Monday, October 9, 2017

AHEAD IN WEEK 7
All times Eastern.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14
Jacksonville at Butler, 1 p.m.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Stadium: Sellick Bowl (6,500)
Series: JAC leads, 8-2    Streak: JAC, one win
Last Meeting: Jacksonville def. Butler, 35-7 (2014)
Video: Facebook.com/ButlerBulldogs

Campbell at Dayton, 1 p.m.
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Stadium: Welcome Stadium (11,000)
Series: DAY leads, 4-0    Streak: DAY, four wins
Last Meeting: Dayton def. Campbell, 19-14 (2014)
Video: DaytonFlyers.com

Davidson at Stetson, 1 p.m.
Location: DeLand, Florida
Stadium: Spec Martin Stadium (6,000)
Series: STE leads, 3-2    Streak: STE, one win
Last Meeting: Stetson def. Davidson, 31-27 (2016)
Video: ESPN3

Marist at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana
Stadium: Brown Field (5,000)
Series: MAR leads, 6-0    Streak: MAR, six wins
Last Meeting: Marist def. Valparaiso, 35-7 (2014)

Morehead State at San Diego, 5 p.m.
Location: San Diego, California
Stadium: Torero Stadium (7,000)
Series: SAN leads, 10-0    Streak: SAN, 10 wins
Last Meeting: San Diego def. Morehead State, 49-28 (2014)
Video: TheW.tv

Off Week: Drake

LATEST PFL NEWS AND NOTES
Complete news and notes available in PDF version

SAN DIEGO ON CUSP OF RECORD | San Diego, which has won 15 consecutive PFL contests, returns to action in Week 7 needing one win to break the PFL record for consecutive league wins – a record it currently holds. The Toreros won 15 consecutive PFL contests during the 2005-07 seasons, including an unbeaten 2006 PFL title campaign.

HELLO OLD FRIEND | Week 6 across the PFL will feature four contests that will pit teams against one another for the first time since 2014. The league’s biennial schedule rotation will see Jacksonville-Butler, Campbell-Dayton, Marist-Valparaiso and Morehead State-San Diego matchups return to the fold this season.

DARE TO LOOK AHEAD | With three league unbeatens at the season’s halfway point, the wait for further clarity in the PFL championship race may not have to wait beyond October. Jacksonville will have the honor of facing the other two unbeaten squads in Weeks 8 and 9, hosting San Diego (Oct. 21) before traveling to Campbell (Oct. 28). However, San Diego and Campbell do not face each other in 2016, leaving the possibility the league’s tiebreaker may be called into action at season’s end if the Dolphins cannot take control themselves.

DAYTON’S CHAMBERLIN BREAKS MENTOR’S MARK | Dayton head coach Rich Chamberlin notched his 56th PFL victory in his 75th league game, Oct. 7, when the Flyers defeated Drake. He broke the PFL record for coaching victories set by his former head coach Mike Kelley, who posted 55 league wins (71 games) during his storied career. They are the only two coaches in PFL history to record 50 league wins.

SMITH PUNTS WAY TO NATIONAL HONOR | Dayton junior kicker Sean Smith became the second PFL athlete to earn national weekly honors, Oct. 8, when he was named the STATS FCS Special Teams Player of the Week. His 43.0 yards per punt against Drake saw five of his seven tries downed inside the Drake 20-yard line and two booming for more than 50 yards.

DOLPHINS DO RUN | A quick look at the NCAA FCS team leaders reveals Jacksonville’s offense is the subdivision’s leading rushing offense, averaging 318.6 yards per game on the ground. The Dolphins rank fifth in rush attempts (275) and 14th in yards per rush (5.63). Jacksonville has three runners ranked among the FCS Top 100 in yards per game and five ranked among the Top 150.

CAMELS DEFEND | Meanwhile, Campbell enters the season’s second half ranked No. 5 among FCS teams in both total defense (258.3 ypg) and scoring defense (12.5 ppg). Both those Top 5 rankings are due largely to its No. 2 ranking in third-down defense (22.5%) and owning the nation’s best red-zone defense, which has allowed opponent’s just seven scores in a meager 14 opportunities.

TOREROS PETERSEN LEADS THE CHARGE | San Diego defensive lineman Jonathan Petersen continues to be a force, entering the season’s second half ranked in the FCS Top 5 in both sacks (t-3rd, 1.20 pg) and tackles for loss (5th, 1.9 pg). Among FCS active career leaders, he ranks No. 1 in total sacks per game (0.80) and No. 2 in tackles for loss per game (1.46).

FRESHMAN RUSHING LEADERS | The PFL’s youth has run rampant in the season’s first half, as Campbell redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Smith leads the league with 106.8 yards per game (10th in FCS). Davidson freshman running back Wesley Dugger is 17th nationally at 95.0 yards per game. And proving age has its worth, Dayton senior running back Tucker Yinger rounds out a trio of PFL runner in the FCS Top 20 with his 94.0 yards per game (19th).