2018 SANFL Grand Final, Background
Norwood were minor premiers, and progressed directly to the Grand Final by defeating Woodville-West Torrens in the Second Semi-final.


2018 SANFL Grand Final, Background
North Adelaide finished the minor round in fifth place, although only one and a half wins behind second place. They progressed to the Grand Final by successively defeating South Adelaide, Sturt and Woodville-West Torrens. A major incident in this latter match, the Preliminary Final, caused lingering uncertainty about the result. North Adelaide commenced the final quarter with 19 players on the field (one more than permitted under the rules), before correcting their error after "about five minutes."


2018 SANFL Grand Final, Background
Woodville-West Torrens, being unaware of the situation, did not request that an umpire count the players and annul North Adelaide's score of 56 points to that stage. During those 5 minutes, North Adelaide advanced its score by 8 points, being greater than the final margin of 5 points. Michael David QC, sitting as the SANFL tribunal, later analysed events fully, and confirmed that there was no legal basis on which to disqualify North Adelaide, so the match result stood. On a charge of being "grossly negligent" he penalised North Adelaide $10,000 and 4 premiership points for the following season.


2018 SANFL Women's League season
The 2018 SANFL Women's League season was the second season of the SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The season commenced on 2 February and concluded with the Grand Final on 25 April 2018. The competition was contested by six clubs (two more than the previous season following the admission of South Adelaide and Sturt), each affiliated with clubs from the men's South Australian National Football League (SANFL).


2018 SANFL season
The 2018 South Australian National Football League season (officially the SANFL Macca’s League) is the 139th season of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Australian rules football competition. The season commenced on Friday, 30 March (Good Friday) and concluded with the SANFL Grand Final on Sunday, 23 September. North Adelaide, who had finished last in 2017 and fifth place at the end of the home-and-away season, defeated minor premier Norwood by 19 points to win their fourteenth premiership, their first since 1991.


2018 SANFL season, Finals Series, Preliminary Final
The preliminary final was highly controversial after it was discovered that North Adelaide played part of the final quarter with nineteen men on the field.


2018 SANFL season, Finals Series, Preliminary Final
Woodville-West Torrens led North Adelaide by as much as 47 points during the third quarter, before North Adelaide staged a comeback, and by three-quarter time the lead was only twenty points, Woodville-West Torrens 10.8 (68) to North Adelaide 7.6 (48). At the start of the final quarter, North Adelaide midfielder Aiden Tropiano, who was listed as starting the quarter on the bench, instead took to the field, and North Adelaide played the first 3:39 with nineteen on the field before the club recognised its error and took the extra man off the ground.


2018 SANFL season, Finals Series, Preliminary Final
During that time, Woodville-West Torrens officials are understood to have complained to the reserve umpire and interchange steward, but no head count was staged – as this procedure requires the team captain to request one from the on-field umpire – nor was a free kick awarded. North Adelaide scored 1.2 (8) during the period of the extra man.


2018 SANFL season, Finals Series, Preliminary Final
The rest of the quarter was high-scoring and thrilling, with Woodville-West Torrens pushing the margin back out to 21 points, before North Adelaide kicked seven straight goals in twelve minutes of play to take a 22-point lead in the 23rd minute of the game. Woodville-West Torrens responded, kicking three goals in five minutes, just falling short of completing their own comeback. At the final siren, North Adelaide 15.10 (100) defeated Woodville-West Torrens 14.11 (95) by five points. Immediately, the eight points North Adelaide had scored with the extra man on the field came under question.


2018 SANFL season, Finals Series, Preliminary Final
On Monday 17 September, Woodville-West Torrens lodged an official protest against the result, and a SANFL tribunal hearing was held on Monday night. After the hearing, the tribunal ruled that North Adelaide's five point win would stand, owing to there being no provision in the SANFL constitution, rules or regulations allowing for the result to be changed in these circumstances; but it fined the club $10,000 and docked four premiership points from the club's 2019 result.


2018 SANFL season, Finals Series, Preliminary Final
The national Laws of the Game were amended the following season, introducing a formal provision for a league to review, identify and impose a penalty (including reversal of the match result) for an incident of too many players on the ground if that incident was identified in a post match video review, without a head count having been executed during the match.


2018 SBS Drama Awards
The 2018 SBS Drama Awards (Korean: SBS 연기대상; RR: SBS Yeon-gi Daesang), presented by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), took place on December 31, 2018 at SBS Prism Tower, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It was hosted by Shin Dong-yup, Shin Hye-sun, and Lee Je-hoon.


2018 SBS Entertainment Awards
The 2018 SBS Entertainment Awards (Korean: SBS 연예대상; RR: SBS Yeon-ye Daesang) presented by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), took place on December 28, 2018 at SBS Prism Tower in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It was hosted by Park Soo-hong, Han Go-eun and Kim Jong-kook. The nominees were chosen from SBS variety, talk and comedy shows that aired from December 2017 to November 2018.


2018 SC Waterloo Region season
The 2018 season was SC Waterloo Region's eighth season in the Canadian Soccer League. Their season official commenced on June 2, 2018 in a home match against SC Real Mississauga. Overall the season was a successful one for the club as they finished in the top four by finishing third in the First Division. The previous time Waterloo finished in the top four was in 2015. In the postseason Waterloo defeated the Serbian White Eagles FC, but were eliminated in the semifinals to FC Vorkuta. The club's top goalscorer was Miodrag Kovacevic, a former player in the Serbian First League with six goals.


2018 SC Waterloo Region season, Summary
In preparation for the 2018 season Waterloo appointed Radivoj Panić as the new head coach. The roster consisted of notable veterans such as Vladimir Zelenbaba, Adis Hasecic, Mohammad-Ali Heydarpour, and Sven Arapovic. After a slow start to the season the club rebounded to a seven match undefeated streak, and secured a postseason by finishing third in the standings. In the first round of the postseason Waterloo defeated Serbian White Eagles FC. In the semifinals they faced FC Vorkuta, but were eliminated in a penalty shootout.


2018 SC Waterloo Region season, Team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SC Waterloo Region season, Competitions, Canadian Soccer League, Results summary
Last updated: September 20, 2018. Source: 2018 Canadian Soccer League season


2018 SCG Muangthong United F.C. season
The 2018 season is SCG Muangthong United Football Club's 12th existence in the new era since they took over from Nongchok Pittaya Nusorn Football Club in 2007. It is the 3rd season in the Thai League and the club's 10th consecutive season in the top flight of the Thai football league system since promoted in the 2009 season.


2018 SCG Muangthong United F.C. season, Transfers
First Thai footballer's market is opening on 14 November 2017 to 5 February 2018Second Thai footballer's market is opening on 11 June 2018 to 9 July 2018


2018 SEC Championship Game
The 2018 SEC Championship Game was played on Saturday, December 1, 2018, in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the 2018 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game featured the East Division champion Georgia against the West Division champion Alabama. Georgia, the East Division Champion, was the designated home team. The game was  televised by CBS for the eighteenth straight year. Alabama came back from a 28–14 deficit in the third quarter to defeat Georgia, 35–28.


2018 SEC Championship Game, 2017 season
In the 2017 SEC Championship Game,  the East champion Georgia defeated the West champion Auburn 28–7 in a rematch from three weeks prior where Auburn defeated Georgia 40–17. It was the first time since 2008 an East Division team won the SEC Championship.


2018 SEC Championship Game, Teams, Alabama
Also on November 3, Alabama secured its spot in the title game by defeating LSU by a score of 29–0. This gave Alabama a two-game lead over LSU in the West Division, with the Crimson Tide holding the potential tiebreaker.


2018 SEC Championship Game, Teams, Georgia
Georgia won its November 3 game against Kentucky, securing the East Division. While Georgia could have finished in a tie for the division title with any combination of Kentucky and Florida, Georgia also defeated Florida during the season, giving the Bulldogs all possible divisional tiebreakers. The Bulldogs ultimately won the East title by two games.


2018 SEC Championship Game, Teams, Alabama vs. Georgia series history
This match up was the 69th all time meeting against the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. They last played each other last season for the College Football Playoff National Championship . Alabama defeated Georgia, in overtime, 26–23. The win brought Alabama to its 17th National Title. After the January 8, 2018 match up, Alabama leads the all time series 39–25–4. This match up was the first time since 2012, that the two teams face off in the conference title game.


2018 SEC Championship Game, Game summary, Statistics
Note: 77,141 was the officially announced attendance figure; "turnstile count" subsequently reported as 69,614.


2018 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2018 Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was a postseason men's basketball tournament for the Southeastern Conference held at Scottrade Center, now known as Enterprise Center, in St. Louis, Missouri, from March 7 through March 11, 2018. Kentucky defeated Tennessee, 77–72, in the championship game to earn an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.


2018 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2018 Southeastern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament was the postseason women's basketball tournament for the Southeastern Conference held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, from February 28 through March 4, 2018. South Carolina defeated the regular-season champions Mississippi State to earn an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament.


