# 2019 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team

The 2019 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Mark Nofri, the Pioneers compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the NEC. Sacred Heart played home games at Campus Field in Fairfield, Connecticut.

## Preseason
### Preseason coaches' poll

The NEC released their preseason coaches' poll on July 24, 2019. The Pioneers were picked to finish in second place.
| Predicted finish | Team (1st place votes) |
| 1 | Duquesne (7) |
| 2 | Sacred Heart (1) |
| 3 | Central Connecticut |
| 4 | Wagner |
| 5 | Bryant |
| 6 | Saint Francis |
| 7 | Robert Morris |
| 8 | LIU |

### Preseason All-NEC team

The Pioneers had two players at two positions selected to the preseason all-NEC team.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 7 Maine* | Alfond StadiumOrono, ME | FloSports | L 14–42 | 7,478 |
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Bucknell* | Campus FieldFairfield, CT | NEC Front Row | W 30–10 | 4,187 |
| September 14 | 12:30 p.m. | at Lafayette* | Fisher StadiumEaston, PA | Stadium | W 56–40 | 5,119 |
| September 21 | 1:00 p.m. | at LIU | Bethpage Federal Credit Union StadiumBrookville, NY | NEC Front Row | W 34–10 | 2,482 |
| October 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Central Connecticut | Campus FieldFairfield, CT | ESPN3 | L 3–28 | 5,402 |
| October 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Penn* | Franklin FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPN+ | L 24–38 | 6,033 |
| October 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Duquesne | Campus FieldFairfield, CT | ESPN3 | L 6–20 | 5,151 |
| October 26 | 12:00 p.m. | at Saint Francis | DeGol FieldLoretto, PA | NEC Front Row | W 36–33$^{OT}$ | 1,045 |
| November 2 | 1:00 p.m. | at Bryant | Beirne StadiumSmithfield, RI | NEC Front Row | W 24–17 | 3,778 |
| November 9 | 12:00 p.m. | Wagner | Campus FieldFairfield, CT | NEC Front Row | W 41–7 | |
| November 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Lehigh* | Campus FieldFairfield, CT | NEC Front Row | W 13–6 | |
| November 23 | 12:00 p.m. | at Robert Morris | Joe Walton StadiumMoon Township, PA | NEC Front Row | L 14–16 | |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### At No. 7 Maine

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pioneers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 7 Black Bears | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 42 |

### Bucknell

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bison | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Pioneers | 0 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 30 |

### At Lafayette

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pioneers | 14 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 56 |
| Leopards | 3 | 21 | 3 | 13 | 40 |

### At LIU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pioneers | 6 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 34 |
| Sharks | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |

### Central Connecticut

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blue Devils | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Pioneers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |

### At Penn

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pioneers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Quakers | 14 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 38 |

### Duquesne

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 3 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Pioneers | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |

### At Saint Francis

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Pioneers | 3 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 36 |
| Red Flash | 10 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 33 |

### At Bryant

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pioneers | 0 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |

### Wagner

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Pioneers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 31 | 41 |

### Lehigh

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountain Hawks | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Pioneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |

### At Robert Morris

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pioneers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Colonials | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 16 |

## Ranking movements

Ranking movements Legend: RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS FCS | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |