Monday, August 25, 2014
AHEAD IN WEEK 1
Thursday, Aug. 28
Charlotte at Campbell, 7 p.m.
Location: Buies Creek, N.C. (Barker-Lane Stadium)
Series: CHAR leads 1-0
Last Season: Charlotte def. Campbell, 52-7
Notably: For the second consecutive season Campbell and Charlotte will meet to open their respective campaigns. Campbell returns 18 starters from last season’s squad that posted a 3-9 record in head coach Mike Minter’s rookie campaign. Meanwhile, Charlotte returns 16 starters from its 4-6 inaugural campaign.
Valparaiso at Western Illinois [RV/–], 7 p.m. [ESPN3]
Location: Macomb, Ill. (Hanson Field)
Series: WIU leads, 1-0
Notably: It is the second consecutive season Valparaiso will begin its campaign by facing a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Valparaiso first-year head coach Dave Cecchini will show his answer at quarterback after the graduation of longtime starter Eric Hoffman. Western Illinois was picked to finish ninth in the MVFC with 17 starters returning from last season’s squad.
Saturday, Aug. 30
Morehead State at Richmond [20/24], 6 p.m.
Location: Richmond, Va. (Robins Stadium)
Series: First Meeting
Notably: Morehead State begins Year Two under head coach Rob Tenyer with a matchup against nationally-ranked Richmond. The Eagles also will in Year Two under the guidance of sophomore quarterback Austin Gahafer, who amassed 2,430 passing yards in his rookie campaign. Richmond returns 15 starters from a 6-6 squad in 2014 that also finished fifth in the Colonial Athletic Conference.
Marist at Sacred Heart [RV/RV], 6 p.m.
Location: Fairfield, Conn. (Campus Field)
Series: SHU leads, 6-5
Last Season: Sacred Heart def. Marist, 37-21
Notably: For the second consecutive season Marist and Sacred Heart will meet to open their respective campaigns. Head coach Jim Parady will take the Red Foxes into their first action behind a new quarterback for the first time since 2011. Sacred Heart enters the 2014 campaign as the favorite in the Northeast Conference, with seven players receiving preseason All-NEC accolades.
Jacksonville [—/RV] at Southeastern Louisiana [3/3], 6:30 p.m.
Location: Hammond, La. (Strawberry Stadium)
Series: SELA leads, 3-0
Notably: Jacksonville will travel due west to meet nationally-ranked Southeastern Louisiana. The Dolphins were picked third in the PFL’s preseason poll with 14 returning starters from last season’s campaign for head coach Kerwin Bell. Southeastern Louisiana returns 15 starters from last season’s Southland Conference champion squad that reached FCS quarterfinals.
Stetson at Warner, 7 p.m.
Location: Lakeland, Fla. (Vikings Stadium)
Series: STE leads, 1-0Last Season: Stetson def. Warner, 31-3
Notably: A matchup of second year programs will take place in central Florida when Stetson travels the 96 miles down Interstate 4 to face Warner. The Hatters return three preseason All-PFL picks to a squad that posted two wins in its inaugural season. Warner made a coaching change during its first offseason and was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Conference’s inaugural football campaign.
College of Faith at Davidson, 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, N.C. (Richardson Stadium)
Series: First Meeting
Notably: Davidson begins 2014 with a home contest against second-year program College of Faith-Charlotte. The Wildcats will be under the command of a new signal caller for the first time in four years but head coach Paul Nichols will see two preseason All-PFL picks return. College of Faith returns 15 starters from its inaugural 1-7 campaign.
Grand View at Drake, 7 p.m.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
Series: DRA leads, 3-1
Last Season: Grand View def. Drake, 21-16
Notably: Des Moines neighbors meet for the fifth time with Drake seeking revenge from last season’s loss – Grand View’s first win in the series. Drake returns 15 starters from last season’s squad, including six preseason All-PFL picks. Grand View, the NAIA’s preseason No. 1 and defending national champion, will pose a formidable challenge with 14 starters returning from last season’s undefeated (14-0) squad.
Off Week: Butler, Dayton, San Diego [RV/—]
NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE PFL
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.
MERCER, SAN DIEGO CARRY WIN STREAKS INTO 2014 | Marist and San Diego each ended their 2013 campaign with multi-game win streaks, which they will carry over into the start of 2014. Mercer will put its five-game win streak – second longest in FCS behind North Dakota State – on the line in a Week 1 matchup against Sacred Heart. San Diego will wait until Week 2 to put its four-game win streak on the line when it hosts Western New Mexico.
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.