Friday, November 11, 2016
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

Ten of the PFL's 11 members are in action during Week 11, the penultimate week of the FCS regular season. The marquee matchup is the week's final game which will see San Diego host Stetson with an opportunity to clinch a share of the PFL title and claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Playoffs. The day's first contest also holds some intrigue as Dayton travels to Marist in a battle of the league's two one-loss squads. The PFL's annual "Bulldogs Battle" takes place in Des Moines, Iowa this year as Butler travels to Drake. Other action in the league sees Campbell travel to Morehead State while Jacksonville travels to Morehead State.

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

Setting the Scene: Dayton concludes its 2016 slate when it travels to Marist in a battle of the PFL’s two one-loss squads. The Flyers, who have won six straight since a PFL-opening loss at San Diego, are seeking their 17th finish as one of the league’s top two teams. Head coach Rick Chamberlin, who has 54 PFL wins to his credit, also enters the contest needing a win to tie Mike Kelly, his former boss, for most PFL wins as head coach. Marist rebounded nicely from its first PFL loss this season with a win at Stetson in Week 10. The Red Foxes are looking to secure their best PFL finish since the 2013 season when they were co-champions.

Dayton Story to Watch: Defend the pass. Dayton enters the week as one of the FCS’ leaders in interceptions, with 17 picks (12 in PFL play) to its credit. The Flyers defense will have its opportunities against a Marist offense that is the league’s most reliant on the passing game, with over 75 percent of its offense via the passing game. However, the Red Foxes have been intercepted just three times in PFL play.

Marist Story to Watch: Stop the run. Marist also is among the nation’s interceptions leaders with 16 INTs (13 in PFL play) entering this weekend’s action. However, the Flyers are the PFL’s second-best rushing squad, averaging 232 yards per PFL game with 18 touchdowns on the ground. The Red Foxes rank seventh against the run in PFL action, permitting 160.3 yards per PFL game. Marist has forced just three fumbles in PFL play, while Dayton has lost just three fumbles.

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

Setting the Scene: Two teams seeking win No. 3 in PFL play will square off when Campbell travels to Morehead State. The Camels make the trek after posting their first shutout in PFL play last week to end a three-game losing skid. Morehead State ended their own three-game losing streak with an emphatic 54-point outing at Butler last week.

Campbell Story to Watch: Get to 200. The Camels have been particularly effective when getting 200 rushing yards this season, posting a 5-1 record in those outings. That includes last week’s win against Davidson when they hit the 200 mark on the nose. Morehead State enters the week ranked 11th against the run in PFL play, permitting 240.3 yards per game. That average includes allowing 400-plus yards to the league’s No. 1 (Jacksonville) and No. 2 (Dayton) rushing teams, Campbell ranking No. 3 in the category.

Morehead State Story to Watch: Keep trending upwards. Morehead State’s prolific offense, which ranks No. 1 in yardage (491.5 ypg) and No. 2 in scoring (38.0 ppg) in PFL play, has posted an improvement on the scoreboard in each of its last four games. The Eagles 54-point outburst at Butler was just two points shy of equaling its season best set in Week 3. Morehead State may have an uphill battle against one of the league’s top defensive units, Campbell ranking No. 3 in scoring defense (22.8 ppg) and No. 2 in total yardage (323.8 ypg).

Jacksonville at Valparaiso, 1 p.m.
Video: Not Available

Setting the Scene: Valparaiso closes out its 2016 campaign when it hosts Jacksonville. The Crusaders bring a three-game losing streak into their season finale, but enter the contest seeking a third PFL win, which would be its most since 2003. Jacksonville saw a home win slip through its fingers last week. Still a win in either of the Dolphins final two contests will assure it a finish above the .500 mark in PFL play.