2018 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2018 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the SEC. The Texas A&M Aggies were the defending champions, but they were eliminated from the 2018 tournament with a 2–1 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the quarterfinals. The LSU Tigers won the tournament title via a penalty kick shootout win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the final. This was the first SEC women's soccer tournament title for LSU, and the first for coach Brian Lee.


2018 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament, Qualification
The top ten teams earned a berth into the SEC Tournament. The tournament is held at Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Alabama.


2018 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament, Schedule
All matches are played at Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Alabama.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team
The 2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, the school's 52nd season. The Cougars are coached by Mario Sanchez. The team plays their home games on Bob Guelker Field at the Ralph Korte Stadium as an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Preseason
Twelve players returned from the 2017 team, along with three players who were redshirted as freshmen. Eleven of the returners started games for the 2017 Cougars. They are joined by seven freshmen and seven student-athletes who have transferred from other schools.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Preseason
The Cougars played two exhibition games, both versus teams from the American Athletic Conference, losing 0–3 at Tulsa and gaining a 0–0 draw while hosting Cincinnati.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Preseason
In the preseason poll of the MAC's soccer coaches, the Cougars were picked to finish fourth, behind #4 ranked Akron (also named favorite to win the MAC tournament), #14 Western Michigan, and West Virginia. :


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Preseason
In the Top Drawer Soccer' listing of picks as the Preseason Top 20 players in the MAC, Jorge Gonzalez was #6, Johan DePicker was #10, and Greg Solawa was #18' :


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Season
The season opener was against the Memphis Tigers in Memphis, where the Cougar have never won, going 0–5–1 since 1987. (Memphis is 0–6–0 in Edwardsville in the same span. In the 18th minute, McLean stole the ball and passed to an open Gonzalea, who opened the scoring for the game and the season. The Tigers got an equalizer on a free kick in the 59th minute, but in the 61st minute, McLean put the Cougars back on top, with an assist from Pettersen.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Season
Reminiscent of last year, the defense gave up a late goal, as Memphis scored in the 86th minute to send the game to overtime. Both defenses stymied the offenses in OT, and the game ended in a 2–2 draw. The Tigers outshot the Cougars for the game, but SIUE was hotter in the second half, and new keeper Heim made eight saves. As would be the case through the season, SIUE displayed a deep bench, with 19 players seeing action, eleven playing their first game as Cougars (1 redshirt freshman, 4 true freshmen, and six transfers).


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Season
The Cougers opened a five-game homestand versus the UMKC Kangaroos, coached by SIUE Athletic Hall of Fame member Rick Benben. SIUE dominated action, but UMKC's goalkeeper made nine saves, several spectacularly. With only a minute left in regulation time, Solawa made a pass to Gonzalez that was headed into the net for a Cougars win.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Postseason
On the day before the start of the 2018 MAC Men's Soccer Tournament, the conference announced the season's awards. SIUE defender Johan DePicker and Cougar forwards Jorge Gonzalez and Lachlan McLean were named First Team All-MAC.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Coaches
2018 will be Mario Sanchez' fourth year as the Cougars' head coach. Jeremy Proud is in his third season as assistant coach and Simon Bird is in his second.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Roster
Buff background indicates returning players from 2017. Pink background indicates players "redshirted" in 2017.


2018 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team, Schedule & results
Visiting team on the left, the home team on the right. Rankings from the United Soccer Coaches polls.


2018 SJK season
The 2018 season is Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho's 11th competitive season, and fifth in the Veikkausliiga.


2018 SJK season, Season events
On 22 May, SJK announced that Aleksei Yeryomenko had replaced Tommi Kautonen after their poor start to the season.


2018 SJK season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SJK season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SJK season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SJK season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SK Brann season
The 2018 season is Brann's third season back in Eliteserien since their relegation at the end of the 2014 season.


2018 SK Brann season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SK Brann season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SK Brann season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SK Brann season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SK Brann season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SK Brann season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SLC T20 League
The 2018 SLC T20 League was a domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament that was held in Sri Lanka, between 21 August and 2 September 2018. Four teams took part in the tournament: Colombo, Dambulla, Galle and Kandy. The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and the R. Premadasa Stadium hosted all the matches.


2018 SLC T20 League
The third match, between Colombo and Kandy, finished as a tie, therefore going to a Super Over to determine the winner. However, the match was still tied after the Super Over, with both teams scoring five runs each. Colombo were declared the eventual winners, as they had scored the most boundaries.


2018 SLC T20 League
Colombo were the first team to qualify for the final, after remaining unbeaten in their first four matches. They were joined in the final by Dambulla, who finished second in the group stage. Colombo won the final by 7 wickets, with Upul Tharanga scoring an unbeaten century.


2018 SLC T20 League, Squads
The following teams and squads were named to compete in the tournament:


2018 SLFA First Division
The 2018 SLFA First Division is the 40th season of top-division football league in Saint Lucia. The season began on 11 February 2018 and ended on 14 March 2018.


2018 SMP F4 Championship
The 2018 SMP F4 Championship was the fourth season of the SMP F4 Championship. The series is also known as the FIA North-European Zone (NEZ) championship. Koiranen GP, despite creating Formula Academy Finland, continued as the promoter. The season started in Smolensk Ring on 5 May and finished in Assen Circuit on 21 October.


2018 SMP F4 Championship
Champion Konsta Lappalainen won seven races, with runner-up Michael Belov and third-placed Isac Blomqvist taking five and three victories respectively.


2018 SMP F4 Championship, Race calendar
On 27 April 2018 the calendar was announced. For the first time of the existence of the championship Sochi Autodrom hadn't received a slot in the schedule. Circuit Zandvoort was replaced with a round at the Assen Circuit, whilst Autodrom Moscow and NRING Circuit were included to the calendar for the first time. Round 6 was originally scheduled to be held at Auto24ring on 15–16 September, but was rescheduled to take place at Alastaro Circuit on 22–23 September.


2018 SMP F4 Championship, Championship standings
Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers in each race. No points were awarded for pole position or fastest lap.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team
The 2018 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas and competed in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by first-year coach Sonny Dykes. They finished the season 5–7, 4–4 in American Athletic play to finish in fourth place in the West Division.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Previous season
The Mustangs finished the 2017 season 7–6, 4–4 in AAC play to finish in a tie for third place in the West Division. They were invited to the Frisco Bowl where they lost to Louisiana Tech. The Mustangs were led by third-year coach Chad Morris during the entire regular season until December 6, when he resigned to become the head coach at Arkansas. On December 11, SMU hired Sonny Dykes as head coach, and he led them in their bowl game.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Preseason, AAC media poll
The AAC media poll was released on July 24, 2018, with the Mustangs predicted to finish in fourth place in the AAC West Division.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, at North Texas
To start the 2018 season, the Mustangs traveled to Denton, Texas to take on the Mean Green in the 38th Safeway Bowl.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, at North Texas
SMU received the opening kickoff and started at their own 25-yard line. Ben Hicks completed a 6-yard pass to C. J. Sanders for the Mustangs' first offensive play. On the next play, SMU was backed up 5-yards after a false start penalty against Larry Hughes, making it 3rd and 9. On third down, Hicks was sacked by E.J. Ejiya for a 10-yard loss to bring up 4th and 19 and the Mustangs were forced to punt. Before the punt, SMU was backed up another 5-yards due to a delay of game penalty.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, at North Texas
Jaelon Darden received the punt for North Texas, returning it 4-yard to the SMU 49-yard line. Following a Mason Fine sack and an offensive holding penalty, the Mean Green were backed up to their own 49-yard line on 3rd and 25, but a personal foul against Trevor Denbow moved North Texas up to the SMU 36-yard line with an automatic first down. Three plays later, Mason Fine found Jalen Guyton for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The two teams punted on their next drives after both went three and out. On the first play following North Texas's punt, Hicks was intercepted by Kemon Hall who returned it 36-yard for a pick six touchdown. The Mustangs punted three more times before halftime, while the Mean Green punted once and scored six more points with Cole Hedlund making two field goals.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, at North Texas
North Texas received the second half kickoff and started at their own 25-yard line. The Mean Green ended the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mason Fine to Nic Smith. The Mustangs punted on their next three drives, while North Texas scored another touchdown and made another field goal, extending the lead to 36–0. On their 4th drive of the game, the Mean Green turned the ball over on downs at the SMU 37-yard line.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, at North Texas
On the 5th play following the turnover on downs, Hicks found Jr. Robinson for a 37-yard pass, putting the Mustangs at the North Texas 5-yard line. On the next play, Braeden West found the end zone on a 5-yard run, giving SMU its first score of the game. On the next drive, Hedlund made a 51-yard field goal to make it 39–7. On the kickoff, Sanders returned the kick 23-yards to the SMU 26-yard line.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, at North Texas
On the 4th play of the drive, Hicks found James Proche for a 59-yard touchdown pass; the Mustangs made the two-point conversion to trail 15–39 with 1:41 left to play. On the following kickoff, DeAndre Torrey returned Kevin Roblebo's kick 96-yards for a touchdown. On the next drive, Hicks made another long touchdown pass, this time a 71-yard pass to West. Receiving the ball back, the Mean Green took a knee to end the game.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, at North Texas
The Mustangs' offense was shutout through the first three quarters, getting their first score of the game on a five-yard run from Braeden West with just over 8 minutes left in the game. SMU only had 256 yards of total offense, while North Texas had 529. SMU's defense couldn't stop Mean Green quarterback Mason Fine, who threw for 444 yards and 3 touchdowns.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, TCU
Kickoff was scheduled for 7:00 p.m., but was delayed due to lightning in the area. The delay lasted for nearly 2 hours, with kickoff happening at 8:59 p.m.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, TCU
The Mustangs received the opening kickoff, starting at their own 25-yard line. Following a 10-yard run, quarterback Ben Hicks had to sit out a play after losing his helmet. On the following play, running back Braeden West went 51-yards for a touchdown to take an early 7–0 lead following Will Moore's kick. The Horned Frogs started the following drive at their own 30-yard line. TCU made it to their own 45-yard line, but quarterback Shawn Robinson fumbled the ball on a play for a loss of 2-yards following the recovery.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, TCU
On 3rd and 14 at the TCU 41, Robinson threw an incomplete pass that was almost intercepted. Reggie Roberson Jr. returned Adam Nunez's punt to the TCU 10-yard line, but an illegal block in the back against SMU forced the offense to start at their own 25-yard line. Making it to the TCU 41-yard line, Hicks was sacked on 3rd and 10, forcing the Mustangs to punt. The Horned Frogs started their next drive at their own 10-yard line. TCU made it 18-yards to the 28-yard line, but were forced to punt.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, TCU
On the punt, Nunez fumbled the ball, with the ball rolling out of the end zone for a safety. Following the safety, the Mustangs' next drive ended in a punt. The Horned Frogs started at their own 2-yard line, making it to the SMU 31-yard line. On 4th and 7, TCU kicker Cole Bunce missed a 48-yard field goal, with the ball bouncing off of the center post. TCU got its first touchdown of the game in the 2nd quarter with a 78-yard punt return from KaVontae Turpin.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, TCU
The Horned Frogs scored on their next drive when running back Sewo Olonilua ran the ball 24-yards, but fumbled; the fumble was recovered in the end zone by Jaelan Austin for a touchdown, giving TCU its first lead of the game. To close out the first half, SMU kicker Kevin Robledo made a 49-yard field goal.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, TCU
TCU received the second half kickoff and made it all the way to the SMU 24-yard line, but a Robinson pass was intercepted by Shaine Hailey. On the second play of the next drive, Hicks fumbled the football, which was recovered by Alec Dunham, who returned it 25-yards for a touchdown. The Horned Frogs continued to extend their lead on their next offensive drive, with Robinson running 18-yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs failed to score in the second half, while the Horned Frogs scored 28 points.


