Monday, October 20, 2014
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

AHEAD IN WEEK 9

Saturday, Oct. 25

Campbell at Marist, Noon
Location: Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Tenney Stadium)
Series: MAR leads, 4-1    Streak: MAR, two wins
Last Meeting: Marist def. Campbell, 55-28 (2013)
Notably: Marist will host Campbell in the Week 9 kickoff, in a series that home teams have not fared well in. The road team has won each of the last four meetings in the series. Campbell is off to its best PFL start in program history and will look to pull even with Jacksonville (which is out of PFL play this week). This is a matchup of the two lowest scoring teams in the PFL, with Campbell averaging just 20 points per game while Marist has scored only 13.1 points per game.

Stetson at Davidson, 1 p.m.
Location: Davidson, N.C. (Richardson Stadium)
Series: DAV leads, 3-2    Streak: STE, one win
Last Meeting: Stetson def. Davidson, 26-13 (2013)
Notably: Davidson will seek to change its luck when Stetson visits for the first time since 1956. The Wildcats seek their first PFL win this season, but have three losses by eight or fewer points in four PFL contests. Davidson is one of three PFL teams to throw just seven interceptions this season, averaging nearly 44 passes between interceptions. Meanwhile, Stetson ranks third among PFL teams with 10 interceptions, picking off a pass every 20 pass attempts.

Jacksonville [RV/–] at Limestone, 1 p.m.
Location: Gaffney S.C. (The Reservation)
Series: First Meeting
Notably: Jacksonville steps out of conference play in Week 9, traveling northward to face first-year Division II foe Limestone. Jacksonville enters the week as the FCS’ 19th-ranked offense, averaging 455.3 yards per game, after back-to-back 500-yard weeks in PFL play.

Valparaiso at Morehead State, 1 p.m.
Location: Morehead, Ky. (Jayne Stadium)
Series: MOR leads, 16-3    Streak: MOR, seven wins
Last Meeting: Morehead State def. Valparaiso, 42-28 (2013)
Notably: Valparaiso will seek a win at Morehead State for the first time since 2006 when the squads meet Saturday. Morehead State has won seven straight meetings overall and three straight at Jayne Stadium. While Morehead State will have the edge offensively (398.4 ypg vs. 336.4 ypg), Valparaiso will hold the defensive edge (398.1 ypg vs. 506.7 ypg).

Butler at Drake, 2 p.m.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
Series: DRA leads, 15-7-1    Streak: BUT, one win
Last Meeting: Butler def. Drake, 24-14 (2013)
Notably: The Bulldog Battle will be reignited for a 24th time when Butler travels to Drake. While Butler won last season’s meeting between the two teams, Drake has won the last eight games (dating back to 1994) played between the two teams at Drake Stadium. In addition, Drake puts its 19-game PFL home win streak on the line. This matchup will feature the PFL’s top two sack squads, Butler leading the league with 19 sacks with Drake second with 17 sacks. 

Dayton at San Diego, 9 p.m.
Location: San Diego, Calif. (Torero Stadium)
Series: DAY leads, 15-6    Streak: DAY, one win
Last Meeting: Dayton defeated San Diego, 45-38 in 2OTs (2013)
Notably: The Week 9 nightcap will pit the league’s two preseason favorites as Dayton makes the trek westward to face San Diego. Both teams have won four straight entering this week’s matchup. Dayton ranks second in both total offense (399.2 ypg) and defense (232.2 ypg) entering the weekend while San Diego ranks seventh offensively (362.7 ypg) and fourth defensively (360.3 ypg).

NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE PFL

A QUICK GLANCE AT WEEK 9 AROUND THE LEAGUE | Week 9’s feature matchup takes place on the West Coast when Dayton (3-0) travels to San Diego (3-1) in a contest between the PFL’s preseason favorites. While that is the week’s nightcap, Saturday will start with PFL unbeaten Campbell (4-0) traveling to Marist, seeking to match Jacksonville’s 5-0 PFL start. Speaking of Jacksonville, it steps out of PFL play to meet Limestone in the third game of a five-game road trip. Elsewhere, Drake will seek to keep pace with the lead pack when it travels to Butler. Davidson and Stetson meet with each seeking its first PFL win and Valparaiso travels to Morehead State.

