LIVONIA, Mich. - The No. 25 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) football team delivered a commanding 49-14 road victory over Madonna University on Saturday, October 11.

After a quiet first quarter, the Cougars exploded for 35 points in the second, taking full control of the game. Chris Mullen started the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run, followed by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Joshua Kulka to Colin McPeek. Azariah Wallace then broke free for a 34-yard rushing touchdown. Madonna managed to put seven points on the scoreboard with 5:14 left on the clock in the second quarter, but Kulka, maintaining his momentum, threw two more touchdown passes: a 10-yarder to Trey Schoch and a 29-yarder to McPeek, giving Saint Francis a commanding 35-7 lead at halftime.

Kulka wasted no time in the second half, connecting with Adjaye Dandridge for an 86-yard touchdown, the longest play of the game.Aden Dennis capped off the Cougars' scoring in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Crusaders would find the endzone again, making the score 49-14 with just under four minutes left to play in the game. The Cougars ran time off the clock while keeping Madonna from scoring again as Saint Francis earned their fifth-straight win to improve to 5-1 on the season. With the loss, Madonna moves to 1-5 overall.

The Cougars recorded 626 yards of total offense on Saturday. Kulka finished with a career day, going 24-for-34 for 416 yards and five touchdowns. Dandridge led all receivers with 162 yards on 5 catches, while McPeek added four receptions for 95 yards and two scores. On the ground, Wallace paced the rushing attack with 101 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. 

Defensively, Saint Francis limited Madonna to just 282 total yards of offense. Three Cougars came away with interceptions, including Elijah Hunter, Aidan Ewers and Kahlil Lopez-Wynn. The Cougar front also tallied five pass breakups, four sacks and two forced fumbles. Rondell Greene led with seven total tackles on the day and a forced fumble, followed by Dylan Krehl with five tackles and a sack.

Up next, the Cougars continue their road slate with a game at No. 16 Marian University on October 18. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in Indianapolis.

Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.