2018 SMU Mustangs football team, Game summaries, TCU
SMU only had 242 yards of total offense, while TCU had 387. The Horned Frogs turned the ball over twice, while the Mustangs only committed one turnover.


2018 SMU Mustangs men's soccer team
The 2018 SMU Mustangs men's soccer team represented the Southern Methodist University during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season and the 2018 American Athletic Conference men's soccer season. The regular season began on August 24 and concluded on November 2. It was the program's 44th season fielding a men's varsity soccer team, and their 6th season in the AAC. The 2018 season was Kevin Hudson's fourth year as head coach for the program.


2018 SMU Mustangs men's soccer team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 SMU Mustangs women's soccer team
The 2018 SMU Mustangs women's soccer team represented Southern Methodist University during the 2018 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The regular season began on August 16 and concluded on October 26. It was the program's 25th season fielding a women's varsity soccer team, and their 6th season in the AAC. The 2018 season was Chris Petrucelli's seventh year as head coach for the program.


2018 SMU Mustangs women's soccer team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 STP 500
The 2018 STP 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 26, 2018, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) paperclip-shaped short track, it was sixth race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The race was postponed from Sunday, March 25 to Monday, March 26 due to snow accumulation in Martinsville.


2018 STP 500, Report, Background
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.


2018 STP 500, Practice, First practice
Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.776 seconds and a speed of 95.752 mph (154.098 km/h).


2018 STP 500, Practice, Final practice
Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 19.846 seconds and a speed of 95.415 mph (153.556 km/h).


2018 STP 500, Qualifying
Qualifying for Saturday was cancelled due to snow and Martin Truex Jr., the point leader, was awarded the pole as a result.


2018 STP 500, Media, Television
Fox Sports was covering their 18th race at the Martinsville Speedway. Mike Joy, nine-time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon and 11-time Martinsville winner Darrell Waltrip called in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled pit road duties for the entire race.


2018 STP 500, Media, Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which would also be simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and seven-time Martinsville winner Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth as the cars were on the frontstretch. Dave Moody called the race from atop the turn 3 stands as the field is racing down the backstretch. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post worked pit road for the radio side.


2018 SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2018 SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Southwestern Athletic Conference for the 2017–18 season. Tournament first round games were played at the campus of the higher seeded team on March 6. The remainder of the tournament was held on March 9 and 10, 2018 at the Delmar Fieldhouse in Houston.


2018 SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament
Texas Southern won the tournament by defeating Arkansas–Pine Bluff in the championship game, the Tigers' second consecutive championship. As a result, Texas Southern received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.


2018 SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
The top eight teams competed in the conference tournament. Teams were seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records. Grambling State, the conference's regular season champion, was ineligible for postseason play due to APR violations.


2018 SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2018 SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament is an event which took place March 6–10, 2018. Tournament quarterfinal games were held at campus sites, hosted by the higher seed, on March 6. The semifinals and championship are at Delmar Fieldhouse in Houston. The winner, Gambling State, received the Southwestern Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship.


2018 SWAC Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2018 SWAC Women's Soccer Tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Southwestern Athletic Conference held November 1–4, 2018. The seven-match tournament took place at the Prairie View A&M Soccer Stadium in Prairie View, Texas. The eight-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The defending champions were the Alabama State Hornets, however they were unable to defend their title, losing 1–0 to the Grambling State Tigers in the Semifinals. The eventual champions were the Howard Bison, who defeated Grambling State 1–0 in the final. The conference tournament title was the third in the history of the Howard women's soccer program, all of which have come under the direction of head coach Brent Leiba.


2018 SaarLorLux Open
The 2018 SaarLorLux Open was a badminton tournament that took place at Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken, Germany, from 30 October to 4 November 2018 and had a total prize of $75,000.


2018 SaarLorLux Open, Tournament
The 2018 SaarLorLux Open was the tenth Super 100 tournament of the 2018 BWF World Tour and also part of the SaarLorLux Open championships, which had been held since 1988. This tournament was organized by German Badminton Association and sanctioned by the BWF.


2018 SaarLorLux Open, Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany.


2018 SaarLorLux Open, Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution table for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF Tour Super 100 event.


2018 SaarLorLux Open, Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this year's tournament was US$75,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2018 Sabah state election
The 2018 Sabah state election took place on 9 May 2018 in concurrence with the 14th Malaysian general election. This election was to elect 60 members of the 15th Sabah State Legislative Assembly. The previous Assembly was dissolved on 7 April 2018.


2018 Sabah state election
Barisan Nasional (BN), with the most seats, would be able to form a minority government alone. But BN and Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR) decided to form a group of 31 seats, which would allow them to form a coalition government. Musa Aman reinstalled as Chief Minister on 10 May 2018.


2018 Sabah state election
However, Sabah Heritage Party (WARISAN) (including 6 BN assemblymen who switched allegiance to WARISAN), Democratic Action Party (DAP) and People's Justice Party (PKR), with confidence and supply of United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO), managed to form a pact of 39 seats in order to form a coalition government.


2018 Sabah state election
Governor Juhar Mahiruddin installed Mohd. Shafie Apdal as the 15th Chief Minister on 12 May 2018. That marks the end of 24-year rule of BN in Sabah and the change of governing party in Sabah for the fifth time since 1963.


2018 Sabah state election, Election pendulum
The 14th General Election witnessed 29 governmental seats (later with addition of 10 members from non-governmental seats (6 from UPKO and 4 from UMNO) that decided to support the creation of new state government) and 31 non-governmental seats (later became 21 seats after 10 of them decided to support new government) filled the Sabah State Legislative Assembly. The government side has 11 safe seat and 4 fairly safe seat, while the non-government side has 2 safe seats and 5 fairly safe seats.


2018 Sabah state election, Results
The following political parties contested in this election. The following is a summary of results of this election.


2018 Sabah state election, Government formation
In the 2018 general election, WARISAN together with the coalition of Pakatan Harapan (PH) are tied up with 29-29 seats with the Barisan Nasional in the election. Jeffrey Kitingan with his party of Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR) under the United Sabah Alliance (USA) which are not aligned from either the two sides, has won two seats in the election and subsequently emerged as the decision maker for the formation of a state government from the two sides.


