Monday, October 13, 2014
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

AHEAD IN WEEK 8

Saturday, Oct. 18

San Diego at Butler, Noon
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. (Butler Bowl)
Series: SAN leads 14-5    Streak: SAN, two wins
Last Meeting: San Diego def. Butler, 42-14 (2013)
Notably: San Diego visits Butler for the first time since 2009 in the 20th meeting between the PFL members. The two teams share two common opponents – Jacksonville and Stetson – with both 1-1 against the two foes. Butler returns home after posting a 1-1 record during its two-game road trip, suffering a loss at Campbell last week. San Diego brings a three-game win streak into the matchup, including a win at Marist that was its most recent road trip. 

Morehead State at Dayton, 1 p.m.
Location: Dayton, Ohio (Welcome Stadium)
Series: DAY leads, 14-5    Streak: DAY, five wins
Last Meeting: Dayton def. Morehead State, 42-14 (2013)
Notably: Dayton plays home for the first time since Sept 20 when it hosts Morehead State. The Flyers are unbeaten in two tries at Welcome Stadium this season and will face a Morehead State team it has averaged 41.5 points against in the last two meetings. The Eagles return to the road for the first time since Sept. 20 after posting a 1-1 mark during its two-game homestand. In Week 7, Morehead State saw its rushing game outgain the passing game (216-144) for the first time in 12 games dating back to a Sept. 28, 2013 contest against Davidson.

Drake at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Ind. (Brown Field)
Series: DRA leads 18-3    Streak: DRA, 10 wins
Last Meeting: Drake def. Valparaiso, 23-10 (2013)
Notably: Valparaiso continues its three-game homestand when it hosts Drake, Saturday. The Crusaders own two wins in a season for the first time since 2008 and will seek its first PFL win this season. The Bulldogs enter the game seeking to keep pace with the league leaders following an impressive contest that saw it amass 606 offensive yards while its defense allowed only 163 yards.

Davidson at Campbell, 4 p.m.
Location: Buies Creek, N.C. (Barker-Lane Stadium)
Series: DAV leads, 4-2    Streak: CAM, one win
Last Meeting: Campbell def. Davidson, 47-14 (2013)
Notably: The league’s two North Carolina teams meet for the seventh time when Davidson travels to Campbell. The Camels are off to their best PFL start after downing defending league champion Butler last week. Davidson will finish off a two-game road trip seeking its first road win after a loss at Drake last week.

Jacksonville [RV/–] at Stetson, 6 p.m.
Location: DeLand, Fla. (Spec Martin Stadium)
Series: JAC leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Jacksonville def. Stetson, 45-24 (2013)
Notably: Jacksonville continues its five-game road trip with a visit to Stetson for the second meeting between the Sunshine State squads. The Hatters are winless at home (0-3) this season but return to DeLand after nearly pulling off an upset in San Diego last week. Jacksonville makes the shortest trip during its road trip seeking to remain atop the PFL standings. Last season’s meeting turned on 21 unanswered second half points by Jacksonville.

Off Week: Marist

NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE PFL

A QUICK GLANCE AT WEEK 8 AROUND THE LEAGUE | Each of the league’s three unbeaten squads will be involved Week 8 action. Jacksonville continues its five-game road trip with a intra-Florida battle at Stetson. Campbell will host Davidson in a contest between North Carolina foes. Dayton returns home to host Morehead State in the remaining battle involving a league unbeaten. Elsewhere, San Diego travels to Butler while Drake heads northward to meet homestanding Valparaiso.

DOLPHINS’ BELL RECORDS LEAGUE’S FIRST 6 TD OUTING | Jacksonville quarterback Kade Bell became the first PFL quarterback to throw six touchdowns in a game, turning the trick at Morehead State in Week 7. He also had a five touchdown performance in Week 5 at Butler, He joins Eastern Washington’s Vernon Adams as the only quarterbacks to compose a pair of four-plus touchdown performances this season.

SAN DIEGO’S HODGES JOINS 200-YARD CLUB | San Diego running back Jonah Hodges joined the PFL’s 200-yard rushing club with a 273-yard effort against Stetson in Week 7.  He posted 17 carries and had two touchdowns in the Toreros win. It was the third 200-yard rushing performance by a PFL running back this season and second best in the FCS this season, behind Dayton running back Connor Kacsor’s 301-yard performance in Week 2.

