Friday, September 30, 2016
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

Week 5 features another five Pioneer Football League contests. Four of the league's contests will see a 1-0 team travel to face an 0-1 team. Among that quartet of contests, preseason favorite San Diego travels to Butler to continue a series that has seen the Toreros win the last four meetings. Dayton, the league's other co-champion in 2015, returns home after a PFL-opening loss to face a 1-0 Drake squad that has won the last three meetings in that series. Campbell will head north to help Marist open its PFL schedule after the Red Foxes off week in Week 4. Valparaiso seeks a third-straight win when it hosts a Morehead State squad that lost its PFL opener last week. Finally, Davidson and Stetson meet in the league's only matchup on winless PFL squads after Week 1.

San Diego at Butler, 1 p.m.
Video: ButlerSports.com

Setting the Scene: San Diego looks to avoid a “trap game” when it travels east to face a Butler squad that owns a six-game win streak at the Butler Bowl. The Toreros make the Week 5 trip following a victory against Dayton last week in a much-anticipated battle of the league’s reigning co-champions. The Bulldogs return home after seeing a comeback bid succeed in forcing overtime at Campbell, but they could not steal a much-needed win. Butler has won six straight at the Butler Bowl, a streak that dates back to the 2014 regular-season finale.

San Diego Matchup to Watch: Running back Jonah Hodges amassed 192 all-purpose yards against Dayton, including a game-clinching 62-yard touchdown reception. He leads the PFL with 187.3 all-purpose yards per game and is third in the league in scoring (8.0 ppg). Butler returns home after surrendering 394 yards at Campbell, including 248 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. It was the most rushing yards the Bulldogs have surrendered this season and second-most total yards.

Butler Matchup to Watch: Quarterback Malcolm Weaver got off to a cold start at Campbell, posting just 32 yards on 3-of-11 passing in the first half. He will look to build off his second half performance that saw him complete 11-of-26 passes for 162 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) in the comeback attempt. San Diego has allowed opponents just 144.7 passing yards per game this season (2nd best pass defense in the PFL) but has faced only 76 pass attempts, fewest in the PFL.

Drake at Dayton, 1 p.m.
Video: DaytonFlyers.com

Setting the Scene: Dayton returns home seeking its first PFL victory when it hosts a Drake squad that hung on for a PFL-opening victory last week. The Flyers were unable to hold a narrow fourth-quarter lead, surrendering two touchdowns in the last five minutes in its loss at San Diego. Drake powered its way to a 30-8 lead against Morehead State only to hang on as a potential game-tying two-point conversion fell harmlessly to the ground in the final minutes for a win. Drake ventures onto the road where it was winless in 2015 and has lost seven straight.

Drake Matchup to Watch: Tight end Eric Saubert has been Drake’s go-to receiver in 2016, with 20 of his 24 receptions resulting in either a first-down (18) or touchdown (three) in 2016, the most among PFL receivers. Saubert has averaged 13.8 yards per reception, with his 24 catches going for 332 yards. Dayton’s defense could not solve the San Diego passing attack, surrendering 371 yards and three touchdowns via the air.

Dayton Matchup to Watch: Tight end Eric Trautman had a coming out party at San Diego, posting career bests in receptions (five) and yards (73) and scoring a game-tying second-quarter touchdown to lead the Flyers receiving corps. He entered the Week 4 contest with just three receptions for 37 yards in 2016. Last week, Drake surrendered a season-high 330 passing yards against a multi-threat Morehead State offense.

Duquesne at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Video: ESPN3

Setting the Scene: Jacksonville steps out of PFL play this week to host a Duquesne squad seeking its first road win. The Dolphins successfully opened PFL play with a victory at Stetson last week, romping to a 24-0 halftime lead and allowing only seven points in the contest. The Dukes own a win against PFL member Dayton (34-20, Sept. 17) early this season, but return to the road after suffering a home loss to Kennesaw State last week.

Jacksonville Matchup to Watch: The Dolphins defense has held its last two opponents to seven points thanks to six turnovers gained in those contests. Jacksonville recovered four fumbles against Stetson a week after gaining two turnovers (fumble and interception) against Edward Waters. The Dolphins are 43rd nationally in turnover margin (+0.33 per game). It will square off against a Duquesne defense that has 10 turnovers gained this season (10th in FCS) and is ranked among the top 50 in turnover margin (+0.50 per game).