2018 Sabah state election, Government formation
Kitingan then decide to team up with the BN to form coalition state government with him appointed as a Deputy Chief Minister while Musa Aman from BN to become the Chief Minister for another 5 years under the new coalition government. However, the situation changed when six seats assemblymen from the BN allied parties of United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) and United Sabah People's Party (PBRS) switched their allegiance to WARISAN, giving Shafie an advantage with 35 seats which is sufficient to establish a coalition state government. Earlier, Musa Aman had initially been sworn in as Chief Minister following the help of two seats from STAR. This situation has left Sabah with two ruling Chief Ministers, the second time in its history since the dispute between PBS and USNO in 1980s.


2018 Sabah state election, Government formation
The result of these events sparks a constitutional crisis in Sabah, and the need to review and change the current constitution so as to curb the "allegiance switching" of assemblymen, after the swearing-in ceremony of the chief minister. Another four seats assemblymen from BN allied parties of UMNO and UPKO switching their allegiance to WARISAN on 13 May 2018. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri (TYT) Juhar Mahiruddin also had requested for Musa to step down, despite Musa still stressing that he still the rightful Chief Minister. Musa was then issued a letter from the TYT that he is no longer the Chief Minister effective from 12 May 2018 that was delivered into his residence on 14 May 2018.


2018 Sacramento Republic FC season
The 2018 Sacramento Republic FC season is the club's fifth season of existence. The club is playing in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. Sacramento Republic FC is competing in the Western Conference of the USL.


2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented California State University, Sacramento in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Jody Sears and played their home games at Hornet Stadium. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 2–8, 0–7 in Big Sky play to finish in last place.


2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team
On November 26, head coach Jody Sears was fired. He finished at Sacramento State with a five-year record of 20–35.


2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Previous season
The Hornets finished the 2017 season 7–4, 6–2 in Big Sky play to finish in a three-way tie for third place.


2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Preseason, Big Sky Kickoff
On July 16, 2018, during the Big Sky Kickoff in Spokane, Washington, the Hornets were predicted to finish in fifth place in the coaches poll and seventh place in the media poll.


2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Preseason, Preseason All-Conference Team
The Hornets had three players selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.


2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Schedule
Despite also being a member of the Big Sky, the game vs. Northern Colorado will be a non-conference game and will have no effect on the Big Sky standings.


2018 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team
The 2018 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Mark Nofri and played their home games at Campus Field. They were a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 7–4, 5–1 in NEC play to be NEC co-champions with Duquesne. Due to their head-to-head loss to Duquesne, they did not receive the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs and did not receive and at-large bid.


2018 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team, Previous season
The Pioneers finished the 2017 season 4–7, 2–4 in NEC play to finish in a tie for fifth place.


2018 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team, Preseason, NEC coaches poll
The NEC released their preseason coaches poll on July 24, 2018, with the Pioneers predicted to finish in sixth place. They did not place any players on the preseason all-NEC team.


2018 Saga gubernatorial election
A gubernatorial election was held on 16 December 2018 to elect the Governor of Saga Prefecture. Yoshinori Yamaguchi was re-elected.


2018 Sagan Tosu season, Squad
As of 10 July 2018. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Sailing World Championships
The 2018 Hempel Sailing World Championships were held in Aarhus, Denmark, from 30 July to 12 August 2018. It was the fifth edition of the Sailing World Championships. It was the world championships for all disciplines used at the next olympics. Sailors from over 100 nations raced in the waters of the Bay of Aarhus for world championships medals and the possibility to be qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.


2018 Sailing World Championships
The event took place on the Docklands, at the exact spot where the Vikings founded Aarhus. A new world class sailing centre was the venue for 14 days leaving significant impact on Denmark's sailors and on the further urban development in Aarhus.


2018 Sailing World Championships, Overview
The Sailing World Championships are held every four years, the Worlds is one of the biggest global sailing events in the world. Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 is the first big qualification for the Olympic games in Tokyo 2020. The World Championships included all 10 Olympic boat classes. Kite surfing was added to the programme for the first time. 1,100 sailboats and 1,500 participants from approximately 100 nations are expected to take part in the events. The event expects to draw 400,000 visitors to Aarhus, and more than 800 volunteers.


2018 Sailing World Championships, Bidding process
The following cities competed to win the right to host the Championships.


2018 Sailing World Championships, Venue
Sailing was held on Aarhus Bay with the regatta centre at Navitas Park.


2018 Sailing World Championships, Competition format, Competition schedule
The competition started on 2 August and finish on 12 August 2018.


2018 Sailing World Cup
The 2018 Sailing World Cup is a series of regattas staged during the 2017–18 season. The series features sailing classes which are currently included on the Summer Olympics programme.


2018 Saint Andrew North Western by-election
A by-election to the House of Representatives was held for the Saint Andrew North Western constituency on March 5, 2018. The seat was declared vacant after the resignation of Derrick Smith as member of Parliament effective January 15, 2018. The election was won by Nigel Clarke of the Jamaica Labour Party.