Jacksonville Story to Watch: Lean on Wells. Jacksonville quarterback Rylan Wells has quietly put together consecutive 100-yard rushing performances. He posted 101 rushing yards in last week’s loss, a week after a 110-yard rushing performance against Davidson. Prior to those two games, he had just 154 rushing yards in six games. Valparaiso has proved to be solidly in the middle of the pack against the run in PFL play, ranking sixth with 155.7 rushing yards allowed per game.

Valparaiso Story to Watch: Keep pounding the ball. Valparaiso found success against Dayton where few have this season… on the ground. The Crusaders rolled to a season-high tying 182 rushing yards and a season-best three touchdowns on the ground against the Flyers. It was the third most rushing yards and most rushing touchdowns permitted by Dayton this season. Jacksonville enters the week ranked No. 9 against the run in PFL play, permitting 189 yards per game., and has allowed 1,035 rushing yards (345 ypg) and 10 rushing touchdowns over its last three games.

Butler at Drake, 2 p.m.
Video: GoDrakeBulldogs.com

Setting the Scene: The annual “Battle of the Bulldogs” gets its turn in Des Moines, Iowa when Drake hosts Butler. The two teams are on opposite sides of the PFL standings entering the contest with Drake seeking a fifth PFL win while Butler is searching for its third PFL victory. The Bulldogs return home after slipping out of Jacksonville with a come-from-behind victory last week, its second-straight win. Butler could not contain Morehead State in last week’s home loss, but has won its last two road games.

Butler Story to Watch: Hold the Line. With its offense averaging just 20.7 points per PFL game (No. 9 in the league), the defensive effort is a premium. That has been borne out this season by Butler’s 4-0 record when holding teams to 17 points or less and its 0-6 record when allowing more than that. However, Drake has been held to less than 17 points just twice this season, that coming at the hands of the league’s top two defensive units: San Diego (No. 1, 9.2 ppg) and Dayton (No. 2, 19.1 ppg).

Drake Story to Watch: Something about 28. Drake won its fifth consecutive game when scoring 28 points this season, improving to 5-2 when reaching that mark. Quarterback Grant Kraemer has been a key in those wins, posting a 4-0 record when he throws two touchdowns (Drake is 1-4 when he doesn’t).  Butler has been susceptible to the pass in PFL play, ranking No. 11 in passing yardage allowed (299.7 ypg) and allowing 15 touchdowns through the air.

Stetson at San Diego, 4 p.m.
Video: TheW.tv

Setting the Scene: San Diego’s first opportunity to lock up its second trip to the NCAA FCS Championship tournament arrives this week when it hosts Stetson. The Toreros have been tough to beat this season, their only loss coming at nationally-ranked Cal Poly in Week 2. However, PFL foes have found it particularly tough to win at Torero Stadium where USD has not lost a league outing since Oct. 9, 2010. Stetson returns to the road where it has enjoyed the bulk of its success this season, posting a 3-1 record away from Spec Martin Stadium.

Stetson Story to Watch: Make a home in the backfield. Stetson’s strength has been its ability to get into an opponent’s back field and wreak havoc, leading all FCS squads in tackles for loss (10.0 pg) and 44th in sacks (2.11 pg). Opponents have lost an average of 36.3 yards per game due to that Stetson effort. However, San Diego has been one of the FCS’ best at avoiding those situations, with just one sack allowed (2nd in the FCS) and only 4.25 tackles for loss per game (13th in FCS), amounting to only 15.8 yards lost per game.

San Diego Story to Watch: Keep doing what got you here. It’s one thing to own the nation’s top defense, limiting opponents to 11.6 points per game. It’s another to place the nation’s 16th-ranked offense on the field as well, averaging 35.9 points per game. The Toreros +24.3 scoring margin ranks third among FCS squads, but widens to +31.5 in PFL play. Stetson ranks fifth among PFL squads in scoring defense despite ranking third in total defense, limiting teams to 339.7 yards per game, and leading all PFL defenses in red zone defense, permitting only a 69.6 percent conversion rate in the red zone.