Sunday, September 1, 2013
by Cody Bush, Media Relations Director

Mercer restarted its football program with a home victory while Stetson saw its return to football suspended due to heavy rain. In other PFL action, Campbell, Butler and San Diego each lost road contests while Marist fell at home.

PFL SCORES FOR AUGUST 30 (WEEK 1)
Charlotte def. Campbell, 52-7
Sacred Heart def. Marist, 37-21
Mercer def. Reinhardt, 40-37
South Dakota State def. Butler, 55-14
Cal Poly def. San Diego, 38-16
Warner at Stetson, suspended (resume 3 p.m., Sunday)

LEAGUE RECAPS

CHARLOTTE def. CAMPBELL, 52-7
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Beginning its inaugural season, Charlotte posted a 52-7 win against Campbell, Saturday, at Richardson Stadium.

Charlotte begins 2013 1-0 with the win, while Campbell falls to 0-1. The game was the first for both head coaches, CU's Mike Minter and the 49ers' Brad Lambert.

The 49ers totaled 488 yards of total offense with 277 passing and 211 on the ground, limiting the Camels to 287 total yards.

UNCC's Matt Johnson passed for 282 yards on 19-of-29 passing with three touchdowns, spread around eight receivers. Mikel Hunter hauled in five catches for 80 yards, while Austin Duke grabbed a touchdown pass and 66 yards on five catches. Trent Bostick also collected 83 yards receiving with a score.

MORE>> Campbell Recap | Box Score

SACRED HEART def. MARIST, 37-21
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Senior quarterback Chuckie Looney set Marist's career record for touchdown passes, but the Red Foxes suffered a 37-21 loss to Sacred Heart in their season opener at Tenney Stadium on Saturday night.

Senior free safety Nick Kaszei set a career high with 15 tackles, including one for a loss.

Looney threw two touchdown passes in the game, both of which went to senior wide receiver Armani Martin (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) in the fourth quarter. Looney finished the game 25-for-49 for 228 yards. Martin had a game-high 72 receiving yards on five receptions. Junior wide receiver Joe Tralli had a game-high eight receptions for 65 yards.

MORE>> Marist Recap | Box Score

MERCER def. REINHARDT, 40-37
MACON, Ga. – Mercer freshman running back Payton Usher ran for 115 yards and senior kicker Josh Shutter nailed a 31-yard field goal with three seconds left to lift the Bears to a thrilling 40-37 victory over Reinhardt University Saturday night at Mercer University Stadium.

A sold-out crowd of 12,172 were on hand for the Bears' highly anticipated return to the gridiron and they got their money's worth as the Bears and Eagles battled through eight lead changes late into the night. In the end, two Shutter field goals in the final 3:17 of play were the difference as the Bears rallied from down 34-37 in the fourth quarter.

MORE>> Mercer Recap | Box Score

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE def. BUTLER, 55-14
BROOKINGS, S.D. — Host South Dakota State jumped in front less than 40 seconds into the contest and the nationally-ranked Jackrabbits went on to post a 55-14 victory over Butler on Saturday (Aug. 31) night. The non-conference game at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium was the season-opener for both teams.

The Jackrabbits, ranked sixth in the NCAA Division I FCS, rolled up 546 yards in total offense and scored at least 10 points in every period. Quarterback Austin Sumner completed 22 of 32 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Zack Zenner added 117 rushing yards and a pair of TDs.

MORE>> Butler Recap | Box Score

CAL POLY def. SAN DIEGO, 38-16
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The University of San Diego football team dropped its season-opener to No. 11 Cal Poly, 38-16, Saturday evening in a non-conference game at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Mason Mills completed 29-of-36 passes for 230 yards and had a pair of touchdowns to pace the Torero offense. Kenn James rushed for 102 yards on seven carries, including a 67-yard run, and Reggie Bell had 109 receiving yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Matt Miller led the way with 11 total tackles, while Zach Devaneyrecorded eight tackles.

MORE>> San Diego Recap | Box Score

WARNER at STETSON, suspended
DELAND, Fla. – The Stetson University football team ended a 57-year hiatus Saturday night, but the Hatters will have to wait until Sunday to complete their first game since 1956.

Stetson led Warner 10-3 with 12:35 remaining in the second quarter when game officials pulled the teams off the field for a lightning delay. Pouring rain reached the stadium at 8:20 p.m. ET, and an hour later, the game was officially suspended until 3 p.m. on Sunday.

MORE>> Stetson Update