2018 Saint Andrew North Western by-election, Background
The incumbent Derrick Smith was first elected to Parliament from the Saint Andrew North Western constituency during the 1989 general election, representing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). He lost the seat in the next 1993 general election to Jepthah Ford of the People's National Party (PNP). However, Smith regained the seat in the subsequent 1997 general election, holding it until his retirement from active politics on January 15, 2019. On February 4, 2018, Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the seat vacant and announced the date of the by-election as March 5, 2018 with Nomination day set for February 12, 2018. The by-election was contested by Nigel Clarke of the JLP and Keisha Hayle of the PNP. Clarke won 60.7% of the vote, compared with the 38.3% garnered by Hayle, with 1% of ballots rejected. Only 24.3% of eligible voters cast their vote, down from 40.9% in the 2016 election.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team
The 2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team represents the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2018 NAIA football season. They are led by head coach Kevin Donley, who serves in his 21st year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars play their home games at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium as members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars entered the season as back-to-back, two-time defending national champions.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris
The #1-ranked Cougars opened their back-to-back title defense with a home game against Robert Morris. The August home opener was the earliest opening date in the 21-year history of Cougar football.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris
Coming into the game, the Cougars were riding a 23-game win streak. In the end, the Cougars prevailed over RMU by a score of 42–9. The game featured a balanced offense that accumulated 208 yards passing and 180 yards rushing. The Cougars scored on 3 runs, 2 passes, and 1 kick-off return of 84 yards to open the second half. Transfer sophomore quarterback Matt Crable started his first game as a Cougar, completing 16 of 23 passes for 189 yards, good for 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Justin Green ran for 113 yards and tallied 2 of the rushing touchdowns in addition to the kick-off return.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Robert Morris
After a bye week, the Cougars resume play on the road in Joliet, Illinois. The Cougars face the MSFA's other USF, the St. Francis Fighting Saints.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (IL)
The Cougars traveled to Joliet, Illinois in an MSFA crossover game against their namesake opponent from the Midwest League. At the final siren, the Indiana team won by a score of 49-19. It was a strong display on both offense and defense. The Cougars offense rolled up 534 yards of total offense while the defenders held the Fighting Saints to 208 yards. Defense against the rush was strong for each team. Cougar running back Justin Green was held to 51 net yards on 20 carries,  an average of 2.6 yards per attempt.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (IL)
His longest run of the game was for 9 yards. The Cougars team was limited to 138 yards on 39 attempts, an average of 3.5 yard per carry. But their defense was even stingier, giving up 53 yards on 25 attempts, or 2.1 yard each try. Fighting Saints running back Dwayne Milton was the leading rusher in the game, netting 74 yards on 16 attempts, including a 35 yard run on the first play from scrimmage after the opening kick of the game.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Francis (IL)
Quarterback Matt Crable passed for 340 yards, finishing the game with 3 touchdown tosses and 0 interceptions. For the second game in a row, backup quarterback Clay Senerius also had a touchdown pass. The touchdown passes were 22 and 45 yards to Rocky James, 56 yards to Dan Ricksy, and 20 yards to Jahni Cooper. The other touchdowns were scored on a 1-yard run by Green, a 26-yard run by Eli Wallace, and a 21-yard pick-6 interception returned by Wilmer Cole.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Ambrose
The Cougars were effective at moving the ball forward, and they also had their share of moving the ball backward on penalties. The Cougars defeated the visiting St. Ambrose Fighting Bees 60-14. The Cougars collected 313 yards rushing on 42 attempts, or 7.5 yards per carry; they passed for 369 yards, connecting on 24 of 27 pass attempts and no interceptions; and they also had 244 yards on kick returns and an interception. For the second straight game, Wilmer Cole contributed a pick-6 interception return, and Mitchell Thornbury added a safety. Kicker Gavin Gardner opened the scoring with a field goal. On a down note, however, he lost his perfect season of point-after-touchdown kicks by hitting a goalpost, causing the ball to deflect wide in the second quarter.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Ambrose
The Cougars' offense was playing the game without their #1 running back Justin Green. Green was sidelined with an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out of play for only one week. Backup rushers took advantage of Green's absence to attain some impressive stats of their own. In a balanced attack, PJ Dean ran for 154 yards and 3 touchdowns, including one run of 76 yards. Eli Wallace added 79 yards and 1 touchdown, and Martell Williams contributed 76 yards and 1 touchdown.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Ambrose
Quarterback Matt Crable added his second straight 300-yard game, throwing for 303 yards passing on 18 completions out of 20 attempts. The throws were good for 2 touchdowns, 1 each to Rocky James and Dan Ricksy. With the completion percentage of .900 (18/20), Crable established a new single-game record for Saint Francis quarterbacks attempting 20 or more passes in a game.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Ambrose
The Cougars' defense had an impressive game, holding the Bees' quarterback to 173 yards passing on 14 completions of 30 attempts. On 37 rushing attempts, the Bees achieved -29 yards. This was due to several tackles for losses, including 7 quarterback sacks totaling 35 yards.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Ambrose
For the game, the obvious shortfall for the Cougars was the number of penalties that were flagged. The Cougars received 17 penalties for an amazing 223 yards, including numerous calls for offensive holding and multiple plays that had multiple penalties called.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, St. Ambrose
The Cougars are on the road again next Saturday. They return to Chicago to play the always-challenging Saint Xavier Cougars.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
Two Saints, two Cougars, but only one could win. One hosting a Homecoming Day, the other a defending national champion. The scene was set for another rival game played without a trophy.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
Saint Francis met its match as Saint Xavier's record coming into the game was deceptive. Two losses, one to the current #6 NAIA team, one to a Division I NCAA member. The swift, physical Saint Xavier defense provide many challenges for the USF offense. The SXU defenders recorded 5 sacks of quarterback Matt Crable, and they pressured him into several hurried pass attempts. On the day, Saint Xavier had more total yards, 327 to USF's 313. Saint Xavier won the passing battle 259 yards to 158. Saint Francis countered by winning the rushing contest 155 yards to 68.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
Each team's passes were only effective about half the time, with Saint Francis completing 16 of 30 attempts for 1 TD and no interceptions; Saint Xavier completed 23 of 44 attempts for 1 TD and 1 interception. The Saint Xavier TD was a 98-yard bomb that contributed much toward Saint Xavier's win in the offensive stats.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
Right from the start, the defensive domination was noted. Saint Francis received the ball first after Saint Xavier deferred possession to the second half. The two teams traded several punts, and the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
The second quarter began with Saint Francis possessing the ball. Several plays, including two passes for 21 and 26 yards, moved the ball to the 1-yard line. PJ Dean rushed the ball for the game's first score. Dean was subbing as the main running back for the second straight game due to the absence of Justin Green with a minor injury. The extra point brought the score to 7-0 in favor of the visitors from Saint Francis.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
Saint Xavier responded with a scoring drive of their own. But the drive stalled, so they kicked a field goal to trail 7-3.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
With 2 minutes left in the half, Saint Francis forced and recovered a fumble at their own 45-yard line. In perhaps their most efficient drive of the day, Saint Francis moved down the field and scored with 20 seconds left, a 10-yard pass to Nick Brickens. The extra point gave USF a 14-3 lead at halftime.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
After Saint Xavier punted when their 3rd quarter drive stalled, Saint Francis drove the ball down the field for another score. At 21-3, it looked like a blow-out was beginning. The next time USF got the ball, they punted again, this time a beauty that was downed on the SXU 2-yard line. But Saint Francis was stunned as a SXU receiver got behind a Saint Francis defender and raced down the sideline for a 98-yard TD. The play was the longest play ever completed against the Saint Francis defense. The extra point was missed, and the 3rd quarter ended 21-9.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
The 4th quarter had drama of its own. A USF punt was blocked and returned for a Saint Xavier TD. That made the scored 21-16, and SXU was in upset mode. But later in the quarter, USF's Ryan Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD, the third straight game the defense had accomplished that feat. A failed extra point set the score at 27-16, close enough for a TD and field goal to tie the game. Saint Xavier scored the field goal on their next possession, bringing the score to 27-19 with 2:47 left in the game.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
At that point, the USF defense stopped SXU one final time, and the victory was theirs.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Saint Xavier
During the game Saint Francis linebacker Piercen Harnish established the new record for tackles made in a career. He surpassed a former NAIA National Player of the Year, 2006 award-winner Brian Kurtz.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
On paper, it was to be another classic rivalry game between these two respected NAIA football programs. One is the #1 two-time defending NAIA national champion;the other, currently #6, appeared in the championship game for two straight years before that, winning one title. Marian came in with the top-ranked offense in the MSFA Mideast League, while Saint Francis was #2. Marian came in with the #2 defense in the Mideast League, while Saint Francis was #3.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
Sadly, the classic game never materialized. Marian dominated in virtually all statistical aspects of the game, in a manner that was more one-sided than the final score suggested. Marian won, 37-28, but they controlled the game from both sides of the line with relative ease.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
The team statistics were quite telling:  Marian pounded out 480 yards of total offense while holding Saint Francis to just 140 yards. Marian passed for 167 yards while yielding just 72 yards to the Cougars. And the rushing was even more lopsided: Marian won the rushing portion of the contest with 313 yards while holding USF to just 68 yards. Perhaps the most telling stat was the time of possession. Marian's offense controlled the ball for 40:12 of the 60 minute game clock.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
The game broke quickly in favor of Saint Francis. Marian won the coin toss and chose to defer possession until the second half. The opening kick was then returned 91 yards; the only thing that prevented a touchdown was a desperation lunge by the kicker that tripped up sophomore runner Matt Kominkiewicz. From the Marian 9-yard line, Saint Francis needed 4 plays to push into the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
Marian took the following kickoff and marched down the field before their drive stalled. Their possession ended with a field goal attempt that sailed wide of the goalposts. The game then settled into a defensive struggle as the teams traded punts for most of the rest of the first quarter. The next break for Saint Francis when a fumble was recovered by the Cougars at Marian's 17 yard line. It took the Cougars four plays to score early in the second quarter to extend the lead to 14-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
Marian's offense finally started clicking, and they scored on their next two possessions before the half. Missing one extra point attempt left USF ahead at halftime , 14-13.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
The second half began with Marian receiving the kick and moving only 6 yards. They punted the ball, and they regained possession of the ball when USF call.ed for a fair catch and then fumbled the catch attempt. It took Marian just three plays to reach the endzone and take a 20-14 lead.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
That Marian score was the first time this season that the Cougars had trailed in a game. When the following USF drive died, the Cougars punted the ball. Marian's had a drive going, advancing to their own 31-yard line. But on the next play, the Marian quarterback fumbled the snap, and USF defender Marcus Stepp scooped the ball and returned it for a 31-yard touchdown. This was the fourth consecutive game in which the Saint Francis had contributed to the scoring with a turnover returned for a touchdown. With the extra point kick, Saint Francis regained the lead, 21-20.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
Marian was not impressed. They took the next kickoff and drove 61 yards on only four plays to regain the lead 27-21. After Saint Francis punted once again, Marian consumed over 8 minutes on the clock. They drove 92 yards for another score, extending the lead to 34-21.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
Finally, Saint Francis responded with a meaningful drive of their own. They marched 73 yards in only six plays, scoring a TD in less than three minutes of clock. That score left the Cougars trailing 34-28. But the score was too little, too late; Marian controlled the ball again, this time marching down and kicking a field goal to extend their lead to nine with nine seconds left on the game's clock. USF's fate was sealed. Their winning streak had been ended by the same team who had given them their last previous loss. (In fact, the Cougars' last three losses, dating back to 2015, have all come at the hands of the Marian Knights.)