PFL AMONG FCS LEADERS | After eight weeks two PFL student-athletes lead the FCS in three categories. San Diego’s David Last leads the FCS in field goal percentage (1.000) and San Diego’s Jamal Agnew leads the FCS in interceptions (0.80 pg) and in passes defended (2.6 pg). In addition, PFL student-athletes are listed 33 times among the FCS Top 10 in 38 categories.

KACSOR NOTCHES 3RD 200-YARD OUTING | For the third time in 2014, Dayton running back Connor Kacsor ran for more than 200 yards, recording 232 yards against Morehead State in Week 8 action. There have been 15 200-yard performances in the FCS this season and Kacsor is the only back with three such performances and the only runner with a 300-yard effort this season.

PAYNE TOPS 20-TACKLE MARK | Stetson safety Donald Payne recorded 21 tackles in a Week 8 contest against Jacksonville, becoming the first PFL defender with more than 20 tackles in over two years. He also became only the fifth FCS tackler to top the 20-tackle mark in 2014. It was the best performance by a PFL defender since Davidson’s Patrick Moynahan recorded 22 tackles against Marist on Sept. 22, 2012.

DOLPHINS’ BELL RECORDS LEAGUE’S FIRST 6 TD OUTING | Jacksonville quarterback Kade Bell became the first PFL quarterback to throw six touchdowns in a game, turning the trick at Morehead State in Week 7. He also had a five touchdown performance in Week 5 at Butler, He joins Eastern Washington’s Vernon Adams as the only quarterbacks to compose a pair of four-plus touchdown performances this season.

SAN DIEGO’S HODGES JOINS 200-YARD CLUB | San Diego running back Jonah Hodges joined the PFL’s 200-yard rushing club with a 273-yard effort against Stetson in Week 7.  He posted 17 carries and had two touchdowns in the Toreros win. It was the third 200-yard rushing performance by a PFL running back this season and second best in the FCS this season, behind Dayton running back Connor Kacsor’s 301-yard performance in Week 2.

FIVE OT THRILLER BETWEEN DAVIDSON-DAYTON | Dayton and Davidson got off to a slow start but raced headlong into and through overtime before Dayton escaped with a 54-48 victory in five overtimes, Oct. 4. The Flyers led 13-7 after three full quarters but both offenses exploded in the fourth quarter, combining for 34 points en route to a 27-27 tie. The Flyers and Wildcats scored 48 points in extra time, before Dayton’s Connor Kascor scored in the fifth overtime and UD’s Tom Fanning intercepted a pass on Davidson’s ensuing drive. It was the longest game in the FCS since Sept. 10, 2011 when Towson and Coastal Carolina went five overtimes. It also broke the PFL record of three overtimes set by Campbell and Davidson, Oct. 29, 2011.

KACSOR STRIKES AGAIN | Earlier this season, Dayton running back Connor Kacsor posted what remains a FCS best 301 yards in a Week 2 contest against Georgetown. He backed that up in Week 6 with a 213-yard performance against Davidson – the ninth best rushing performance this season. He joins St. Francis (Pa.)’s Khairi Dickson as the only runners to post two Top 10 totals this season. Kacsor also ran the ball 47 times in the win against Davidson, the only rusher to post more than 40 runs in the FCS this season.

DAVIDSON’S CASEY NAMED TO ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM | Davidson linebacker Dan Casey was one of four FCS student-athletes and 22 across all levels of college football named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Sept. 23. One of the most prestigious off-the-field-honors in college football, the award pays tribute to a select group of student-athletes who have worked to positively impact the lives of others.

DAYTON SCORING STREAK HITS 425 | Dayton continues one of the more remarkable streaks in college football – a NCAA record 425 consecutive games without suffering a shutout. The last team to blank Dayton was Marshall by a 9-0 score on Oct. 16, 1976. San Diego owns the PFL’s second longest such streak at 161 games. 

THREE PFL ALUMNI ON NFL ROSTERS | Marist alumnus Terrence Fede, the 2013 PFL Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the Miami Dolphins’ active 53-man roster. Fede, a 7th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, recorded his first tackle as a professional against Oakland, Sept. 29. Drake alumnus and 12-year NFL veteran Billy Cundiff is in his second year as a member of the Cleveland Browns. San Diego alumnus Josh Johnson is in his seventh NFL campaign, joining the San Francisco 49ers and former San Diego head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2014.

