Saturday, September 30, 2023
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

PFL Scoreboard

Davidson 55, San Diego 33
St. Thomas 20, Dayton 14
Marist 34, Stetson 24
Butler 27, Presbyterian 17
Drake 16, Morehead State 9
Valparaiso 16, Southwest Minnesota State 15

PFL Recaps

Davidson 55, San Diego 33

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Mari Adams ran for four touchdowns, leading Davidson to a 55-33 PFL victory against San Diego Saturday at Richardson Stadium. Davidson led 17-16 at the half but broke the game open with a 35-7 outburst on the other side of the break. Adams ran for touchdowns of 38, 4, and 66 yards as part of the burst – the 66-yard run put Davidson ahead 52-19 and secured the win. Adams ran for 169 yards and was one of three 100-yard rushers for the Wildcats, with quarterback Coulter Cleland running for 130 yards and Mason Sheron adding 114 yards. San Diego quarterback Grant Sergent became the PFL’s first 400-yard passer this season, completing 22-of-39 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns.  

St. Thomas 20, Dayton 14

DAYTON, Ohio – St. Thomas scored 20 first-half points and held on late to defeat Dayton 20-14 in Saturday PFL action at Welcome Stadium. Tak Tateoka threw two touchdowns in the opening half. He connected with McElroy for an 18-yard touchdown to open the scoring. The Tommies extended the lead to 20-0 on Jacob Wildermuth’s one-yard touchdown reception to close St. Thomas’ scoring with 4:32 left in the first half. Dayton scored before the halftime break with Dante Casciola 10-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 20-7. Neither team scored in the second half until Dayton’s Cole Dow found Gavin Lochow five-yard touchdown with 4:17 left in the game. Dayton drove to the St. Thomas six-yard line on its final drive of the game, but an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the drive. St. Thomas needed just 223 yards in the win, with Tateoka passing for 100 yards on 15-of-23 passing. Casciola passed for 161 yards to pace Dayton’s offense.

Marist 34, Stetson 24

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Brock Bagozzi found Matt Stianche for a 68-yard touchdown at the start of the second half and Marist made that touchdown hold up for a 34-24 PFL victory against Stetson Saturday at Tenney Stadium. The Red Foxes and Hatters battled to a 21-21 halftime score. Bagozzi put Marist ahead with 33 seconds left with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Willette. Stetson responded quickly as Matt O’Conner led a four-play, 67-yard drive that he capped with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Atkin as the clock hit zero. After Bagozzi’s touchdown pass just 1:34 into the second half, neither team would find the end zone. Daniel Holbrook would hit a 34-yard field goal for Stetson’s final points, narrowing the deficit to 28-24. Chase Gardi connected on field goals from 30 and 20 yards to seal the victory. Amin Woods ran for 232 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries to lead Marist’s offense. O’Connor passed for 291 yards on 20-of-27 passing for two touchdowns for Stetson.

Butler 27, Presbyterian 17

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Butler scored the game’s final 13 points to rally from a halftime deficit for a 27-17 PFL victory against Presbyterian Saturday at the Sellick Bowl. Presbyterian took a 17-14 lead into halftime courtesy Mack Mikko’s 44-yard field goal with 4:24 left in the half. Butler turned the tide on the first possession of the second half as Bret Bushka led a 16-play, 85-yard drive that consumed 8:48 off the clock and his 14-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Lezon put the Bulldogs ahead 21-17. Luka Zurak added field goals of 23 and 20 yards in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Bushka passed for 148 yards and a touchdown while running for 99 yards and another score to lead Butler’s offense. Tyler Wesley’s 17-of-28, 323-yard passing effort paced the Blue Hose.

Drake 16, Morehead State 9

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Drake scored the game’s first 13 points and held on to down Morehead State 16-9 in PFL action Saturday at Jayne Stadium. Dorian Boyland’s 64-yard touchdown run on the opening drive put Drake ahead for good. The Bulldogs extended their lead early in the second quarter when Luke Bailey and Trey Radocha connected on a 15-yard touchdown reception for a 13-0 lead. Morehead State would get on the board just before halftime when Carter Cravens found Ryan Upp for a four-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the deficit to 13-6. However, neither team would find the end zone in the second half, with each team settling for a single field goal as Drake held on for the win. Bailey completed 23-of-36 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown, with Boyland running for 123 yards and a score. Cravens amassed 285 total offensive yards, rushing for a team-best 64 yards and adding 221 yards on 18-of-39 passing.

Valparaiso 16, Southwest Minnesota State 15

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Michael Appel Jr.’s 35-yard touchdown run with 5:14 remaining proved to be the game-winner as Valparaiso rallied from a 15-0 deficit to defeat Southwest Minnesota State 16-15 in non-conference action Saturday at Brown Field. Southwest Minnesota opened the game with a safety, a 65-yard touchdown pass, and a pick-six to open up a 15-0 lead with 13:26 left in the first half. Valparaiso got on the scoreboard four minutes later on Ryan Hawk’s 40-yard field goal. Appel then led Valparaiso to a touchdown with 28 seconds left in the half, finding Brandon Jimenez for a 28-yard touchdown as the Beacons trailed by five points, 15-10, at halftime. Valparaiso won despite amassing only 179 offensive yards, Appel passing for 78 yards and running for another 20 yards.