Saturday, October 27, 2018
Week 9 Results
Dayton 38, Butler 28
Stetson 56, Davidson 53
Marist 48, Morehead State 21
Drake 42, Valparaiso 25
San Diego 59, Jacksonville 35
Synopsis
San Diego finishes Week 9 atop the league at 5-0 while Drake, Marist and Stetson each won road games to stay tied for second at 4-1… 405 points were scored in the league's five games during Week 9 with each team scoring at least three touchdowns… San Diego quarterback Anthony Lawrence moved to No. 2 on the PFL career passing yardage list, finishing the night with 11,104 passing yards… Marist wideout Juston Christian became the PFL career receiving yardage leader, ending the day with 3,791 receiving yards… Eleven runners finished with 100-plus rushing yards with Dayton's Tucker Yinger (222), Stetson's Jareem Westcott (213) and Jacksonville's Calvin Turner Jr. (202) finishing with 200-plus yards… Westcott became the first PFL player to score five touchdowns in a game since Butler's Trae Heeter scored five times at Morehead State in 2013… San Diego's Michael Armstead returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown; it is the third straight week a PFL return man has returned a kickoff for a touchdown… There was defense to be had with nine interceptions and eight fumbles across the league… Drake nabbed four interceptions with Will Warner intercepting two passes to help hold Valparaiso to 25 points.
Game Recaps
DAYTON 38, BUTLER 28
INDIANAPOLIS – Dayton scored the game's first three touchdowns and held on to post a 38-28 PFL victory against Butler, Saturday, at Sellick Stadium.
Jack Cook led Dayton with a 16-of-19, 254-yard passing outing with five touchdown throws, including on each of the game's first three scoring drives. He found Adam Trautman twice in the first quarter, connecting on a 25-yard touchdown and then a 34-yard strike for an early 14-0 lead. He then hit Ryan Skibinski on an 80-yard bullet that extended the lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter.
Butler would break through before halftime with Will Marty finding Austin Schwantz for a 22-yard touchdown. On the other side of the break, Brad Sznajder drove in from eight yards out and the Bulldogs were within a possession at 21-13. However, Dayton would score the game's next two touchdowns to secure the victory.
Cook's 254-yard outing was joined by Tucker Yinger's 222-yard rushing performance to pace Dayton's offense which finished with 533 offensive yards.
Marty completed 23-of-30 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns while Sznajder posted 113 rushing yards on 12 carries.
STETSON 56, DAVIDSON 53
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Jareem Westcott became the first PFL player to score five touchdowns since 2013 and his touchdown with 1:57 left pushed Stetson to a 56-53 PFL victory against Davidson, Saturday, at Spec Martin Stadium.
Westcott finished the day with 213 rushing yards on 17 carries. He scored twice in the second quarter and twice in the third before his game-winning score in the fourth.
The two teams traded the game's first six scores before Westcott scored with 1:53 left in the first half to give Stetson the first multi-possession lead, 28-17, at halftime. The Wildcats and Hatters then traded the first six touchdowns of the second half before Davidson scored on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter to take a 53-49 lead. Colin McGovern then led Stetson on a 12-play, 74-yard drive that Westcott capped with a two-yard run for the eventual game-winning touchdown.
Davidson outgained Stetson, 634-604, as the two teams combined for 1,238 offensive yards and 15 touchdowns. The Wildcats did the bulk of their damage on the ground, finishing with 519 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Stetson was a more balanced unit with 268 rushing yards and 336 passing yards.
McGovern also had a solid day under center, completing 21-of-34 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns.
Eli Turner Jr. (148 yards, TD), James Story (117, 3 TDs) and Tyler Phelps (114) each had 100-yard rushing performances for Davidson.
MARIST 48, MOREHEAD STATE 21
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State scored on the game's first possession but Marist responded with the next four touchdowns and rolled to a 48-21 PFL victory, Saturday, at Jayne Stadium.
Morehead State began the day with fortune on its side as it recovered a Marist fumble on the opening kickoff. The Eagles needed just six plays to capitalize on the short field with Jovan Smith diving in from two yards out for a 7-0 lead.
But fortune turned in Marist's favor later in the quarter as they scored twice in less than two minutes. Mekhai Johnson ended an 8-play, 54-yard drive with a touchdown run to tie the game. Morehead State's next possession ended with a punt that was blocked by Marist's John Pierce and he landed on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead.
The Red Foxes scored the second quarter's only two touchdowns and took a 28-7 lead into halftime. Morehead State would score on its first possession of the second half to get back within two touchdowns. However, Marist struck twice in the frame and Johnson erased any doubt regarding the result with his 81-yard scamper for a touchdown and a 41-14 lead.
Johnson finished with three touchdowns as part of a 17-carry, 170-yard rushing performance. Marist outgained Morehead State by a 425-284 margin in total offense.
Lawson Page completed 16-of-27 passes for 216 yards and ran for a fourth-quarter score.
DRAKE 42, VALPARAISO 25
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Grant Kraemer threw four touchdown passes as Drake outpaced Valparaiso for a 42-25 PFL victory, Saturday, at Brown Field.
The game's first three drives resulted in scores but it was Drake scoring two touchdowns for an early 14-3 lead. Neither team could get much traction until the halftime break when each scored a touchdown, Drake just before halftime for a 21-3 advantage before Valparaiso returned from the break with a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-10.
The Bulldogs and Crusaders put on a show in the fourth quarter with five touchdowns scored in the frame. Kraemer led Drake to two touchdown drives within the span of 67 seconds for a 35-10 lead. Chris Duncan returned the favor with two drives in a span of 1:35 to get the Crusaders back within 10 points. However, the defenses would not allow another score over the final 9:08. Only Drake's Sean Lynch would breakthrough in the final stretch, returning an interception 38 yards for a touchdown to set the final score.
Kraemer completed 21-of-34 passes for 240 yards to lead a Drake offense that narrowly outgained Valparaiso by a 375-338 margin in total offense. Drake's defense nabbed four interceptions in the contest, Will Warner picking off a pair of passes.
Chris Duncan completed 21-of-44 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns, supplying the vast majority of the Crusaders' offense.
SAN DIEGO 59, JACKSONVILLE 35
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Anthony Lawrence threw four touchdown passes, including two in a decisive second quarter as San Diego pulled away for a 59-35 PFL victory against Jacksonville, Saturday, at Torero Stadium.
Lawrence seemed to have broken open a 7-7 game with touchdown throws to Michael Bandy and Michael Armstead in the second quarter. But Jacksonville scored with 51 seconds left to narrow the deficit to one score again. On the ensuing kickoff, Armstead bolted for a 67-yard return and set up the USD offense at the Jacksonville 14-yard line. Two plays later Emilio Martinez dove in from four yards out and the lead was again two touchdowns.
The San Diego advantage grew seconds into the second half as Armstead again found plenty of daylight on a kickoff return and this time went 100 yards for a touchdown and a three-TD lead. Jacksonville would score three times in the second half but each time San Diego had a response, securing its advantage and ultimately the win.
Lawrence completed 22-of-28 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns while Martinez ran for three scores on 12 carries. Armstead finished with 217 all-purpose yards, including 167 yards on kickoff returns.
Calvin Turner Jr. paced Jacksonville with a 202-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance. Jacksonville outgained San Diego by a 487-422 margin but could not overcome San Diego's special teams performance.