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
The Cougars won 27 consecutive games during the run. Fans can find hope knowing that the Cougars rebounded from that last loss in 2016 to go on and claim their first national championship. The game revealed several things that can be worked on between now and a possible rematch when the yearly play-off season comes. Once again, Saint Francis played the game without their primary running back, Justin Green, playing at full strength. Green suited for the game, but his action was limited to 7 carries for 31 yards. After his last action, Green limped off the field. This was the fourth consecutive game that Green has either missed or seen limited playing action. Defensive pressure kept forcing quarterback Matt Crable to rush out of the pocket, hurry his throws or take sacks.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Marian
The Franciscan Bowl trophy was awarded to Marian as winner of this rival game. Marian now leads the trophy series, 2-1, while the entire Marian-Saint Francis rivalry is now tied with seven wins each. The game was played in front of a standing-room only crowd of 4,579.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
The anticipated rebound from last week's defeat never materialized. Once again, the Cougars experienced an upset loss, this time at the hands of the Concordia Cardinals. It was a defensive struggle. Our defense made only one mistake, but our offense was non-existent. After playing a scoreless first half, the Cougars kicked a field goal in the third quarter to take a lead, 3-0. The kick was Gavin Gardner's second attempt on the day, having missed a long field goal attempt to end the first half. But Concordia trumped our score with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. That was all the scoring; after 60 minutes of play, Concordia walked off the field with a 7-3 victory.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
The loss hurt on many levels. It was the first time Saint Francis had lost two consecutive games since October 11, 2014. It was the first time the team lost to someone other than the Marian Knights since that same date, in a year when the Cougars lost three games in a row on their way to a 6-5 regular season with no subsequent playoff participation. That was the last time USF had lost two or more conference games. It was the first time that the Cougars had ever lost a game to Concordia. And perhaps most painful, the three-point production was the lowest score ever generated by any regular season team in the history of Saint Francis football.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
Both defenses excelled at pressuring the offense and getting off the field. USF won the total offense battle, 231 yards to 174. The Cougars outgained Concordia through the air, 229 yards to just 63 yards by the home team. But the rushing offense was dominated by Concordia as the Cardinals tallied 111 yards to just 2 net yards by the Cougars. The Cougar effort was devastated by a whopping 10 quarterback sacks for a total of 62 yards. The leading Cougar rusher, PJ Dean, ran for 68 yards. But that effort was overshadowed by Concordia's Joe Conner, who gained 95 yards.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
Each offense was limited to just one big play. USF's passing yards included one play for 57 yards, a fourth quarter trick play executed to try to get the offense moving. On the play, quarterback Matt Crable completed a short toss to Rocky James, who almost immediately turned hook-and-ladder style and lateraled the ball to Dan Ricksy. Ricksy sped down the right sideline for what looked to become a touchdown. Then, as a Concordia defender pushed Ricksy out of bounds, Dan turned and lateraled the ball back to an oncoming Will Chrisman. Chrisman advanced the ball several yards more, but the official ruled that Ricksy was out of bounds before he completed the toss.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
Concordia's one big play was even more dramatic. On a fourth-and-2 play, running back took the ball to the left. He crossed the line of scrimmage near the left sideline before abruptly working his way across the field. After 31 yards, Conner had scored a touchdown, entering the end zone near the right sideline. The score gave Concordia the lead and the eventual win in the ballgame.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
Injuries continued to impact the Cougars. Once again, running back Justin Green sat out the entire game. And defensive All-American Piercen Harnish was seen on the field for only one play when he lined up as protection on a punt. He sustained a noticeable injury in last week's loss to Marian.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
With the second conference loss, Saint Francis now finds itself in the anxious position of needing some help to make the postseason to try to defend their back-to-back national titles. A third loss will almost certainly move them out of any hope to play in the postseason. The two losses means they will likely not be their conference champion, and that means the Cougars will need to finish high enough in the rankings to receive an at-large invitation to play in the playoffs. (Every conference champion who finishes ranked in the top 20 in the final regular season poll will receive an automatic berth in the playoff field; there are 12 conferences, so it is possible that only four at-large invitations will be available.)


