WORCESTER, Mass. –Patriot League champion Holy Cross (10-2, 6-0 PL) defeated NEC champion Sacred Heart (8-4, 6-1 NEC), 13-10, in the NCAA DI FCS First Round on Saturday at Fitton Field.
The Crusaders advance to the second round, where they will meet CAA champion No. 5 Villanova (9-2, 7-1 CAA) at Villanova Stadium on Friday, Dec. 3. Live coverage of the Crusaders vs. Wildcats game will begin at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
NCAA FCS INTERACTIVE BRACKET
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Second Round
| DATE |
GAME | LOCATION |
TIME |
COVERAGE |
| Friday, Dec. 3 |
Holy Cross at No. 5 Villanova | Villanova Stadium |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
AT No. 24/24 HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (10-2, 6-0) 13, SACRED HEART PIONEERS (8-4, 6-1 NEC) 10
Fitton Field/Worcester, Mass. Noon (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. – Sophomore quarterback Matthew Sluka threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Jalen Coker with 14 seconds left in the game to lift Holy Cross to a 13-10 victory over Sacred Heart in the first round of the FCS Playoffs at Fitton Field.
*Sluka completed 13-of-19 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 90 yards on 23 carries. Coker caught five passes for 103 yards and the game-winning score.
*Crusaders’ junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs, the 2021 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, finished with a game-high 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (TFLs) and 1.5 sacks to lead a defensive unit that held the Pioneers to 236 yards of total offense.
*Sacred Heart opened the first quarter with a 10-play drive, capped by a five-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Rob McCoy.
*Later in the first quarter, Holy Cross drove 40 yards to the Sacred Heart 13-yard line but were stopped on a fourth-down to halt the drive.
*Senior placekicker Derek Ng put the Crusaders on the board at the 3:53 mark in the second quarter, making the score 7-3 at the half.
*The Pioneers and Crusaders traded field goals early in the fourth quarter, as Ng connected on a 38-yard kick at the 8:27 mark of the final frame.
*After forcing a Sacred Heart punt with 3:14 left in the game, Sluka led the 11-play, 80-yard game-winning drive. He completed four passes, including the game-winner to Coker in the front corner of the end zone.
*Senior linebacker Liam Anderson finished with eight tackles and 1.5 TFLs, while senior defensive linemen Benton Whitley and Dan Kuznetsov both had four tackles and one sack.
*Holy Cross junior punter Patrick Haughney averaged 45.3 yards per punt on four attempts. Two punts were for more than 50 yards, while he placed two punts inside the Pioneers’ 20-yard line.
RECAPS:
HOLY CROSS
PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
Patriot League teams are 8-13 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one postseason game in seven seasons during that span. The Crusaders’ victory over Sacred Heart is the first by a League program since 2018 when Colgate defeated James Madison (23-20) in the second round. The Raiders fell to eventual National Champion North Dakota State (35-0) in the quarterfinals. Colgate has won three playoff games, with Fordham and Lehigh winning two apiece since 2010. Holy Cross’s previous playoff appearance came in 2009, where they lost to Villanova, 38-28, at Villanova Stadium. The Crusaders will meet the Wildcats in the postseason for the second time when they play on Friday, Dec. 3, at Villanova in the second round.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.