THREE PFL STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED TO CAMPBELL LIST | Jacksonville quarterback Kade Bell became the second PFL quarterback to throw five Three Pioneer Football League student-athletes were named among 167 candidates for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments®.  Campbell’s Adam Lutz, Dayton’s Will Bardo and San Diego Troy McClelland were each named to the semifinalist list, Sept. 25.

DOLPHINS’ BELL RECORDS LEAGUE’S SECOND 5 TD OUTING | Jacksonville quarterback Kade Bell became the second PFL quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game, turning the trick against Butler in Week 5. The redshirt junior is one of 10 FCS quarterbacks to throw five or more touchdowns in a game this season.

DAVIDSON’S MORRIS RUNS FOR 208 | Davidson wide receiver William Morris posted a 16-reception, 208-yard performance at VMI, Sept. 13. The 16 receptions are the most in the FCS this season while his 208 receiving yards were third most. It is the 21st 200-yard receiving performance in the PFL since 2002 and first this season.

DAYTON’S KACSOR SECOND TO TOP 300 YARDS | Dayton running back Connor Kacsor became the second PFL runner to record 300 rushing yards in a game, piling up 301 yards against Georgetown, Sept. 6, in Welcome Stadium. It was the 55th 300-yard performance in FCS history and was a Dayton program record. The senior from Leo, Indiana, had just 14 yards in the first quarter but ran for 287 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown, in the game’s final 45 minutes.

EAGLES’ GAHAFER THROWS FIRST 5 TD OUTING | Morehead State quarterback Austin Gahafer put together the PFL’s first five-touchdown performance of 2014, in a 49-36 win against NAIA foe Pikeville. The PFL saw five five-touchdown efforts in 2013, but none occurred prior to Week 7 (Oct. 12).

MARIST’S FEDE MAKES DOLPHINS ROSTER | Marist alumnus Terrence Fede, the 2013 PFL Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the Miami Dolphins’ active 53-man roster. Fede, a 7th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, is listed on the Dolphins depth chard at right defensive end entering the NFL season’s opening week.

NEW SIGNAL CALLERS ABOUND | New quarterbacks will be at the helm of six of the PFL’s 11 programs in 2014. Butler, Campbell, Davidson, Marist, San Diego and Valparaiso will each be under new leadership on the field. Dayton and Drake each return a senior under center with Will Bardo and Andy Rice, respectively. Morehead State (Austin Gahafer) and Stetson (Ryan Tentler) each used a freshman quarterback in 2013 that returns for their sophomore campaigns in 2014. Jacksonville junior Kade Bell rounds out the list of returning quarterbacks.

WELCOME NEW HEAD COACHES | Two new faces will join the PFL’s head coaching fraternity in 2014 with Rick Fox taking over duties at Drake while Dave Cecchini grabs the reins at Valparaiso. Fox was as an assistant coach for six seasons under former head coach Chris Creighton, who took the head coaching position at Eastern Michigan. Cecchini became Valparaiso’s 17th head coach after four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Lehigh.

PFL TIEBREAKER MODIFIED | The PFL automatic qualifier tiebreaker was modified during the league’s August president’s council meeting. In 2014, the league will no longer use computer rankings to determine its automatic qualifier. Instead, the league will use a “Strength of Victory” and “Strength of Schedule” – both based on conference games only – to help determine its representative in the FCS Championship. The complete PFL tiebreaker is available online at pioneer-football.org/tiebreaker.

PFL ADDS SIXTH MAJOR AWARD | In addition to the change in the league’s tiebreaker procedure, the league’s presidents voted to add a Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award to its postseason accolades. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be selected as part of the league’s Academic All-PFL squad voting in November.

THREE PFL ATHLETES NOMINATED FOR 2014 ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM | Three PFL student-athletes – Davidson’s Dan Casey, Drake’s John Hugunin and Marist’s James Holodnak – were among a 182 nominees for the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which recognizes the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation. Two 11-member teams will be selected, one composed players competing in the NCAA® Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the other is a combined team representing the NCAA® Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Divisions II, III, and the NAIA.

NO ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS IN SAN DIEGO REVIEW | The PFL concluded its review of a matter involving the San Diego Football program. The league has ruled no additional sanctions will be imposed on the San Diego football team beyond its voluntary removal from the 2013 conference championship.

PFL’S 22ND CAMPAIGN | The 2014 season marks the 22nd year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league boasts 11 members in 2014 with the departure of Mercer after its first season.