Thursday, November 19, 2015
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

Ten Pioneer Football League teams will be in action during the final regular season week of the college football season.

Fans will be able to catch a glimpse of four games involving PFL squads on their computer or digital device through live video offerings, available on various school and league live video platforms, as noted in the table below.

Week 11 Game Capsules

Davidson at Stetson, 1 p.m.
Davidson will take a 500-mile trip south to face Stetson in the seventh meeting all-time between the two teams. Davidson seeks to end a five-game losing streak that it saw extended with a home loss to San Diego last weekend. The Hatters picked up a home win in a nonconference tilt against in-state foe Ave Maria. Davidson’s defense recorded nine tackles for loss and  six sacks in the effort against San Diego with defensive lineman Boo Jordan notched three sacks in four tackles – San Diego had allowed just 12 sacks entering the weekend. Wildcats receiver William Morris had six receptions for 68 yards moving further into 3,000-yard territory. He enters the final weekend with 3,094 career receiving yards in 227 receptions – both second among FCS active career leaders. Stetson had its way with Ave Maria, posting program records for rushing yards (353), rushing touchdowns (six) and points scored (60). Quarterback Ryan Tentler had a team-best 93 rushing yards in that outing and finished the game with 231 total offensive yards. Defensive back Eric Martin notched his team-leading fourth interception against Ave Maria, but returned this one 30-yards for his first pick-six of the 2015 season.

Morehead State at Marist, 1 p.m.
Morehead State seeks sole possession of third place in the PFL standings when it hosts Marist, which is seeking to edge its way into third place. The Eagles insured their best finish since 2007 with last week’s win at Valparaiso. The Red Foxes saw their four-game win streak stopped by a loss at league-champion Dayton. Morehead State quarterback Austin Gahafer enters the final week needing just 23 yards to become the second signal-caller to record 3,000 passing yards in a season. His 2,977 yards this season includes a PFL best 23 touchdown tosses, he also has three rushing scores and has caught two touchdown passes this season. Cornerback Justin Grier’s two interceptions at Valparaiso gave him a program-record nine interceptions, a total that also leads all FCS defensive players. Marist running back Marcellus Calhoun nearly single-handedly pulled his team back into the loss at Dayton, scoring three second half touchdowns as part of a 156-yard rushing performance. Free safety Zach Adler had a fumble recovery against Dayton, no small feat against a Flyer team that has surrendered just 12 giveaways this season, and tied for the team lead with eight tackles.  

Valparaiso at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Valparaiso faces a tall task as it seeks to end a five-game losing streak when it travels to face Jacksonville which has not lost a home game this season. The Crusaders posted their second-highest point total (29) in last week’s loss to Morehead State. The Dolphins defense held an opponent to 14 points or less for the fifth time this season, defeating Campbell. Quarterback Scott Staal set career-highs in completions (32) and passing yards (337), more than doubling his totals in both categories in his fourth outing this season. Cornerback A.J. Bradley had a hand into two turnovers, forcing a fumble that was recovered and led to a touchdown and later intercepting a pass. Jacksonville quarterback Rylan Wells made the start at Campbell and completed 11-of-20 passes for 115 yards in his first start this season. The Dolphins defense picked off four passes in last week’s win, Brandon Roe and Armani Sampson each picking off a pass to join Andrew Hooks’ two picks. Jacksonville is tied with Dayton for most interceptions entering the final week, each team picking off 19 passes. 

Dayton at Drake, 2 p.m.
Dayton seeks its first unbeaten season since 1996 when it travels to Drake, which will seek to play the spoiler’s role. The Flyers bring their FCS-best 12-game win streak into the contest, which they extended with a narrow victory against Marist last week. The Bulldogs return home after a one touchdown loss at Butler that kept it at 599 all-time wins. Drake has won the last two meetings and three of the last four in the series, including last season’s 34-30 thriller in Dayton. Flyers running back Tucker Yinger posted a 237-yard performance last week that was the best effort by a first-year player and 12th best this season in the FCS. Meanwhile, cornerback Christian Searles nabbed his fourth interception this season, his 50-yard return pushing him to 124 interception return yards (31.0 per return) this season. Drake’s defense continues to be led by John Hugunin who posted 12 tackles at Butler and had a fumble recovery. It was the 15th time he has had a hand in turnover or near-turnover this season (one interception, three fumbles recovered, nine fumbles forced). Offensively, quarterback Cody Thibault started and made his fifth appearance this season, while running back Tyler Updegraff made his third appearance and rushed for a career-best 79 yards in the Butler contest.

Butler at San Diego, 4 p.m.
San Diego looks to cap its fourth straight one-loss PFL campaign when it hosts Butler which enters the game seeking to stay above .500 in PFL play with a win. The Toreros posted their fifth-straight win at Davidson last Saturday, scoring more than 30 points for the fourth consecutive game. The Bulldogs takes a two-game win streak on the road after a win against rival Drake. San Diego is unbeaten (5-0) at Torero Stadium while Butler is just 1-4 on the road this season. Butler quarterback Matt Shiltz has carried the load for his team this year, ranking second among PFL signal callers with 299.7 yards of total offense in PFL action. No small part of that total is his 369 rushing yards (52.7 per game) that ranks seventh in the league and includes six rushing touchdowns. Safety Isaak Newhouse recorded his sixth interception against Drake and had a fumble forced. He is second among league defenders in interceptions this season. San Diego quarterback Anthony Lawrence has impressed in his first season under center, posting a 151.5 pass efficiency rating that leads the PFL and ranks 16th among FCS quarterbacks. Sophomore safety Colton Giorgi added 10 tackles (seven solo) to help hold Davidson to 228 offensive yards (48 rushing) and leads San Diego with 62 tackles this season.

Off Week: Campbell
Campbell closed its 2015 campaign with a home loss to Jacksonville. The Camels saw running back De’Shawn Jones break the school record for rushing yards, his 82-yard effort pushing him over 1,000 yards. His 1,079 yards this season also helped him break the career record with 1,991 yards after his junior campaign. Defensive lineman Ugonna Awuruonye had seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. His 6.5 sacks this season ranks fifth among PFL defenders and his 9.0 tackles for loss are 18th most.