Hill / Kansas 2 D Naji Inman DB 5-7 155 Fr. Jacksonville, Fla. / Fleming Island HS 3 O Marque Northington WR 5-8 180 R-Jr. Louisville, Ky. / Male / Kentucky Wesleyan 3 D Devonta Lopez DB 5-9 195 Fr. Miami, Fla. / Mater Academy 4 D KJ McElvaney DB 6-2 185 So. Louisville, Ky. / Jeffersontown HS 1,553- All purpose yards totaled by the SEU offense 4 O Andrew Rivera QB 6-2 210 Fr. Nixa, Mo. / Nixa HS 5 Bryce Miller WR 5-10 180 Fr. St. Petersburg, Fla. / East Lake HS through two games. 7 Jonathan Pearce QB 6-1 215 R-Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. / Providence 7 James Peterson DB 6-0 180 Fr. Tallahassee, Fla. / Leon HS 8 Daniel Boon QB 6-0 180 Fr. Trinity, Fla. / Jesuit 9 Railond Garrett QB 6-4 205 R-Jr. Lake Wales, Fla. / Lake Wales 423- Average rushing yards per game by the Fire back- 11 Cody Burgess WR 6-1 165 Jr. Tampa, Fla. / Steinbrenner 12 Anthony Guglielmetti DB 5-11 180 Fr. Lithia, Fla. / Seffner Christian field this season. 12 Dan Marinko QB 6-2 195 Fr. Edwardsville, Ill. / Edwardsville HS / Central Missouri 13 Dance Estes DL 6-2 240 R-Sr. Panama City, Fla. / Bay 14 LaDarrius Thomas WR 6-0 165 Jr. Dunnellon, Fla. / Dunnellon HS / Nebraska Kearney 15 Dustin Peebles DB 6-2 190 Jr. Bradenton, Fla. / Bradenton Christian 16 Simmian Mitchell DB 5-10 168 Fr. Manatee, Fla. / Wekiva HS 303- Days between groundbreaking and first game at 17 Matthew Craig TE 6-5 230 R-Sr. Greenville, Ala. / Greenville 18 Tyrell Williams RB 5-10 205 So. Ocala, Fla. / Forest Victory Field. 19 Jernard Porter WR 5-6 165 Fr. Bradenton, Fla. / Manatee HS 20 Jimiah Albritton DB 6-0 200 Jr. Bradenton, Fla. / Braden River 20 Grant Thompson WR 5-11 170 Fr. Melbourne, Fla. / Satellite HS 21 Jarrell Reynolds RB 5-9 185 R-Sr. Quincy, Fla. / East Gadsden 149- Number of touchdowns scored in Fire football his- 22 Derrick Bell WR 5-8 160 Fr. Orlando, Fla. / Olympia 23 Collin Thomas DB 6-0 205 Sr. Dillsburg, Pa. / Northern York 24 James Swain DB 6-2 190 So. St. Petersburg, Fla. / Lakewood HS tory. 25 Anthony Quintana DB 5-11 185 Fr. Tampa, Fla. / Sickles HS 25 Grant Cameron WR 6-3 190 Fr. St. Clairsville, Ohio / St. Clairsville 26 Cory Rahman DB 6-1 190 Fr. Orlando, Fla. / Foundation Academy 27 Chuck Taylor DB 6-0 170 Fr. Tallahassee, Fla. / J.R. Arnold HS 99- Longest play in SEU history was a 99-yard TD run by 28 Orlandis Grier LB 6-0 225 Sr. Jackson, Ga. / Jackson 29 Eddie Jackson WR 6-1 192 So. Ocala, Fla. / Vanguard Jarrell Reynolds against Birmingham Southern. 30 Tyson Kee DB 6-0 185 R-Jr. Pace, Fla. / Pace 33 Freddie Simmons Jr. DB 6-3 185 Fr. Midway, Fla. / Lincoln HS 34 Kamario Bell RB 5-10 200 Fr. Lake City, Fla. / Columbia 37 Phillip Smith LB 6-0 200 R-So. Winter Haven, Fla. / Winter Haven 38 Nura Sales WR 6-4 195 Fr. Brandon, Fla. / Brandon HS 88- Number of football teams in the NAIA. 40 Cedric Frierson LB 5-10 200 Fr. Chicago, Ill. / East Lake HS 42 Blade Denmark LB 6-3 225 R-Jr. Winter Haven, Fla. / Lake Region 43 Robert Greathouse DL 6-3 260 Sr. Apopka, Fla. / Apopka 44 Sean Smith LS 6-0 200 Fr. Daytona Beach, Fla. / Seabreeze HS 75- The Fire have converted 75 percent of their 4th down 45 Connor Evans LB 6-0 205 So. St. Augustine, Fla. / St. Augustine 47 Robbie Moon DL 6-1 280 Fr. Lake City, Fla. / Columbia attempts this season. 48 Kene Sanchez LB 6-0 195 Fr. Riverview, Fla. / Riverview HS 49 Noah Klap DB 5-11 174 R-So. Charlotte, N.C. / Mallard Creek 50 Jeffery Kennedy OL 6-7 250 R-So. Winter Garden, Fla. / West Orange 51 Travis Lewis OL 6-4 290 Fr. Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Lehigh Senior HS 52 Augie Schmidt OL 6-2 290 R-Sr. Lakeland, Fla. / Lake Gibson 62- Average points per game the Fire have scored in 53 Dylan Throneburg LB 6-0 210 Fr. Lithia, Fla. / Newsome HS 54 Warren Johnson DL 6-1 265 R-Sr. Dayton, Tenn. / Chattanooga Christian 2017. 55 Jordan Heldreth OL 6-5 300 R-Jr. Port Orange, Fla. / Warner Christian 56 Josh Schulte LB 5-10 215 Sr. Englewood, Fla. / Lemon Bay / Mount Union 57 Miguel Perera Jr. OL 6-1 300 R-Sr. Clewiston, Fla. / Clewiston 58 D Will Tillo LB 6-0 225 Sr. St. Augustine, Fla. / Bartram Trail 52.3- Jonathan Pearce’s completion percentage this 58 K Angel Cabrera P/K 5-10 210 Fr. Lakeland, Fla. / Kathleen HS 59 O Chris James OL 6-5 400 Fr. Orlando, Fla. / Lake Highland Prep season. 59 D Justin Guimares DL 6-1 200 So. Bedminster, N.J. / Bernardsville HS 62 Tyler Baggett DL/LS 6-2 200 Fr. Lakeland, Fla. / Kathleen HS 63 Claudel Alix DL 6-1 270 Jr. Naples, Fla. / Lely 64 Silas Berry LB 6-1 200 So. Sebring, Fla. / Sebring 65 Jackson McCarthy DL 6-3 215 Fr. Virginia Beach, Va. / Savannah Christian 41- Caleb Winter’s longest field goal made this year. 67 Zach Carruth OL 6-0 265 Fr. Swainsboro, Ga. / Emmanuel Co. Institute 68 Justin Visconti DL 5-10 270 Fr. Tampa, Fla. / Wharton HS 70 Raleigh Alexander OL 6-4 295 R-Sr. Bradenton, Fla. / Southeast 71 Bradley Hill OL 6-0 330 Fr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. / Barbara Goleman HS 32.2- All-time average margin of victory by the Fire at 72 Trinity Mims OL 6-3 287 So. Apopka, Fla. / East Ridge 73 James Gonzalez OL 6-0 240 Fr. Miami, Fla. / Barbara Goleman HS home. 74 Blake Drose DL 6-1 245 Fr. Palm Harbor, Fla. / Palm Harbor HS 75 Marshall Hilaman LB 6-0 212 Fr. Tallahassee, Fla. / The First Academy 76 Cody McGahee OL 6-2 303 R-Sr. Port Mayaca, Fla. / Glades Day 77 Malik Avis DL 6-2 280 Sr. Miami, Fla. / Palmetto / Edward Waters 78 Dylan Green OL 6-3 295 So. Waxahachie, Texas / Waxahachie 20- Number of teams in the Mid-South Conference; the 79 Ryan Dalton OL 6-6 315 R-So. Melbourne, Fla. / Melbourne Central Catholic 80 Jason Browning WR 6-4 200 Fr. Cocoa, Fla. / Space Coast largest in the country. 81 Collin Weinland WR 6-1 195 Jr. Orlando, Fla. / Boone 82 Jacob Carter TE 6-4 225 Jr. Glen St. Mary, Fla. / Baker County 83 Tyler Peretti WR 6-2 185 Fr. Land O’Lakes, Fla. / Sunlake HS 84 Tanner McGehee WR 6-2 185 R-Sr. Moore, Okla. / Alva / Northwestern Oklahoma State 15- Rushing touchdowns scored by the Fire in their first 85 David Larson P/K 6-3 170 Fr. Lakeview, Mich. / Lakeview HS 86 Onaldo Eveque LB 5-10 200 Fr. Ft. Myers, Fla. / Cypress Lake 88 Adam Toombs TE 6-5 250 Sr. Miami, Fla. / Chaminade-Madonna / St. Thomas Univ. two games. 89 Kenny Hall FB 6-0 205 So. Jacksonville, Fla. / Baker County 90 Alex Curkovic DL 6-1 215 Fr. Naples, Fla. / Gulf Coast HS 91 Jakobe Roberts DL 6-4 205 Fr. Tallahassee, Fla. / Lincoln HS 92 Evan Lowe DL 6-0 280 So. Auburndale, Fla. / Tenoroc 9- Number of solo tackles by Josh Schulte this season. 93 Chris Comer DL 6-2 270 So. Punta Gorda, Fla. / Charlotte 94 Seth Bradshaw LB 6-0 195 Fr. Savannah, Ga. / Pedro Menendez 95 Jason Shepherd DL 6-2 247 R-Jr. Loxahatchee, Fla. / Seminole Ridge / Bowling Green State 96 Derwyn Scales DL 6-0 275 R-Jr. Austin, Texas / Cedar Ridge / Benedictine 1- The Fire have only given up one rushing touchdown in 97 Antonio Cintron DL 6-1 215 Jr. Jacksonville, Fla. / Ed White HS / Savannah State 98 Caleb Winter K/P 6-3 200 Sr. Dover, Fla. / Grace Christian 2017. 99 Anthony Yodice DL 6-2 218 Sr. Bayshore, N.Y. / Clark / Maritime