FIVE OT THRILLER BETWEEN DAVIDSON-DAYTON | Dayton and Davidson got off to a slow start but raced headlong into and through overtime before Dayton escaped with a 54-48 victory in five overtimes, Oct. 4. The Flyers led 13-7 after three full quarters but both offenses exploded in the fourth quarter, combining for 34 points en route to a 27-27 tie. The Flyers and Wildcats scored 48 points in extra time, before Dayton’s Connor Kascor scored in the fifth overtime and UD’s Tom Fanning intercepted a pass on Davidson’s ensuing drive. It was the longest game in the FCS since Sept. 10, 2011 when Towson and Coastal Carolina went five overtimes. It also broke the PFL record of three overtimes set by Campbell and Davidson, Oct. 29, 2011.

KACSOR STRIKES AGAIN | Earlier this season, Dayton running back Connor Kacsor posted what remains a FCS best 301 yards in a Week 2 contest against Georgetown. He backed that up in Week 6 with a 213-yard performance against Davidson – the ninth best rushing performance this season. He joins St. Francis (Pa.)’s Khairi Dickson as the only runners to post two Top 10 totals this season. Kacsor also ran the ball 47 times in the win against Davidson, the only rusher to post more than 40 runs in the FCS this season.

DAVIDSON’S CASEY NAMED TO ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM | Davidson linebacker Dan Casey was one of four FCS student-athletes and 22 across all levels of college football named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Sept. 23. One of the most prestigious off-the-field-honors in college football, the award pays tribute to a select group of student-athletes who have worked to positively impact the lives of others.

DAYTON SCORING STREAK HITS 425 | Dayton continues one of the more remarkable streaks in college football – a NCAA record 425 consecutive 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 161 games. 

THREE PFL ALUMNI ON NFL ROSTERS | Marist alumnus Terrence Fede, the 2013 PFL Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the Miami Dolphins’ active 53-man roster. Fede, a 7th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, recorded his first tackle as a professional against Oakland, Sept. 29. Drake alumnus and 12-year NFL veteran Billy Cundiff is in his second year as a member of the Cleveland Browns. San Diego alumnus Josh Johnson is in his seventh NFL campaign, joining the San Francisco 49ers and former San Diego head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2014.

THREE PFL STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED TO CAMPBELL LIST | Jacksonville quarterback Kade Bell became the second PFL quarterback to throw five Three Pioneer Football League student-athletes were named among 167 candidates for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments®.  Campbell’s Adam Lutz, Dayton’s Will Bardo and San Diego Troy McClelland were each named to the semifinalist list, Sept. 25.

DOLPHINS’ BELL RECORDS LEAGUE’S SECOND 5 TD OUTING | Jacksonville quarterback Kade Bell became the second PFL quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game, turning the trick against Butler in Week 5. The redshirt junior is one of 10 FCS quarterbacks to throw five or more touchdowns in a game this season.

DAVIDSON’S MORRIS RUNS FOR 208 | Davidson wide receiver William Morris posted a 16-reception, 208-yard performance at VMI, Sept. 13. The 16 receptions are the most in the FCS this season while his 208 receiving yards were third most. It is the 21st 200-yard receiving performance in the PFL since 2002 and first this season.

DAYTON’S KACSOR SECOND TO TOP 300 YARDS | Dayton running back Connor Kacsor became the second PFL runner to record 300 rushing yards in a game, piling up 301 yards against Georgetown, Sept. 6, in Welcome Stadium. It was the 55th 300-yard performance in FCS history and was a Dayton program record. The senior from Leo, Indiana, had just 14 yards in the first quarter but ran for 287 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown, in the game’s final 45 minutes.

EAGLES’ GAHAFER THROWS FIRST 5 TD OUTING | Morehead State quarterback Austin Gahafer put together the PFL’s first five-touchdown performance of 2014, in a 49-36 win against NAIA foe Pikeville. The PFL saw five five-touchdown efforts in 2013, but none occurred prior to Week 7 (Oct. 12).

MARIST’S FEDE MAKES DOLPHINS ROSTER | Marist alumnus Terrence Fede, the 2013 PFL Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the Miami Dolphins’ active 53-man roster. Fede, a 7th round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, is listed on the Dolphins depth chard at right defensive end entering the NFL season’s opening week.

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.

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.