NORFOLK, Va. – Despite a season-best performance from its offense, Norfolk State couldn't keep pace with a balanced St. Francis team in a 45-26 loss to the Red Flash on Saturday afternoon at Dick Price Stadium.

In the teams' second-ever meeting, St. Francis (2-2) scored the game's first 21 points and kept the Spartans (0-4) at bay by amassing 501 total yards.

The Red Flash played two quarterbacks and both were productive. Justin Sliwoski threw a 26-yard TD pass to Dawson Snyder to cap the game's first possession. Cole Doyle threw a 10-yard scoring strike to Makai Jackson later in the period. Those two TDs sandwiched a 30-yard fumble return touchdown by Donnell Brown on a failed Spartan punt attempt.

Trailing 21-0 after one quarter, the Spartans came to life in the second quarter. After a missed St. Francis field goal, the Spartans drove 80 yards in eight plays. Freshman Jordin Lennon capped the march with a 26-yard touchdown run, the first of his career. The conversion try failed.

Three plays into the next Red Flash drive, Spartan defensive end Imani Bey forced Hunter Brown to fumble after a completed pass. NSU defensive back Shaviaea Williams recovered the fumble at the Red Flash 46. Five plays later, Spartan quarterback Jaylan Adams tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Collis Pride, his first career TD. The two-point conversion failed, keeping the Spartan deficit at 21-12.

But St. Francis scored on its last two drives of the half. Sliwoski scored on a 27-yard run on their next drive, and after forcing an NSU punt, Doyle tossed a 34-yard TD pass to Elijah Sarratt with one minute left in the half, extending the Red Flash lead to 35-12 entering the break.

NSU couldn't get closer than 16 the rest of the way. The Spartans cut their deficit to 35-19 late in the third quarter when another freshman, Jason Wonodi, took a pitch on an end-around and outraced the defense for an 81-yard TD run.

Both teams found the end zone in the fourth quarter. Sliwoski threw a 19-yard TD pass to Jackson to push the Red Flash lead to 42-19. Adams answered for the Spartans on the next drive, throwing a 30-yard TD pass to J.J. Davis.

NSU tallied 396 total yards, a season-high, led by a season-best 254 rushing yards. Wonodi had 81 of those yards on his one carry, while Lennon had 10 carries for 80 yards. Adams completed 11-of-22 passes for 142 yards with two touchdowns. Tremayne Talbert led the Spartan receivers with four receptions for a career-high 73 yards and Davis had three receptions for 31 yards.

Tyler Long had 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks to lead the Spartan defense.

St. Francis ran for 201 yards and passed for 300. Both Doyle and Sliwoski passed for two touchdowns. Jackson caught nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

The Spartans face a second straight Northeast Conference opponent when they travel to Connecticut to face Sacred Heart next Saturday at 1 p.m.