0- Number of sacks given up by SEU so far this season. Pronunciation Guide 13 ess-tiss 57 puh-RARE-uh 2 luh-QUIV-ee-ohn-TAY 26 RAY-min 67 kuh-ROOTH (Quiv, for short) 28 greer 68 viss-CON-tee 3 mar-KEE 40 fry-er-son 86 oh-NAHL-do uh-VEK 4 MACK-uhl-VAY-nee 48 kenny 90 KERR-co-vick 7 pierce 53 thorn-burg 91 juh-CO-bee 9 RAY-lin 56 shull-tee 99 yo-diss NAIA Coaches’ Top 25- No. 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the third-straight edition, Saint Francis (Ind.) locks down the No. 1 ranking in the 2017 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office an- nounced Monday. The Cougars swept all 15 first-place votes and earned 340 total points en route to the club’s seventh all-time top billing.

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999) • The defending national champions are off to a 2-0 start this season, including a 68-23 victory against St. Francis (Ill.) in a Mid-States Football Association crossover contest. Senior quarterback Nick Ferrer threw for 301 yards and five touchdowns in the contest despite playing only in the first half. • Saint Francis (2-0), which has been ranked among the top 10 in 22-straight polls, puts its 11-game winning streak on the line Saturday at No. 24 St. Ambrose (Iowa) (2-0). • Four new teams joined the Top 25 this week – No. 16 Benedictine (Kan.), No. 19 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), No. 23 Northwestern (Iowa) and No. 24 St. Ambrose. Northwest- ern is making its first appearance in the poll since ranking No. 22 on Nov. 2, 2015. The three other squads were all ranked at some point during the 2016 season. • Carroll (Mont.) owns the most No. 1 rankings with 58, followed by former NAIA member Sioux Falls (S.D.) (55), Georgetown (Ky.) (25), Morningside (Iowa) (20) and Saint Xavier (Ill.) (14). • No. 4 Morningside holds the longest active streak with 127-straight Top 25 mentions.

Poll Methodology • The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences. • Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league. • The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list. • The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on. • Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.” • For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.

2017 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 1 (Sept. 11, 2017)

RANK LAST TIME^ SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) 2017 RECORD TOTAL POINTS 1 1 Saint Francis (Ind.) (15) 2-0 340 2 2 Baker (Kan.) 3-0 327 3 3 Reinhardt (Ga.) 2-0 311 4 4 Morningside (Iowa) 3-0 304 5 6 Montana Tech 2-0 288 6 8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 2-0 275 7 11 Doane (Neb.) 2-0 258 8 5 Marian (Ind.) 1-1 228 9 9 Grand View (Iowa) 2-1 221 10 16 Southeastern (Fla.) 2-0 206 11 7 Eastern Oregon 1-1 201 12 18 Arizona Christian 2-0 188 13 24 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 2-0 181 14 25 Southern Oregon 2-0 164 15 22 Langston (Okla.) 2-0 144 T16 RV Benedictine (Kan.) 3-0 131 T16 21 Georgetown (Ky.) 1-0 131 18 10 Tabor (Kan.) 0-1 98 19 NR MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3-0 91 20 14 Sterling (Kan.) 1-1 80 21 15 Dickinson State (N.D.) 2-1 79 22 17 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 2-1 60 23 RV St. Ambrose (Iowa) 2-0 49 24 NR Northwestern (Iowa) 2-0 40 25 20 Kansas Wesleyan 1-1 32

Dropped from the Top 25: Missouri Valley (No. 12); Robert Morris (Ill.) (No. 13); Montana Western (No. 19); William Penn (Iowa) (No. 23)

Others Receiving Votes: Cumberland (Tenn.) 23; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 21; Montana Western 20; Robert Morris (Ill.) 19; Concordia (Mich.) 12; Missouri Valley 10; Hastings (Neb.) 8; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 7. 2017 Fire Football Season Stats