Monday, September 9, 2013
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

PFL WEEK 3 HIGHLIGHTS

Morehead State visits Jacksonville to lift the lid on the 2013 PFL race and highlight a list of eight games across the PFL in Week 3. Key non-conference sets include Dayton at Northeast Conference member Robert Morris, Marist at Patriot League member Georgetown and Big South foe Charleston Southern visiting Campbell. In addition, Davidson and Valparaiso will open the home portion of their schedules this weekend.

AHEAD IN WEEK 3

Saturday, Sept. 14
Morehead State at Jacksonville [—/RV], 1 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (Milne Field)
Series: JAC leads, 8-4    Streak: JAC, seven wins
Notably: Jacksonville opens its home schedule with the PFL’s first league contest in 2013.

Dayton at Robert Morris, Noon
Location: Moon Township, Pa. (Walton Stadium)
Series: DAY leads, 13-2    Streak: DAY, 10 wins
Notably: The Flyers meet a Northeast Conference foe for a second straight week. Dayton will face Colonials head coach Joe Walton, who is retiring at season’s end.

Marist at Georgetown, 1 p.m.
Location: Washington D.C. (Multi-Sport Field)
Series: GU leads, 12-3    Streak: GU, two wins
Notably: The Red Foxes and Hoyas meet for the 16th time in a series that began when both were members of the MAAC Football League. Marist seeks to end an eight-game losing streak at Georgetown.

William Jewell at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Ind. (Brown Field)
Series: First Meeting
Notably: The Crusaders open the home portion of their schedule with a second-consecutive game against a member of the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Butler at Franklin, 6 p.m.
Location: Franklin, Ind. (Faught Stadium)
Series: BUT leads, 37-16-2    Streak: BUT, two wins
Notably: The Bulldogs will face a nationally-ranked Division III opponent for a second-straight week as the Grizzlies were ranked No. 19 to begin the season.

Charleston Southern at Campbell, 6 p.m.
Location: Buies Creek, N.C. (Barker-Lane Stadium)
Series: First Meeting
Notably: The Fighting Camels ended a 10-game losing streak in Week 2 and now host the unbeaten Buccaneers in the first meeting between the two teams.

Warner at Mercer, 6 p.m.
Location: Macon, Ga. (Moye Complex)
Series: First Meeting
Notably: The Bears resume their season-opening four-game homestand following a off week last week.

Lenoir-Rhyne at Davidson, 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, N.C. (Richardson Stadium)
Series: L-RC leads, 10-8    Streak: L-RC, one win
Notably: The Wildcats scored just a safety in last season’s meeting at Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears lead the series 5-4 since it resumed in 2004. 

Off Week: Drake, San Diego, Stetson

All times Eastern.
FCS rankings in brackets following school’s name: [Sports Network Poll/FCS Coaches Poll]

NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE PFL

PFL RACE BEGINS IN WEEK 3 | Morehead State visits Jacksonville to lift the lid on the 2013 PFL race and highlight a list of eight games across the PFL in Week 3. Key non-conference sets include Dayton at Northeast Conference member Robert Morris, Marist at Patriot League member Georgetown and Big South foe Charleston Southern visiting Campbell. In addition, Davidson and Valparaiso will open the home portion of their schedules this weekend.

DAYTON’S WILL LANDS WEEKLY ALL-STAR AWARD | Dayton freshman kicker William Will picked up College Sports News National All-Star honors after his provided all nine of Dayton’s second-half points in a 23-20 come-from-behind win against Duquesne, Sept. 7. His three field goals were the only points scored by either team in the second half and erased a 20-14 halftime deficit.

STETSON’s PAYNE LANDS NATIONAL HONOR | Stetson freshman linebacker Donald Payne was named The Sports Network FCS National Freshman of the Week, Sept. 2. He recovered a fumble for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage after Saturday’s game was resumed in the second quarter on Sunday. Payne, the nephew of former 15-year NFL defensive end Ezra Johnson, finished the game with eight tackles, including five solos, and three tackles for loss, including a sack.

MERCER, STETSON RETURN WITH WINS | Both Mercer and Stetson marked their return to football with victories during the opening weekend of the 2013 season. Mercer, playing on the gridiron for the first time since 1941, won a back-and-forth affair against  Reinhardt, 40-37, thanks to John Shutter’s game-winning field goal with three seconds left. Stetson saw its first football game since 1956 span two days thanks to rain and lightning suspending play Saturday. The Hatters scored 21 unanswered points during Sunday’s resumption to post a 31-3 victory against Warner.

NO SHUTTING OUT DAYTON | Dayton continues one of the more remarkable streaks in college football, entering Week 3 action with a NCAA record streak of 410 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 145 games.

PFL’s 21ST CAMPAIGN | The upcoming 2013 season marks the 21st year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league expands to 12 members for the upcoming campaign, Mercer and Stetson restarting their football programs and joining the league.

THE ROAD TO FRISCO | For the first time, the PFL regular-season champion will receive an automatic bid into the Division I Football Championship. The championship will expand to 24 teams this season with 11 automatic bids and 13 at-large berths. The football selection committee will select eight national seeds, which will receive a first-round bye. The remaining 16 teams will be placed into the bracket’s first round spots with an emphasis on geographical proximity.

NEW FACES ABOUND | One half of the league’s teams will have a first-year head coach at the helm in 2013. Obviously, first-year programs Mercer (Bobby Lamb) and Stetson (Roger Hughes) will be under the guidance of first-year head coaches. In addition, Campbell (Mike Minter), Davidson (Paul Nichols), Morehead State (Rob Tenyer) and San Diego (Dale Lindsey) will start the campaign under new leadership.

FIVE PFL ATHLETES NOMINATED FOR 2013 ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM | Five PFL student-athletes – Butler’s Matt Lancaster, Campbell’s Michael Rudisill, Davidson’s Weston Hawkins, Marist’s Max Jacques and San Diego’s Thomas Cobbs – were among a record 150 nominees for the 2013 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.