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
Simply stated, the Cougar offense needs to get better production. From sputtering in recent games to nonexistent in the most recent contest, the Cougars have struggled on a significant number of recent offensive drives. In the Concordia game, quarterback Matt Crable attempted 34 passes for 229 yards and one interception. He ran the ball 12 times for a loss of 66 yards and one lost fumble. That's 46 plays for 163 yards net, or about 3.5 yards per play. The Cougars only ran 67 plays during the game. Whether the low output is attributed to poor blocking by the offensive line or poor execution on the part of the quarterback, or some combination of the two, things simply must get better.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Concordia
The Cougars' next test will be their next game. Undefeated and top-25-ranked Siena Heights will visit Fort Wayne for another conference match. The Siena Heights defense is another highly regarded group, and they will bring a challenge that will be comparable to the one faced in the two recent contests against Marian and Concordia. To get another shot at being the best, the Cougars will need to beat the best.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
It was an exciting Homecoming game, and those who stayed until the end were treated to one of the best comebacks in the history of Saint Francis Cougar football. With 1:17 left on the game clock, Siena Heights was leading by a score of 12-11. They scored another touchdown and extra point to extend the lead to 19-11. Many fans began filing out of Saint Francis stands, certain that their team would fall in their third consecutive loss to a conference and nationally ranked team.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
But USF snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat. They took the following kickoff and brought it to their own 34-yard line. So, with 1:12 left in the game, the Cougars needed to travel 66 yards for a chance to tie the score. After 2 incomplete passes and a quarterback sack of 7 yards, USF faced a fourth-down play that became a pivotal moment in the contest. Quarterback Matt Crable completed a 27-yard sideline pass to the Saints' 41-yard line, and Siena Heights regrouped by calling a timeout with 42 seconds left. On the next two plays, Crable dropped back to pass but chose instead to run the ball through two large holes that presented themselves. The two plays were good for 14- and 15-yards, advancing the ball to the Saints' 12-yard line.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
Crable spiked the ball to stop the clock on the next play. The following play saw a Siena Heights personal foul advance the ball half the distance to the goal and resulted in another Cougars' first down. Crable ran a keeper play for 3 yards, and another Siena Heights penalty gave the Cougars another first down. The drive was completed when Crable handed the ball to running back PJ Dean. But instead of running into the end zone, Dean pulled up short of the line of scrimmage and completed a touchdown toss to a waiting Dylan Hunley. With 11 seconds left on the clock, the Cougars were within 2 points with the all-important 2-point conversion yet to be tried.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
The Cougars executed another trick play to score the needed 2 points. The play first started to the left, but Crable flipped the ball to a reversing wide receiver, Dan Ricksy. Once again, Ricksy pulled up short of the line of scrimmage, jumped into the air, and completed the conversion pass to Will Chrisman. The Cougars had tied the score, 19-19.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
Overtime followed, and Siena Heights won the coin toss to take possession of the ball first. Three plays advanced the ball 10 yards for a first down at the USF 15. Another run moved the ball a yard to the USF 14. The Saints were in position for a field goal attempt, but they continued to try for a touchdown. After one incomplete pass, the next pass attempt was intercepted by the Cougars' Blake Schumaker. The ball was returned 14 yards, and the ball control was given to USF at the same 25-yard line where Siena Heights had just begun their drive.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
PJ Dean rushed the ball 1 yard, followed by Crable rushing the ball for 5 yards. Another Dean rush was good for 8 yards, giving the Cougars first down at the Saints' 11-yard line. Dean then rushed the ball for 4 yards. On second down, Dean took the ball again and made sure he was tackled in the middle of the field in a play designed for field goal placement. On third down, Gavin Gardner kicked a 26-yard field goal, and the comeback was complete. The Cougars won, 22-19.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
The Cougars actually got into position to tie (and then win) the game with another odd 2-point conversion. With the Cougars leading 9-6 in a game where the only scoring was 5 field goals, Siena Heights scored the first touchdown of the contest early in the fourth quarter to take a 12-9 lead. But the Cougars' Marcus Stepp blocked the following extra point kick, and the live ball was scooped up by Wilmer Cole and returned the length of the field in a touchdown-like fashion.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
The Cougars were awarded the two points that are normally given for a rushing conversion attempt. That made the score 12-11 in favor of the Saints; their touchdown had only resulted in a four-point swing in the score difference. That "win" for the Cougars would prove to be vital to put them into position to win as the game's final moments unfolded.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Siena Heights
Kicker Gavin Gardner's four field goals in one contest set a new record for most USF field goals in one game. In other game trivia, early in the fourth quarter, USF defender Stan Jackson was thrown out of the game after the officials claimed he targeted one of the Siena Heights' receivers. That kind of infraction is normally followed by a suspension from the following game. But Coach Kevin Donley submitted a protest of the call to the governing body, and they overturned the on-the-field call. Jackson was suited up and able to play in the following week's game against Missouri Baptist.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Missouri Baptist
The schedule finally eased a bit as the Cougars faced a non-ranked opponent. In their final home game of the season, the Cougars offense came alive. The final result was a Senior Day victory by a score of 51-7. The Cougars controlled all aspects of the contest, outgaining the Spartans in total yards, 438-166. The Spartan's rushing game, which featured one of the Mid-States' conference-best in Chris Baldwin, was held to 49 net yards on 34 attempts. Baldwin was held to 48 yards net, his lowest production of the season.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Missouri Baptist
In contrast, the Cougars gained 237 net rushing yards on 39 attempts. The load was spread equally among three players. Matt Crable and Martell Williams each netted 74 yards rushing, and PJ Dean added 73 yards of his own. Passing yardage was won by USF, 201-117. Matt Crable completed 17 of 24 attempts for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Missouri Baptist
The Cougars led 24-0 at half-time, and the lead was extended to 37-0 before Missouri Baptist got on the scoreboard. The Cougars completed the scoring with 14 fourth-quarter points. The game was decided early. Saint Francis nearly ran back the opening kick-off for a touchdown, with Cougar Stan Jackson - who was not expected to play this game because of his previous-game targeting violation - being driven out of bounds at the 2-yard line. A penalty brought the ball back to midfield, but a few plays later the Cougars contributed their first score.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Missouri Baptist
After last week when Jackson was tossed out of that game, Cougar coach Kevin Donley appealed the suspension to the governing body. The body agreed with Donley; the call was overturned, and Jackson was allowed to suit up this week.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Missouri Baptist
In the third quarter, Dan Ricksy succeeded in returning a kick for a touchdown. He returned a punt 50 yards for his contribution to the game's final score. Gavin Gardner added a field goal and the back-up kicker, senior Brandon Grasha, added 3 of the extra point kicks.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The fans who made the trip to the St. Louis area to Belleville, Illinois were treated to a game that had many things you are lucky to see once in a lifetime. Yet this one game included them all.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The game pace was set quickly as Lindenwood won the coin toss and elected to defer possession until the second half. The Cougars received the opening kickoff and returned it 2 yards to their own 17-yard line. A 5-yard penalty against the Lynx gave the Cougars a chance for a re-kick, which they accepted. This time, a poorer kick and a better return advanced the ball to the Cougars' 45-yard line; the election to re-kick had given the Cougars 28 yards of forward progress. On the first play from scrimmage, PJ Dean rushed for 30 yards to the Lynx 25-yard line. Five plays later, the Cougars were in the end zone with a three-yard touchdown pass. They added the extra point for a 7-0 advantage.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The kickoff was returned by the Lynx to their own 23-yard line. The Lynx quarterback attempted a pass on their first play, and the ball was intercepted and returned 30 yards for a touchdown by Wilmer Cole. With still more than 12 minutes left in the opening quarter, the Cougars held a 14-0 lead. The interception by Cole was his third pick-6 touchdown return of the season, setting a new USF team record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single season.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The Saint Francis defense held on the next possession, and the ball returned to the Cougars after an unsuccessful attempt on 4th down to the Lynx 48-yard line. After a 5-yard penalty, the Cougars executed three consecutive plays of 15 yards or more, moving the ball to the Lynx 5-yard line. The drive was completed with a 4-yard TD pass to Will Chrisman. That completed the 21 points scored in the first quarter.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
Once again, the USF defense held on the next Lynx drive, and a punt gave USF possession again at their own 12-yard line. After a couple of plays, quarterback Matt Crable was replaced by backup Clay Senerius. Senerius and the offense advanced the ball to the Lynx 6-yard line. A key play in the drive was a 27-yard pass completion to Jordan Schmeling. But the drive stalled there, and Gavin Gardner kicked a 34-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 24-point lead.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The ball returned to the Lindenwood offense. After an unsuccessful 3-and-out sequence, the Lynx lined up to punt. But the kick was blocked by Eric Dunten, and USF defender Malachi Manion recovered the ball and ran it back 20 yards for another touchdown.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
Yet again, the USF defense forced a punt after a brief bit of Lindenwood success on offense. Their punt was returned to the USF 10-yard line, and a 5-yard penalty moved it back to force the Cougars to begin from their own 5-yard line. Crable returned as the quarterback, and he led a 95-yard drive for yet another touchdown. The drive featured a 58-yard pass completion to Rocky James. The final play was a 35-yard touchdown rush by Crable. The added extra point made the score USF 38, Lindenwood 0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
Another Lindenwood drive stalled. The Lynx punter booted the ball to the USF 24-yard line, where it was collected by Dan Ricksy. Ricksy returned the ball the entire 76 yards to the goal line for another Cougar touchdown, his second touchdown return in as many games. For his effort, Ricksy was named Mid-States Football Conference special teams Player-of-the-Week for the second successive week. There was still 5:22 left in the second quarter as USF extended their lead to 45-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
After the extra point kick, tempers flared. A Lindenwood player followed the USF team back to the USF side of the field, voicing his disturbance about something. He was soon joined by 2 other Lynx players who left their bench on the other side of the field to race across and join the display of emotion. Both benches soon gathered around, and the game was delayed for a few moments while the officials sorted the players and returned order.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
After the altercation, Lindenwood was penalized an unprecedented three successive times of 15 yards each, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty awarded against the original three Lynx players. Instead of being kicked from the Cougars own 25-yard line, the ball was moved 45 yards forward to the Lynx 30-yard line. The Cougars were in field goal position! They had no other alternative to kicking an on-side squib, which the Cougars successfully recovered. Once again, the Cougars had the ball. But mercy stepped in, and the Cougars were limited to a field goal after a three-and-out possession. The score advanced the USF lead to 48-0, and we were still in the first half.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The Lynx received the following kickoff, and a touchback gave them possession at their own 35-yard line. By now, most of the USF defenders had exited the game, and substitutes were on the field. Before the half ended, Lindenwood was finally able to put together a successful drive of their own. They moved the ball 65 yards for a touchdown, a drive that featured a 44-yard pass completion. With the extra point kick, the score became USF 48, Lindenwood 7. Shortly after, the first half ended.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The second half was (mostly) controlled by Lindenwood. Lindenwood actually scored more points, 18-16. Operating against USF substitutes, the Lindenwood offense scored three touchdowns. Oddly, each of the scores resulted in only six points as each extra-point effort was stopped. Dunten blocked another kick, a two-point try failed, and another kick was blocked.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
Blocked kicks were a highlight of the day: in addition to the three already mentioned, USF blocked another punt. This time, the kicker was in the end zone, and the ball went out of bounds before anyone could recover it. That resulted in a safety and two more points for the Cougars.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
With no USF scoring in the third quarter, their first-team offense was returned to the game in the fourth quarter. After the safety, they scored on a 65-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Crable to Dan Ricksy.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The final scoring of the day came after Lindenwood's last touchdown. USF recovered an on-side kick at the 50-yard line. From here, third-team quarterback Danny Naylor led a 50-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard rushing touchdown by Tony Johnson.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The full day came to an end when the Lynx quarterback was tackled for a loss. With several seconds left on the clock, he remained down. He did not get up until time had fully expired. In light of the heated emotions that had been displayed earlier in the game, the two sides did not exchange mid-field handshakes when play concluded.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Lindenwood-Belleville
The win was a milestone victory for coach Kevin Donley. It moved Donley into a 7th place tie with legendary coach Bear Bryant on the all-time wins list for college football. With his next victory, Donley will become the sole holder of the 7th-place position.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