Campbell at Marist, 1 p.m.
Video: GoRedFoxes.com

Setting the Scene: After an off week, Marist will begin its 2016 PFL schedule when it hosts Campbell. The Red Foxes enter their conference opener seeking their season’s first win, hoping the off week provided opportunity to find the missing element. Meanwhile, the Camels travel to the Hudson River Valley fresh off their first home overtime win, as De’Shawn Jones scored on CU’s first play of extra time for a win against Butler.

Campbell Matchup to Watch: Running back De’Shawn Jones leads the PFL and is 11th nationally with 112 rushing yards per game and tied for second in the FCS with seven touchdown runs. He also has had a knack for being Campbell’s go-to-runner with 20 of his 57 carries resulting in a first down (20) or touchdown this season. Marist has been susceptible against the run this season, allowing 221.7 yards per game, but has permitted only six rushing touchdowns in its first three games. 

Marist Matchup to Watch: Marist’s offense has not found its rhythm through its first three games this season, finding the red zone just five times and scoring only one touchdown and two field goals. However, they will face a Campbell defense that has yet to stop a team that has found the red zone this season, allowing eight touchdowns and three field goals on 11 opponent red zone chances.

Stetson at Davidson, 1 p.m.
Video: DavidsonWildcats.com

Setting the Scene: Stetson makes its first road trip of 2016 when it heads north to face Davidson. The Hatters opened the season with three home games in the season’s first four weeks, capping that stretch with last week’s loss to Jacksonville. Davidson saw its two-game win streak stopped by a narrow four-point loss at Valparaiso in Week 4.

Stetson Matchup to Watch: The Hatters defense made a home in the Jacksonville backfield last week, amassing an impressive 16 tackles for loss with Jeb Boudreaux and David Lazear each posting three tackles for loss in the contest. Stetson leads the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 11.7 per game and Boudreaux has a PFL best 8.0 total tackles for loss while Lazear’s 7.0 tackles for loss ranks second. Davidson’s offense has allowed 8.3 tackles for loss per game, including nine suffered in last week’s loss at Valparaiso.

Davidson Matchup to Watch: Wide receiver Cam Chevront enjoyed his finest day as a Wildcat last week with a career-high 135 receiving yards on seven catches, two of those scoring touchdowns. The outing included a 60-yard touchdown catch that gave DC a 14-13 second-quarter lead. Stetson’s defense surrendered its first 100-yard receiving performance in last week’s loss to Jacksonville, permitting Brian Burnett to amass 115 yards on five receptions.

Valparaiso at Morehead State, 1 p.m.
Video: OVCDigitalNetwork.com

Setting the Scene: Valparaiso will seek its first three-game win streak since 2003 when it travels to Morehead State in Week 5. The Crusaders Week 4 win against Davidson gave them back-to-back wins for the first time since 2007 and was their first PFL-opening win since 2013. Morehead State returns home looking to build on its 20-point fourth quarter at Drake that nearly helped it erase a 30-8 deficit. The Eagles have had the better of Valparaiso in recent years, winning nine straight in the series. The Crusaders last win in the series came in 2006, though they only lost a 36-29 decision last season.

Valparaiso Matchup to Watch: The Crusaders have proven to be opportunistic this season, scoring on all five of the turnovers it has gained this season. That includes the eventual game-winning touchdown following a Davidson fumble in the third quarter of its Week 4 win. Meanwhile, Morehead State has surrendered a league-high 10 turnovers in 2016, six of those resulting in the opponent scoring.

Morehead State Matchup to Watch: When the Eagles hold on to the ball they have proven to be a potent offense, ranking third in total offense (371.2 ypg) thanks to its second-ranked passing defense (240.8 ypg). But will it be able to bring its rushing game to bear in the Week 5 matchup against Valparaiso? The Eagles run game has averaged just 88.7 yards in three Division I contests this season, scoring three touchdowns. It faces a Valparaiso run defense that allowed 214.5 yards per game and nine touchdown carries.