Monday, September 3, 2018
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

After posting a 6-2 record during the opening weekend, nine of the PFL's 10 teams are scheduled to be in action around the nation. After an opening weekend that saw the Butler Bulldogs take a bite out of then-nationally ranked Youngstown State, the Drake Bulldogs will get their chance to join the upset club when they travel to nationally-ranked Montana for what is now Drake's season opener after its Week 1 game was canceled due to weather. Valparaiso also will open its season in Week 2 when it travels to Duquesne seeking to reverse last season's narrow defeat. Dayton will make the return trip to Southeast Missouri looking for a repeat of last season's meeting when it became the first PFL team since 2000 to defeat an Ohio Valley Conference squad. San Diego makes its first road trip of the season as well when it meets a UC Davis squad that knocked off FBS foe UTEP in the season's opening week. Also on the road in Week 2, Jacksonville faces former PFL member Mercer which opened its season with a loss at Memphis. Fresh off its big opening week victory, Butler will stay in Indiana for a Week 2 matchup at Taylor University. Morehead State, which is between fixtures against Ohio Valley Conference foes, will open its home slate against Mt. St. Joseph University. Stetson remains home for the second straight week and will host Waldorf, which will make the long trek to the Sunshine State from Iowa. Meanwhile, it's another in-state foe on the docket for Davidson when Chowan visits Richardson Stadium. None of the league's nine contests in Week 2 feature a series history longer than three games, with four first-time meetings dotting the schedule as Drake, Morehead State, Stetson and Davidson all tackle first-time opponents. 

AHEAD IN WEEK 2
All times Eastern.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Valparaiso at Duquesne, Noon
Location: Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Stadium:  Rooney Athletic Field
Series: DUQ leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Duquesne def. Valparaiso, 45-40
Video: NEC Front Row

Dayton at Southeast Missouri, 2 p.m.
Location: Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Stadium:  Houck Stadium
Series: DAY leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Dayton def. Southeast Missouri, 25-23 (2017)
Video: ESPN+

Drake at #14/16 Montana, 3 p.m.
Location: Missoula, Montana
Stadium:  Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Series: First Meeting
Video: GoGriz.com

Mt. St. Joseph at Morehead State, 6 p.m.
Location: Morehead, Kentucky
Stadium:  Jayne Stadium
Series: First Meeting
Video: ESPN+

Butler at Taylor, 6 p.m.
Location: Upland, Indiana
Stadium:  Turner Stadium
Series: BUT leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Butler def. Taylor, 23-6 (2011)
Video: Youtube @ TaylorAthletics

Jacksonville at Mercer, 6 p.m.
Location: Macon, Georgia
Stadium:  Five Star Stadium
Series: MER leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Mercer def. Jacksonville, 48-7 (2017)
Video: ESPN3

Waldorf (Iowa) at Stetson, 6 p.m.
Location: DeLand, Florida
Stadium:  Spec Martin Municipal Stadium
Series: First Meeting
Video: GoHatters.com

Chowan at Davidson, 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, North Carolina
Stadium:  Richardson Stadium
Series: First Meeting
Video: DavidsonWildcats.com

San Diego at UC Davis, 10 p.m.
Location: Davis, California
Stadium:  Aggie Stadium
Series: UCD leads, 2-1    Streak: UCD, one win
Last Meeting: UC Davis def. San Diego, 31-3 (2011)
Video: WatchBigSky.com

Off Week: Marist

LATEST PFL NEWS AND NOTES
Complete news and notes available in PDF version

TEMPLE TAKES NATIONAL OFFENSIVE HONOR IN WEEK 1 | Butler wideout Pace Temple led all FCS receivers with 14 catches and recorded 167 receiving yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs past nationally-ranked Youngstown State in Week 1. In addition to his offensive duties, Temple recovered a pivotal on-side kick late in the fourth quarter to set up Butler’s game-winning drive.

BEVELHIMER & DONLEY NAMED TO MITCHELL AWARD WATCH LIST | Butler’s Drew Bevelhimer and Drake’s Danny Donnley were each named to the 2018 Fred Mitchell Award Watch List just prior to the season starting. The junior kicker was one of  34 placekickers from the FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA ranks to earn a spot on the award’s preseason list which recognizes placekickers for their excellence on the field and their continued community service.

SAN DIEGO SEEKS TO EXTEND PFL RECORD WIN STREAK | San Diego brings a PFL record 21-game win streak in conference-only games into the 2018 season. The Toreros have posted unblemished 8-0 marks in PFL play in both 2016 and 2017. San Diego’s last PFL loss was a 13-12 loss to Dayton on Oct. 10, 2015 in Dayton, Ohio.

DAYTON’S SCORING STREAK AT 466 GAMES | The nation’s longest streak of games without being shutout belongs to Dayton, which extended its streak to 466 games with a victory against Robert Morris to begin 2018. That streak includes 271 games as a FCS member that is second among active FCS-only streaks. Montana holds the FCS-only longest streak without being shutout at 381 games which dates back to 1989. On the FBS side, Florida holds that subdivision’s longest streak of games without being shutout at 372, dating back to the 1988 season. Meanwhile, the Flyers streak dates back to 1976 when it suffered a 9-0 loss to Marshall.

12 FIRST-TEAM ALL-PFL RETURNEES HIGHLIGHT PRESEASON SQUAD | The 31-member Preseason All-PFL squad was loaded with 12 First-Team All-PFL selections from the 2017 season returning. Seven of those first-team returnees can be found on offense with the San Diego quarterback Anthony Lawrence, the 2017 PFL Offensive Player of the Year, highlighting the group. Marist linebacker Willie Barrett is one of three 2017 First-Team All-PFL picks returning on defense while Dayton punter Sean Smith is one of two returning first-team honorees. Six different teams have a First-Team All-PFL returnee on their roster in 2018.

SAN DIEGO PICKED TO WIN PFL | For the eighth consecutive year, the University of San Diego has been picked to win the Pioneer Football League regular-season race in a preseason vote of the league’s coaches. The Toreros, which have won regular-season title and then advanced to the second round of the FCS Championship in back-to-back seasons, were chosen just ahead of Dayton in polling that was dominated by the two teams. San Diego and Dayton combined to receive all available first-place votes (coaches could not vote for their own team). The Toreros received a maximum nine first-place votes to finish with 81 points of the maximum 100 points possible. The Flyers earned the other first-place vote and finished with 72 points.

COONEY NAMED TO FOUR FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA SQUADS | San Diego senior offensive lineman Daniel Cooney received plenty of national preseason attention, earning recognition on four preseason All-America teams. The STATS FCS, Athlon Sports, Phil Steele FCS Magazine and Hero Sports groups each recognized the 6-8, 315-pound lineman from Western Springs, Illinois on their respective preseason squads.

FOUR NOMINATED FOR ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM | Four Pioneer Football League student-athletes were among 169 nominees from across the country for the 27th edition of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. Drew Bevelhimer (Butler), Nathan Clayberg (Drake), Jake Dempsey (Jacksonville) and Kyle Hamrick (Stetson) were nominated for the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. In order to meet the criteria set forth by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.

PFL ALUMNUS NAMED TO NFL ALL-PRO TEAM | San Diego’s Jamal Agnew was named an NFL All-Pro selection by the Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association and Sports News after an impressive rookie campaign with Detroit. Primarily a return specialist for the Lions, Agnew finished 2017 leading the NFL with 447 punt return yards while scoring two punt return touchdowns.