Fall means football

Photo credit: USF Flickr

With the school year beginning once again, students have many things to look forward to. Whether it is seeing their friends again, dining at the pub, or attending the many club events, there is one thing that stands above the rest that many students can agree is one of the most exciting, that being the beginning of a new football season.

Coming off their second 7-3 year in a row, the Saints look to finally break through to the next level as a team. After going 4-1 in non-conference play last season, the Saints opened their Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) schedule with their first win against St. Xavier in program history. An eight-point loss against St. Francis of Indiana in week nine dashed all hopes of a conference title, as the Saints finished with a 3-2 conference record, good for a third-place finish. 

The Saints’ defense remains largely the same from last season. All MSFA second-team picks Karsen Hansen, the team leader in sacks and tackles for loss in 2024, along with forced fumbles leader Trey Sayers, are back for another season. MSFA honorable mention picks Curtis Reeves, Allan Richards, and Nick Mabutas are also back, headlining what continues to be a strong defense for the Saints. 

Although the defense is retaining many of its key pieces going into the 2025 season, the offense is quite the opposite. Gone are the days of former quarterback Sam Tumilty, who started a majority of the past four seasons under center for the Saints. Along with Sam, who led the team in passing and rushing last season, the Saints also lost their top two receivers, Sam’s brother Joey Tumilty, and Dezzion Jordan. Key returners on the offensive side include running back Gavin Day, tight end Jake Friddle and linemen Matthew Alston and Anthony Nicikowski. 

Despite the departures, head coach Joe Curry feels confident that the team will be able to fill the gaps. 

“It will be more of a team effort this year,” Curry said. “We are deeper than we have been in years past at every position. It will take a collaborative effort.” 

On Aug. 21, the team announced their captains on their Instagram page. On the defensive side of the ball are Karsen Hansen and Nick Mabutas sporting the captain “C” patch, while Anthony Nicikowski and Carl Bew wear the “C” patch for the offense. These captains were voted on by the players themselves, as opposed to being chosen by the coaches. 

“There’s nothing that the coaches do with that,” Curry said when describing the process. “We give them an opportunity in meetings to try to take a leadership role, and in practice show leadership roles. The whole team sees it, and they vote on that.”

Captain Carl Bew is one of the most intriguing players on offense. As a freshman, he stepped in at quarterback mid-season after an injury to Sam Tumilty before being redshirted last season. Despite being listed as a quarterback on the roster, Bew has been the Swiss Army Knife on the offensive side of the ball. He has lined up for snaps at wide receiver, running back, and quarterback, along with being a kickoff returner as well. 

Taking over under center for the Saints this season is redshirt freshman Nathan Maul, who won the starting job during fall training camp. Maul brings more of a pocket presence to the offense as opposed to a heavy play call of quarterback runs and options that were seen in the past couple of seasons. This allows more opportunities for junior running back Gavin Day, who averaged over five yards a carry last season. Day chuckled while explaining his success. 

“Just following the big guys up front. I couldn’t do anything without my blockers, my linemen, and my tight end Jake Friddle,” Day said.

One thing that is heavily emphasized on the team is the acronym E.A.T., E stands for effort, A stands for attitude, and T stands for trust, three words that the team is built around. Both coach Curry and Day brought up E.A.T. when talking about the team's culture, with Day elaborating on it more. 

“It’s just the big three things you need for the football team and the culture. It’s going to help us stay positive and perform well on Saturdays together,” Day said.

The sky is the limit for this Fighting Saints football team, and no one is more excited for it than coach Curry. 

“I told our team this week it’s our goal as coaches for them to reach their potential every week we play,” Curry said. “If we reach our potential, I think we’ll be right there in our league. It’s a tough league, but we will be right there competing for the conference, which is where I always want to be.”