Week 9 Stats: 10-18, 164 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 1 receiving TD
Whitfield had himself a day in his first career start against visiting Merrimack on Saturday. With the Red Flash facing a 15-point deficit heading into the final quarter, the redshirt freshman answered the call by orchestrating Saint Francis U’s biggest comeback win since 2012. Whitfield registered his first career touchdown six seconds in to the second quarter when he found offensive lineman Mason Imbt for a 15-yard score that put the Red Flash ahead, 6-0. Merrimack responded with three-straight scores, forcing Whitfield to go to work in the final quarter with his team down, 21-6. Following a 29-yard run by redshirt junior Deondre Scott in the early moments of the fourth, Whitfield caught a two-yard pass to tie things up at 21-21 with 9:56 to go. Four minutes later, the Fredonia, NY native delivered the final blow of the game when he launched a 71-yard pass to freshman Jayden Ivory to put the Red Flash in front for good with less than six minutes left to play. Whitfield finished 10-of-18 on the afternoon with zero interceptions. He is the second Red Flash first-year player to garner NEC Rookie of the Week honors, as he joins Mekhi Workman, who received the award following the first week of the campaign.