2015 Saint Francis Cougars football
NAIA Playoff Semifinalist
MSFA (MEL) champion
ConferenceMid-States Football Association
DivisionMideast League
Record11–1 (6–0 MSFA (MEL))
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorPatrick Donley, Trevor Miller (12th, 10th season)
Defensive coordinatorJoey Didier, Eric Wagoner (6th, 8th season)
Home stadiumBishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium
Seasons
← 2014
2016 →
2015 Mid-States Football Association standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mideast League
No. 4 Saint Francis (IN) x^   6 – 0     11 – 1  
No. 1 Marian (IN) ^   5 – 1     12 – 2  
Taylor   4 – 2     7 – 3  
Concordia (MI)   2 – 4     5 – 6  
Siena Heights   2 – 4     4 – 6  
Lindenwood–Belleville   2 – 4     4 – 6  
Missouri Baptist   0 – 6     0 – 10  
Midwest League
No. 18 St. Francis (IL) x   4 – 1     8 – 3  
No. 12 Saint Xavier x^   4 – 1     7 – 4  
No. 20 St. Ambrose   3 – 2     8 – 2  
Robert Morris (IL)   3 – 2     6 – 4  
Olivet Nazarene   1 – 4     3 – 8  
Trinity International   0 – 5     2 – 9  
  • x – League champion/co-champions
    ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll

The 2015 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2015 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 18th year as the first head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished as the MSFA MEL champion and received an automatic bid to the NAIA playoffs.

Schedule

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

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 57:00pmOlivet Nazarene (IL)*
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN
W 59–16
September 127:00pmat Taylor (IN)Upland, INW 48–422,517
September 1912:00pmTrinity International (IL)*daggerNo. 17
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN
W 45–33,275
September 262:00pmat Lindenwood-Belleville (IL)No. 14Belleville, ILW 74–13550
October 31:00pmat No. 6 Marian (IN)No. 11Indianapolis, INW 45–422,712
October 1012:00pmSiena Heights (MI)No. 9
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN
W 49–253,175
October 1712:00pmNo. 28 Concordia (MI)No. 7
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN
W 48–72,883
October 242:00pmat No. 9 Robert Morris (IL)*No. 7Chicago, ILW 38–29534
November 712:00pmCollege of Faith (AR)*No. 6
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN (EXHIBITION)
 61–01,699
November 142:00pmat Missouri BaptistNo. 5St. Louis, MOW 64–61,103
November 2112:00pmNo. 12 Reinhardt (GA)*No. 4
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA First Round)
W 37–261,277
November 2812:00pmNo. 5 Montana Tech*No. 4
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Quarterfinal)
W 42–201,597
December 512:00pmNo. 6 Marian (IN)*No. 4
  • Bishop D'Arcy Stadium
  • Fort Wayne, IN (NAIA Semifinal)
L 14–453,377

Game summaries

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.[2][3] 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.[4][5]

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 20 consecutive playoff home game victories. Two weeks later, the Knights went on to win their second NAIA football national championship in the last four years.

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910Final
NAIA Coaches' Poll—17141197776544

References

  1. ^ "Football | University of Saint Francis | Fort Wayne - 2015 Football Schedule". Saintfranciscougars.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  2. ^ "Legitimacy of USF opponent questioned | Local colleges | Journal Gazette".
  3. ^ "Redemption christian college".
  4. ^ "SCHEDULE - College of Faith Athletics". Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  5. ^ "Home". collegeoffaith.org.
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