Monday, September 29, 2014
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

AHEAD IN WEEK 6

Saturday, Oct. 4

Dayton at Davidson, 1 p.m.
Location: Davidson, North Carolina (Richardson Stadium)
Series: DAY leads 10-1    Streak: DAY, seven wins
Last Meeting: Dayton def. Davidson, 40-8 (2013)
Notably: Dayton begins its 2014 PFL campaign with a trip to Davidson, which will be playing its fourth home game in the season’s first six weeks. Dayton head coach Rick Chamberlin, in his 7th season, will seek his 50th win. The Flyers enter as the PFL’s top defense, holding opponents to a league-leading 290.3 yards per game. Meanwhile, the Wildcats boast a much-improved offense in 2014, ranking second among PFL teams with 414.0 yards per game after averaging just 320.8 yards per game in 2013 (11th in the PFL)

Drake at Jacksonville [RV/–], 1 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Florida (Milne Field)
Series: DRA leads 11-2    Streak: DRA, three wins
Last Meeting: Drake def. Jacksonville, 27-17 (2013)
Notably: An early battle of league unbeatens will unfold when Drake visits Jacksonville, Saturday. The Dolphins boast the PFL’s top offense, averaging 418.2 yards per game. That will matchup well with a Bulldogs defensive unit that ranks second in defense, with opponents averaging 360.5 yards per game and recording nine sacks in four games. Jacksonville’s last win in the series came at Milne Field, a 39-34 decision back in 2010.

Campbell at Morehead State, 1 p.m.
Location: Morehead, Kentucky (Jayne Stadium)
Series: MOR leads 4-2    Streak: MOR, two wins
Last Meeting: Morehead State def. Campbell, 45-36 (2013)
Notably: Campbell travels across the Appalachians to meet Morehead State in a battle of 1-0 teams. The game promises to be an offensive slugfest as the team’s have averaged 67.8 combined points per game (MOR 40-CAM 27.8). The Camels bring back-to-back PFL wins into the contest, its first PFL win streak since 2011, ending 2013 with a win and opening 2014 with a victory. The Eagles own a PFL-leading 28.0 points per game entering the weekend after their off week.

Marist at Valparaiso, 1 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana (Brown Field)
Series: MAR leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Marist def. Valparaiso, 37-0 (2013)
Notably: Valparaiso begins a three-game homestand when it hosts Marist in a contest that sees both teams seeking to end losing streaks. The homestanding Crusaders will seek to end an eight-game PFL losing streak that dates back to a win against Campbell last season. Meanwhile, Marist will look for its season’s first victory and an end to its five-game losing streak to start the season. The Red Foxes defense ranks third in the PFL, allowing 363 yards per game, but has grabbed a league leading 10 turnovers.

Butler at Stetson, 6 p.m.
Location: DeLand, Florida (Martin Stadium)
Series: BUT leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Butler def. Stetson, 35-15 (2013)
Notably: Butler will make its first-ever trip to Spec Martin Stadium to help Stetson open PFL action. The Bulldogs will finish off back-to-back games against the league’s two Florida squads after seeing its nine-game PFL home win streak stopped by Jacksonville in Week 5. The Hatters return to action after a week off and seek its first home win this season (0-2 at Martin Stadium). Butler ranks just seventh in total defense, but is the No. 1 team against both the rush (102.5 ypg) and in sacks (13). Stetson owns the league’s top rushing attack, averaging 192.2 yards per game this season.

Off Week: San Diego [RV/RV]

NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE PFL

PFL RACE HITS FULL ROAR IN WEEK 6 | Week 6 will feature the maximum five PFL games on the schedule. It is the first of seven consecutive weeks featuring five league games as the race for the 2014 PFL crown finds its full voice. The featured contests in the league will see Drake (1-0) travel to Jacksonville (2-0) while Campbell (1-0) and Morehead State (1-0) will face off. In addition, Dayton (at Davidson) and Stetson (hosting Butler) will finally join the league fray.

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.

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.

PFL TEAMS PITCH CLEAN SLATE IN WEEK 4 | Pioneer Football League members went unbeaten in six nonconference tilts during Week 4 action. That winning six pack included two victories against Ivy League squads (Princeton and Penn) and one against a Northeast Conference foe (Robert Morris).

VALPARAISO ENDS 9-GAME SLIDE | Valparaiso ended a nine-game losing streak with a victory at Division II William Jewell, Sept. 20. It also was the Crusaders first nonconference victory since Sept. 12, 2009 – a 15-game stretch between nonconference victories.

DAYTON SCORING STREAK HITS 423 | Dayton continues one of the more remarkable streaks in college football – a NCAA record 423 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 160 games. 

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.