MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa - After four frustrating weeks to open the 2009 college football season, University of St. Francis coach Mike Uremovich and his Fighting Saints can finally smile, relax and enjoy a bus ride home.

The Saints (1-4, 1-1) dominated play on both sides of the ball Saturday night and crushed Iowa Wesleyan (1-4, 0-2), 51-6, in a Mid-States Football Association/Midwest League game at Mapleleaf Community Field.

The Saints scored on their very first possession and never looked back as they raced out to a 31-0 lead and took a 34-6 advantage into the locker room at halftime. In fact, the Saints had that 31-0 lead in the game's first 20 minutes as they scored on their first five possessions. For the game, the Saints racked up 502 yards of total offense - 315 on the ground and 187 via the pass - and converted on all eight of their red-zone scoring opportunities.

Freshmen led the way for the Saints' offensive attack, with a little help from a pair of senior receivers.

Connor Krisch (Joliet Catholic Academy/Plainfield, IL) a redshirt freshman running back that transferred to USF from Northern Illinois this past spring, put his name into the USF record books in his first collegiate starting assignment. Filling in for injured junior tailback Javon Stewart (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL), Krisch became the fourth USF back to ever rush for more than 200 yards in a game and came within 25 yards of equaling the school record established by John Larsen back in 1987. Krisch's 211 yards on 28 carries tied for the second-highest mark ever by a Saint and was keyed by a 66-yard scamper in the third quarter.

Krisch was not the only rookie to shine on this Saturday night in southeastern Iowa.

True freshman tailback Mychal Jackson (Chicago Academy/Chicago, IL) topped the 100-yard rushing barrier himself and scored touchdowns on the first two and on three of the first four times he touched a ball in collegiate play. He hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback John Goolsby (Morris H.S./Morris, IL) and then rushed 14 yards for another score in the second quarter. He wound up with 101 rushing yards on 17 carries with a pair of rushing scores.

A third freshman - placekicker/punter Patrick Wright (Providence Catholic H.S./Lemont, IL) - was himself responsible for 15 of USF's 51 points when he connected on all three of his field goal attempts (from 42, 21 and 34 yards) and all six of the point-after-touchdown conversions.

Fifth-year wide receiver Jason Fiske (Belvidere H.S./Loves Park, IL) led the Saints' receiving corps with 9 catches for 75 yards and the first USF touchdown of the game. Senior wideout Markus Hood (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) hauled in 5 grabs for a team-high 80 yards and also caught a 19-yard touchdown pass.

The Saints' defense was every bit as much of the story as the offense. USF limited Iowa Wesleyan to 18 total yards, including a negative-5 yards rushing. The Tigers managed just 2 first downs on the evening and only got into Saints' territory on one occasion. And that "drive" started at the USF 1-yard line after the Tigers came up with their only interception off of Goolsby. That possession resulted in IWC's only points of the night, a 4-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter.

"I attribute the win tonight to a great team effort," said Uremovich, who watched his team beat Iowa Wesleyan for the fourth consecutive year. "There was a lot of excitement on the field for us. We did everything we needed to do to be successful. We blocked well, we ran the ball effectively and we tackled well. All three phases of our game - offense, defense and kicking - were clicking tonight.

"I give a lot of credit to our two coordinators, Craig Harmon (offense) and Joe Curry (defense)," continued Uremovich. "They put together great game plans and our guys worked extremely hard in practice all week to follow those plans and it showed tonight. When you have over 500 yards of offense and hold any team to just 18 yards then you are obviously doing something right."

Uremovich loved what he saw from his two young running backs.

"I've never seen anyone score three of the first four times they touched the ball as a freshman," said Uremovich of Jackson. "He played a great game beyond the touchdowns. Mychal had several good hard runs and gave us a big lift.

"Connor Krisch had a great game too," continued Uremovich. "He ran the ball very hard and very physically and did a great job as our featured back in his first start."

The Saints return home next Saturday to play No. 14 St. Ambrose at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the game against the defending MSFA/Midwest League champion Fighting Bees is slated for 1 p.m.

NOTES: The 51 points scored by the Saints were the most in Uremovich's four-plus seasons as USF's head coach (previous high was 37 scored in home win over Grand View in 2008 and in road win at Iowa Wesleyan in 2007). It is also the highest total since the Saints dropped a 61-55 game at Allegheny (PA) in three overtimes in the final game of the 1999 season. The 51 points are the most by USF in a regulation game since defeating Quincy, 61-12 in 1997 … USF has beaten Iowa Wesleyan each of the last four years, twice in Joliet and twice in Mount Pleasant. In those two wins at IWC, USF has outscored the Tigers 88-9 … USF owns a 9-4 series lead over IWC. The Saints have also beaten Olivet Nazarene nine times and those are the two foes with the most losses to USF in the Saints' 24-year history.