POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist University football team (4-3 overall, 3-0 Pioneer Football League), which is the last undefeated team in the PFL, hosts St. Thomas (5-2, 2-1) on Saturday.
 
The game will be part of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend at Marist, and it will kick off at noon on Saturday.
 

How to Follow

• Geoff Brault (play-by-play), William Rosen (sideline), and Steve Eggink (analyst) will have the call on ESPN+.
• In-game updates will be available on X via Marist Football (@Marist_FBall).

 

Top 25 Vote

• Marist received one 25th-place vote in this week's AFCA Coaches' Poll.
• It is the first time the Red Foxes have received a vote in the poll in program history.

 

Our Leaders

• Marist has three season-long captains: graduate QB Sonny Mannino, senior LB Kade Werner, and senior RB Lincoln Cardillo.
• Mannino is a captain for the second straight year, while Werner and Cardillo are first-time captains.
•  Game captains this season have included Nate Furrow (Franklin Pierce), Chase Hatton (Lafayette), Brandon Furey (Presbyterian), Braylen Ricks (Stetson), Joey Patierno (Columbia), and Sean Coverdale (Drake).

 

Block That Kick

• Entering this week, Marist is in sole possession of first place in all of Division I in total blocked kicks (seven) and blocked punts (four).
• Marist blocked a kick in its first six games this season. Dylan Gilmore blocked a punt at New Haven that was recovered for a touchdown by Zach Garmont. Braylen Ricks blocked PATs vs. Franklin Pierce and Columbia. Jayden Taylor blocked a punt at Lafayette. Against Presbyterian, Jared Bernabei blocked a punt that was returned by Jayden Taylor for a touchdown, and Niles Riding blocked a punt. Naheem Ridore blocked a field goal at Stetson.
• Braylen Ricks is tied for the lead in all of Division I with two blocked kicks.
• In its last 21 games, dating back to the second-to-last game of the 2024 season, Marist has scored five special teams touchdowns (two blocked punts, one punt return, one muffed punt recovery, one kickoff return).

 

Top 10 List

• Marist is tied for eighth in the FCS in Red Zone Defense (opponents have scored 65.4%). In the opposition's 26 trips inside the Marist 20, they have nine touchdowns, eight field goals, and have come away scoreless nine times.
• Marist is 10th in the FCS in rushing defense (104.9 yards allowed per game). The Red Foxes allowed minus-1 rushing yards at Stetson on Oct. 3. The last time Marist had held an opponent to negative rushing yards prior to that was was September 6, 2002, when Sacred Heart had minus-14.

 

Broken Up

• Tyrell Powell is tied for 10th in the FCS with 1.43 passes defensed per game (10 break-ups/seven games). He has a pass break-up in every game this season.
• Marist's 10 pass break-ups at Lafayette were its most since having 10 against Jacksonville on Sept. 26, 2015. Tyrell Powell and Chase Hatton each had a career-high three break-ups at Lafayette.

 

Fast Starting Foxes

• Marist has only trailed after the first quarter of one game this season, with five leads (3-2 record in those games) and one tie (1-0).
• Marist has outscored the opposition 37-13 in the first quarter this season.
• Marist has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in three games this season.

 

Top Trends

• Isaiah Simmons, who ran for a season-high 108 yards at Drake for his first 100-yard game as a Red Fox, has 269 rushing yards in his last three games. In that span, he is averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
• Zach Garmont has set career highs in receptions and receiving yards in each of his last two games. In this time, he has 12 receptions for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
• Marist's three longest plays this season have all been passes from Sonny Mannino to Zach Garmont receptions (54 yards vs. Franklin Pierce, 55 yards for a touchdown vs. Columbia, 57 yards for a touchdown at Drake).
• Wayne Adair has an interception in back-to-back games.

 

Marist's PFL History

• Marist is 65-66 all-time in PFL play, having joined the league in 2009. Marist is 10-14 in September, 35-27 in October, 20-24 in November, and 0-1 in December.
• Marist is 32-34 at home, and 33-32 on the road in PFL play.
• Marist won a share of the PFL championship in 2013.
• This is the first time Marist has held sole possession of first place in the PFL in program history.
• A win would give Marist its second 4-0 start in its time in the PFL. This was previously accomplished in 2016, and was the Red Foxes' most wins to start a PFL season.

 

About St. Thomas

• The Tommies are coming off a bye week, and recorded a 64-21 home triumph over Stetson in their last outing on Oct. 10.
• In league play, St. Thomas has also defeated San Diego and lost to Presbyterian.
• Freshman QB Nick Peipert has been named PFL Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, and he has earned four Rookie of the Week awards.
• Head coach Glenn Caruso, the longest-tenured head coach in the PFL at his institution, is in his 19th year. He has never had a losing season at St. Thomas.

 

History

• Marist is 0-5 all-time against St. Thomas, with an 0-2 home record.
• The two closest games in the series have both occurred at Tenney Stadium: a seven-point final margin in 2024, and a 14-point one in 2022.
• In the 2024 contest, Marist QB Sonny Mannino tied Marist's single-game program record with five touchdown passes.