LORETTO, Pa. (Sept. 2, 2006) – The Saint Francis University football team revealed new uniforms, a new stadium and a new offensive look on Saturday afternoon, and the Red Flash came away with a new result.

In what has been a pass-happy offense the last several years, senior running back Todd Harris (Duquesne, Pa. / Duquesne) ran for 203 yards and a school record-tying three touchdowns on 33 carries to lead the Saint Francis football team to a dominating 38-3 win over Saint Peter’s on Saturday at DeGol Field.

It was the most lopsided win in head coach Dave Opfar’s five years, and the 35-point margin of victory was the biggest since a 42-7 win over Brooklyn on Sept. 16, 1989. It was also the first season-opening win since 1996 for the Red Flash.

Opfar’s squad will be back in action 7 p.m. next Saturday when they travel to play a tough Delaware State team in Dover, Del. That contest can be heard live on The Edge 1400 AM.

Behind a talented and experienced offensive line, Saint Francis gained 306 yards on the ground on 47 carries. The three points allowed was the least allowed by a Red Flash team since a 21-0 win over Division III Bethany on Nov. 16, 1996.

“I have been here for five years and this is the first time we’ve been able to take a knee in a victory,” Opfar said. “This was a great start with all of the things that we’ve worked on, and all of the shortcomings we’ve had the last couple years. We had a good offense coming on the last few seasons, but we struggled on defense. Saint Peter’s was a team that I thought we should have beaten last year. We let one slip away out at their place. I don’t know if we took them lightly, or if the focus wasn’t there. But that was the theme from the day we got here for practice. We talked about maturity and focus. We have a lot of seniors on this team and you can just see it. We have a different group here this year. They are mentally tough, and they won’t let some things bother them like they might have in the past.”

With 220 yards of all-purpose offense in the game, Harris brought his career total to 2,954, breaking Jeff Sotosky’s 10-year-old record of 2,803 yards. His 203 rushing yards gives him 2,287 career yards, 43 yards shy of Michael Hall’s three-year old record of 2,330. Harris also moved into fourth place on the school’s all-time rushing attempts list with 464.

“He’s a man amongst boys right now,” Opfar said. “Our defense was so tired of chasing him around and tackling him during preseason practice. I think the defense was cheering him on more than anybody during the game. We’re very talented at the running back position. With Anthony Richards and his talent, they’ll be fun to watch. We like to call them thunder and lightning.”

Saint Peter’s came out strong on offense, gaining 48 yards on 13 players, but that drive stalled at the Red Flash 29. Saint Francis went three-and-out on its first offensive series, but scored on its next three drives to take a 17-0 lead heading into halftime.

Two of Harris’ three touchdowns were plays behind that experienced offensive line where he darted up the middle untouched, including the game’s first score from 28 yards out.

“We are excited about our offensive line,” Opfar said. “They’re in the best shapes of their lives right now. Coach Jeff Ambrosie has done a great job since taking over the offensive line duties. He came in and weighed them, and said that this isn’t good enough. He gave them workouts during the offseason, and the guys bought into it and followed it.”

Junior kicker Adam Sciulli (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Central Catholic) made all five of his point-after-tries, one shy of a single-game school record, to bring his career total to 57, besting Matt Shontofski's 10-year old record. Sciulli, who is 57-of-57 on PATs during his career, also made a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Junior running back Anthony Richards (Parlin, N.J. / Cardinal McCarrick) debuted on the offensive side of the ball with 87 yards on 11 carries. He also scored on a 21-yard run to close out the scoring with 2:46 remaining in the game.

Senior quarterback Anthony Doria (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton LaSalle) had an easy day behind center, attempting just 12 passes. He was 6-of-12 for 63 yards. Senior wide receiver Luke Palko (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny) led the Red Flash with three receptions for 51 yards.

On defense, Saint Francis rotated a lot of players in and out of the game. Sophomore Vaitolu Tali (Pago Pago, American Samoa / Fagaitua) led the way with five tackles, including one for loss. Junior Fehi Sevelo (Kaneohe, Hawaii / Damion Memorial) had four tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack, while sophomore Rickey Williamson (Waldorf, Md. / Crosslands) and sophomore Andrew Ardestani (Oakmont, Pa. / Riverview) each had an interception.                     

J.P. Larmore led the Peacocks with 41 yards on the ground, while quarterback Scott Bonnono was 13-of-28 for 73 yards.

The Red Flash will expect a tough test next weekend at Delaware State, which defeated FAMU 34-14 today.