Monday, September 24, 2018
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

WEEK 5 QUICK THOUGHTS | All 10 PFL teams are in action during Week 5, with a full slate of PFL contests on tap… The week’s key matchup will see unbeaten Stetson head cross-country to face preseason favorite San Diego… The Hatters have not won a game in the previous five meetings in the series but they are coming off a game that saw them run 93 offensive plays against Marist… The Toreros return to action after its off week having won their last three PFL openers and will put long win streaks in PFL play and at home (see below) on the line… Dayton, which won its PFL opener last week, will seek its first road win of 2018 when it travels to Marist, which is seeking its first win this season… It’s been a long respite from the football fray for Jacksonville, which has had back-to-back off weeks after seeing a Week 3 contest canceled by Hurricane Florence before its scheduled Week 4 off… The Dolphins return to play will see them host Drake in a series dominated by the Bulldogs, including wins in each of the last three meetings… Morehead State travels to Butler in a contest that sees both teams returning from an off week seeking defensive improvement… the Eagles allowed 78 in their last outing at home to Austin Peay while the Bulldogs surrendered 50 points at home to Princeton… Davidson will seek to recover from its PFL-opening loss when it returns north to face Valparaiso… the Wildcats seek an end to their long PFL losing streak while the Crusaders will seek a fourth-straight win in the series.

WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
All times Eastern.

Morehead State at Butler, 1 p.m.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Stadium: Sellick Bowl
Series: MOR leads, 14-7    Streak: BUT, one win
Last Meeting: Butler def. Morehead State, 44-6 (2017)
Video: Facebook Live

Drake at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Stadium: D.B. Milne Field
Series: DRA leads, 15-3    Streak: DRA, three wins
Last Meeting: Drake def. Jacksonville, 52-7 (2017)
Video: ESPN3

Dayton at Marist, 1 p.m.
Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
Stadium: Tenney Stadium
Series: DAY leads, 8-1    Streak: DAY, four wins
Last Meeting: Dayton def. Marist, 36-17 (2017)
Video: GoRedFoxes.com

Davidson at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana
Stadium: Brown Field
Series: DAV leads, 7-4    Streak: VAL, three wins
Last Meeting: Valparaiso def. Davidson, 24-20 (2016)
Video: ESPN3

Stetson at San Diego, 5 p.m.
Location: San Diego, California
Stadium: Torero Stadium
Series: SAN leads, 5-0
Last Meeting: San Diego def. Stetson, 48-7 (2017)
Video: TBA

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

OPENER STREAKS | Here’s a quick look at each team’s current streak in PFL openers, records are since the return to single division play in 2006. San Diego has won 11 of its 12 PFL openers since the return to one division with Drake and Jacksonville close behind at 10 wins. Records below include 2018 openers for those teams that opened PFL play in Week 4:

CHAMBERLIN FIRST COACH TO 60 PFL WINS | Dayton head coach Rick Chamberlin became the first coach to win 60 PFL contests when the Flyers defeated Davidson in Week 4. Chamberlin became the PFL’s all-time wins leader last season, passing his longtime mentor Mike Kelley who held the record since 2007.

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. It is the second-longest active FCS conference winning streak behind Jacksonville State’s 33-game win streak in Ohio Valley Conference play.

TOREROS ALSO OWN NATION’S #2 HOME WIN STREAK | San Diego also owns a 17-game home winning streak that dates back to a season-ending loss in 2014 (Cal Poly). It is the second-longest active home win streak in the FCS behind James Madison’s 19-game home win streak.

FOUR PFL ALUMNI DOT NFL ACTIVE ROSTERS ON OPENING DAY | As the National Football League season began, four Pioneer Football League alumni were on active rosters across the league. In addition, two other league alumni were on their team’s reserved roster or PUP list. The complete list of PFL alumni in the NFL can be found in the PDF version of the PFL Weekly Notes.

LEISRING LONE FCS REP ON LOTT IMPACT TROPHY WATCH LIST | Dayton’s David Leisring is the lone FCS representative named to the 2018 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. Established by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, the Lott IMPACT Trophy honors college football’s best in character and performance. The IMPACT award is awarded annually to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of athletics and recognizes college football’s Defensive Player of the Year who best exemplifies the IMPACT acronym: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

FIVE PFL ATHLETES EARNING SECOND DEGREE WHILE ON FIELD IN 2018 | Five Pioneer Football League student-athletes are among nearly 1,200 football student-athletes who have already earned their undergraduate degrees and are playing football this fall while pursuing their second degree, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame has determined. Alex Jeske and Nick Surges of Dayton, Marshal Davis of Jacksonville, Skyler Lane of Morehead State and Gaven DeFilippo of Stetson are the PFL student-athletes playing for their respective teams after previously earning their undergraduate degree.

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 kickers were two 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.

BUTLER WIN ENDS PFL’S LONG DROUGHT AGAINST MVFC | Butler’s Week 1 win at Youngstown State was the first win by a PFL member against a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference since 2007 when Drake defeated Illinois State.

DAYTON’S SCORING STREAK HITS 467 GAMES | The nation’s longest streak of games without being shutout belongs to Dayton, which extended its streak to 467 games at Southeast Missouri. That streak includes 272 games as an FCS member that is second among active FCS-only streaks. Montana holds the FCS-only longest streak without being shutout at 382 games which dates back to 1989. On the FBS side, Florida holds that subdivision’s longest streak of games without being shutout at 373, dating back to the 1988 season. Meanwhile, the Flyers streak dates back to 1976 when it suffered a 9-0 loss to Marshall.