Mario Price lining up pre-snap Taylor University Athletics (TaylorTrojans.com)
Saint Xavier University’s (SXU) football team opened the season at Turner Stadium in an MFSA crossover matchup vs. Taylor University. Patrolling the sideline for the Cougars was Mike Femnis, one of the winningest coaches in NAIA history.
After an 8-3 season in 2025, SXU hoped to reclaim its standing as one of the NAIA’s most consistent and respected programs. Instead, the Cougars stumbled out of the gate, falling 38-31 on Saturday, Sept. 5.
However, quarterback Blainey Dowling had a historic night, breaking the single-game passing record with 449 yards through the air. But the record-breaking performance came with mishaps that hampered the offense’s rhythm.
Along with four touchdown passes, Dowling threw three interceptions on 64 attempts—highlighting the offensive imbalance that plagued the Cougars in Week One.
SXU logged just 20 rushing attempts in their outing for 135 yards, with Dowling himself leading the team in both yards and carries. The only other player to touch the ball on the ground more than once was Senior running back Jacob Fisher, who managed 16 yards on seven attempts.
Renowned in past years for their passing attack, the Cougars will need to establish a more consistent ground game—one that can open up the passing attack rather than leaving Dowling and a deep receiving corps to carry the offense alone.
Seven different players were targeted through the air, underscoring the depth of the unit, led by Freshman Coen Demack and Senior receiver Mario Price.
Demack made a striking collegiate debut with 10 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns, while Price added 148 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.
Price has been a consistent cog in the Cougars offense for the past few seasons, spending time as both a wide receiver and running back in his time at SXU. Demack is a new face added into the mix, reigning from Bishop McNamara, with the potential to add another explosive element to their already potent attack through the air.
In a game that produced 580 yards of total offense, a more balanced approach in the coming weeks could pay dividends—allowing SXU to sequence similar looks that keep defenses off balance and open up more play-action opportunities.
Defensively, the Cougars struggled immensely against the run, surrendering 450 rushing yards, including 322 to Sophomore running back Jedidiah Galvin—an uncharacteristic performance from a unit that has made SXU a tough matchup in years past.
The Cougars did hold Taylor to just 15 passing yards, but with the ground game that effective, those numbers offered little consolation.
Senior Owen Shickel led the defense with 14 total tackles, including one for a loss, and Freshman Nathan Gonzalez added nine tackles, two of them for a loss. Still, individual bright spots are hard to appreciate against the backdrop of a disappointing defensive effort all around.
The Cougars now turn to Week Two against Wisconsin-Whitewater, who throttled SXU 37-0 in their last meeting.
Wisconsin-Whitewater is top tier competition, and their Division III ranking shouldn’t deceive anyone—the Warhawks bring a high-powered offense matched by an equally relentless defense.
In a game that takes the Cougars to Perkins Stadium in Wisconsin, SXU will need to be sharper on both sides of the ball.
The offense has shown flashes of what it’s capable of, but turnovers and an over-reliance on the pass makes them predictable, and in turn, containable.
Defensively, allowing 38 points and nearly 500 rushing yards is simply not sustainable; the front seven will need to tighten up considerably to keep opposing offenses from dictating the pace of the game.
It wasn’t the start the Cougars were hoping for, but there’s still plenty of season left to turn things around.
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