The pre-playoff playoff season continued with a road game regular season finale in Upland, Indiana. A Taylor win would likely have brought a repeat of the 2009 season. That year, a final game road loss at Taylor ended the Cougar hopes for the playoffs as the Trojans handed USF their 3rd loss of the season. On the other hand a Saint Francis victory would be appreciated for a couple of reasons.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
First, a win would be the 324th of Kevin Donley's collegiate coaching career, a number that would give him sole possession of 7th place on the all-time list of college wins. Donley entered the game in a tie with Bear Bryant, the legend best known for his coaching days at the University of Alabama. But perhaps more importantly, a win would give the Cougars a likely first-round home game in the playoffs. The Cougars entered the game ranked #9 in the latest 2018 NAIA football rankings. The top 8 teams in the final regular season poll host the first-round games. A win this week would likely move the Cougars up at least one position in the rankings because this week also featured a game with the current #8 team visiting the current #5 team. The loser of that game would likely slip below Saint Francis in the  polls.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
Saint Francis won the coin toss, and they elected to defer possession until the second half. They kicked off to Taylor, and their defense forced a punt on that first possession. A fair catch gave the ball to USF at their own 39-yard line. It took the Cougars seven plays to move the 61 yards for a touchdown, scored on a 4-yard rush by quarterback Matt Crable. The drive featured a 19-yard pass to Dylan Hunley and a 22-yard rush by PJ Dean. The extra point snap was muffed, resulting in no extra point kick. The Cougars had to settle for a lead of 6-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
On the next Taylor possession, the Cougar defense held again, and the Trojans punted again. The punt was returned, and the Cougars possession once again began at their own 39-yard line. And once again, the Cougars marched 61 yards for a touchdown. The scoring play was a 6-yard jet sweep by Jordan Schmeling. The drive also included pass completions of 15 yards and 26 yards to, respectively, Kyle May and Dylan Hunley. This time the kick was good, extending the lead to 13-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
Another Taylor punt came after their offense was held to a three-and-out performance. This time, Saint Francis took possession at their own 43-yard line, 4 yards better than their first two drives. That was the only difference. The first quarter ended, and play moved to the second period. Then this possession ended with another Cougar touchdown to complete the 57-yard drive. Dan Ricksy scored the touchdown on a 7-yard pass. Another good kick made the score 20-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
The teams then traded possessions. Taylor turned over the ball on an interception by Blake Schumaker, and Saint Francis lost the ball on a fourth-down sack of their quarterback. Taylor capitalized on the play by driving for a score with 19 seconds left in the half. That made the score USF 20, Taylor 7.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
A Stan Jackson return of the following kick gave Saint Francis great field position. Their drive started at the Taylor 39-yard line with 13 seconds left in the half. A 14-yard pass moved the ball to the Taylor 25-yard line with just 1 second on the clock. USF's Gavin Gardner used that last tick to kick a 42-yard field goal. The halftime score was USF 23, Taylor 7.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
The highlight of the third quarter was a 46-yard field goal by Gardner. It was thought to be the longest field goal in Saint Francis history, moving the margin to 26-7. But that margin didn't last long. Taylor returned the following kick 41 yards, giving them possession at their 42-yard line. A pair of 12 yard rushes and a 28-yard touchdown pass made the score 26-13. The score stayed that way when Cougar linebacker Eric Dunten blocked the extra point try.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
The final score was a win of 40-20. USF scored twice in the 4th quarter on a 43-yard rush by Matt Crable and a 14-yard pass completion from Crable to Will Chrisman. Taylor also drove the ball one more score.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
For the day, Crable had a nice effort of passing, completing 21 of 31 for 265 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Crable also led the Cougar rushers, gaining 96 yards and scoring another 2 touchdowns.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Taylor
With their final regular season game, the Cougars have a bye week next week before they learn the details of their playoff seeding. The first playoff game will be in two weeks, on November 17.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Grand View
Saint Francis began their quest for a third consecutive championship with a home game against the Grand View Vikings. The Cougars looked strong on both offense and defense as they prevailed, 34-3.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Grand View
Grand View came into the game as the #1-ranked rushing defense in the NAIA, and Saint Francis was ranked #3. At the end of the game, Saint Francis had outrushed Grand View, 272 yards to 65 yards. USF had two different runners who outproduced the entire Grand View team. PJ Dean ran for 102 yards on 12 attempts, and Justin Green ran for 97 yards on 19 attempts. Not far behind was Matt Crable, who added 51 yards to the total.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Grand View
Total yards passing was also won by the Cougars, 166-73. Crable was 13-of-20 passing for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. More than half of Crable's passes were caught by Rocky James. James' seven receptions were good for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. For his effort, James was named the game's Most Outstanding Offensive Player.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Grand View
The Outstanding Defensive Player was James Jamicich. On this day, his 5 tackles included 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Grand View
The Cougars defense would have had a shutout were it not for one extra play at the end of the first half. On the last play before time expired, the Cougars intercepted a desperation pass in their endzone. But a 15-yard penalty on the play advanced the ball, and Grand View was giveIn one last untimed down. The penalty moved the ball into field goal range, and the Grand View kicker split the goalposts to put the Vikings' only 3 points on the scoreboard.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Grand View
In the category of trivia, Grand View played the entire game without one penalty being called on their team.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Grand View
An odd set of circumstances combined to give the Cougars another home game in the quarterfinal round. Exactly four teams were upset in the first round of play, meaning four of the eight remaining teams have seedings that are higher than USF. As one of the top four teams remaining, the Cougars will play at least one more game in 2018 at Bishop D'Arcy Stadium.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
The game featured a rematch between the two opponents from the 2016 national championship game. It was an evenly-matched game, with Baker edging out Saint Francis in most offensive categories. Baker rushed for 137 yards, and USF rushed for 132 yards. Baker running back JD Woods, the NAIA's leading rusher coming into the game, was held to 73 yards net, about 50 yards below his per game average. Baker passed for 200 yards, and Saint Francis threw for 186 yards. But the score sided with Saint Francis, by a final margin of 33-23.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
Baker opened the scoring with the only score of the first quarter. The two teams ended the first three possessions with punts, giving Saint Francis their second possession of the day. After a couple first downs, the Cougars' drive stalled. On fourth down, they lined up for another punt. But the ball was snapped over the punter's head, and he recovered it for a 33-yard loss that gave Baker the ball at the USF 30-yard line. Two plays produced a 5-yard loss to the 35-yard line. But the next play was a flare-out to JD Woods, who was also a skilled pass receiver. He sped 35 yards to the end zone. After the extra point kick was good, Baker led 7-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
The Saint Francis offense responded on the next drive with a score of their own. They drove 66 yards to the end zone; the drive was capped by a 3-yard rushing touchdown by PJ Dean. The kick after the score was good, and the game was tied 7-7.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
It took the Cougars only 38 more seconds to take the lead. Baker started its next possession, and the first play produced an interception to Jalen Moss. He was dropped immediately at the Baker 30-yard line. The very next play produced the score for the Cougars on a 30-yard pass completion to Dan Ricksy. After a successful kick, USF led 14-7.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
The Cougars kicked-off with a short, high pooch kick that was intended to catch Baker by surprise. But Baker recovered the 20-yard kick, which actually resulted in a 5-yard loss. They had a nice starting position at their own 40-yard line. Baker drove the ball for an apparent game-tying touchdown. But the extra point was missed, so Saint Francis maintained the lead, 14-13. USF scored on the following possession. But they also missed a kick, and the score at halftime was USF 20, Baker 13.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
After the two teams traded a couple of possessions in the second half, Saint Francis put together a 72-yard scoring drive, aided largely by a 42-yard pass completion to Dylan Hunley. A 16-yard touchdown pass to Dan Ricksy completed the drive. But once again, the Cougars had after-touchdown woes. The extra point attempt failed once again, leaving USF with a 26-13 lead.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
On their next drive, Baker moved the ball into position to kick a 46-yard field goal, closing the score the 26-16. Saint Francis drove the ball on their next possession, but the drive ended early in the fourth quarter with a goal-line interception by a Baker defender. The ball was returned to the Baker 15-yard line.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
The Cougar defense held, and a punt returned possession to USF. But on the first play of that possession, PJ Dean fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Baker at the USF 34-yard line. Baker advanced to the Cougar 22-line. But the next play produced the defensive play-of-the-game for the Cougars. A hand-off was mishandled, and the ball was fumbled backward for a 3-yard loss. At that point, Cougars defensive end Mitchell Thornbury scooped up the ball. He raced 75-yards down the sideline, outmaneuvering two Baker players who tried to force a fumble of their own. Thornbury maintained control of the ball, and he landed in the end zone with a score on the turnover. A successful kick extended the Cougar lead to 33-16.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Baker
Baker scored one last time, with 5:15 left on the game clock. That was the final score in the game. Saint Francis punted, and Baker turned the ball over on downs before USF ran out the clock with a couple of plays from the victory formation.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
The location changed, but the semifinal match was a replay of last year's game between Morningside and USF. This season, Morningside brought an undefeated record to the contest. When the Cougars lost the #1 ranking earlier in the year, it was Morningside who stepped in to claim the top spot, and they maintained that spot throughout the rest of the season. Morningside featured the top-scoring offense in the entire NAIA, as well as the #1 defense for points and yards allowed. This game was the third straight time the two teams met in the postseason tournament.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
The game was played in blizzard-like conditions, with strong-and-steady winds literally blowing the falling snow sideways. Significant amounts of snow had to be removed from the field before, during, and after the contest, and temperatures hovered around the mid-30s all afternoon.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
The opening coin toss was won by Saint Francis, and they elected to defer possession of the ball. USF chose to kick into the strong wind so they would benefit from its presence in the second quarter. That may have been the turning point of the game as Morningside scored twice after only three offensive plays. The opening kick was returned to the 50-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Morningside quarterback Trent Solsma completed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Connor Niles. After only 14 seconds had elapsed, Morningside led 7-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
Morningside kicked off, and USF failed to move the ball for a first down. A three-and-out punt returned possession to Morningside at their 48-yard line. A Morningside run went for 22 yards, moving the ball to the USF 30-yard line. On the next play, Solsma lofted another touchdown pass. With 12:15 left in the first quarter, Morningside extended its lead to 14-0.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
A touchback gave USF the ball at their own 25-yard line. A 31-yard pass completion to Dylan Hunley moved the ball into Morningside territory. But the drive netted 4 yards on the next 3 plays, and USF punted again, this time giving Morningside a start from their own 12-yard line. The USF defense was effective on that possession, and a 3-and-out punt returned the ball to the Cougars at the Morningside 48-yard line.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
Saint Francis used the good field position to ignite their first score of the day. Two plays and a 32-yard pass to Dylan Hunley game USF a first down at the Morningside 15-yard line. It took two more plays to score, a 13-yard pass from Crable to PJ Dean. The extra point made the score 14-7.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
Morningside was unfazed. Their offense posted a 59-yard touchdown drive on the next possession to return the 2-score lead, 21-7. With all this scoring, there was still 5:04 left in the first quarter. Morningside kicked off, and USF once again failed to move the ball. They punted the ball back to the Mustangs, and Morningside took over at their own 41-yard line. They moved the ball downfield, gaining two first downs before the USF defense stopped them.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
On the last play of the drive, Solsma was stunned by a Cougar defender on a pass that was broken up for a downfield incompletion. Morningside took a timeout and considered inserting their backup quarterback into the game. But in the end, they opted to attempt a 41-yard field goal. But USF's defense blocked the kick, and the score remained 21-7 as the first quarter clock expired.


2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team, Game summaries, Morningside
The block motivated the Cougar offense. Three rushing plays advanced the ball to midfield, exactly on the 50-yard line. A 25-yard run by PJ Dean advanced to Morningside's 25-yard line. A 5-yard run and a 5-yard pass gave the Cougars another first down at the 15-yard line. And the drive was concluded with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Crable to Will Chrisman. With the extra point, Saint Francis trailed by 7 points, 21-14 with 11:08 left in the first half.