Nine of the Pioneer Football League's 10 members get their 2009 campaign underway Saturday. However, only three members – Campbell, Drake and Morehead State – will open up at home as six other members hit the road to start the season. Only Dayton will wait until Week 2 to open its 2009 schedule.

Week 1 Previews

Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
at St. Joseph's [Ind.] (0-0)
Noon, Saturday
Valparaiso opens its 89th season of football and the 17th season of PFL action when it meets St. Joseph's. The Crusaders and Pumas are familiar foes and meet for the 62nd time in a series St. Joseph's leads 31-28-2. However, the two old foes have not met since 1996 – a contest Valparaiso won, 43-14. Senior running back Ross Wiemer enters the 2009 season with 1,334 career yards on the ground in his first three seasons at Valparaiso and needs 310 more yards to match Brett Durham (1998-2001) for 10th place on the Crusaders’ all-time rushing list.

Albion (0-0)
at Butler (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
1 p.m., Saturday
Butler begins its 119th football season in the same way it has started its last six – squaring off against Albion. The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings in the series. Butler seeks to regain the momentum that led to a 6-5 record, its best overall win total since joining the PFL. Sophomore defensive end Grant Butler – a preseason All-America pick – returns after earning first-team All-PFL recognition as a freshman when he posted 14 sacks and 18 tackles for loss.

Methodist (0-0)
at Campbell (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
1 p.m., Saturday
Year Two at Campbell opens up when it hosts Methodist at Barker-Lane Stadium. The two squads also opened up the 2008 campaign which saw Campbell fall, 32-21. Sophomore linebacker Milton Brown leads the Campbell defense after earning first-team All-PFL honors last season after a finishing sixth among the league's tacklers with 65 stops.

Jacksonville (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
at Webber International (0-0)
5 p.m., Saturday
Jacksonville, the defending PFL champion, begins its 12th season when it meets Webber International. The Dolphins lead the all-time series, 3-1, including a 51-7 victory last season. Junior running back Rudell Small – already the JU leader in touchdowns in a career (23), season (13) and game (five) – needs just 516 yards to become the Dolphins' all-time career rushing leader. That mark is currently held by Jerry Brant (2,370 yards).

Marist (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
at Sacred Heart (0-0)
6 p.m., Saturday
Marist, the PFL's newest member, opens its 32nd intercollegiate football campaign at Sacred Heart. The Red Foxes and Pioneers have met in each of the last seven seasons and SHU leads the series, 4-3, including wins in the last two seasons. Senior quarterback Chris Debowski will shoulder Marist's offensive load following the departure of running back Obozua Ehikloya – the program's career touchdown leader (40). Debowski racked up 1,993 yards total offense last season and was the Red Foxes second-leading rusher with 464 yards.

Grand View (0-0)
at Drake (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
7 p.m., Saturday
Drake's 116th football season when it hosts Grand View in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The Bulldogs have won their last two season opener's and are 68-41-6 all-time when raising the curtain. A trio of unproven signal callers will hold the reins this season with sophomores Mike Piatkowski earning the right to make his first collegiate debut against Grand View. He emerged ahead of sophomores Peter Badovinac and Pawel Zurkowski at the conclusion of preseason camp.

Davidson (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
at No. 11 Elon (0-0)
7 p.m., Saturday
Davidson's 111th campaign begins with a stern test when it travels to No. 11 Elon. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 16-1, but the two programs have not met since 1954 – a 14-6 Phoenix victory. Davidson will rely on the running back tandem of juniors Kenny Mantuo and Justin Williams to move the ball forward this season. Mantuo is 749 yards shy of breaking into Davidson's career-top 10 rushing platoon while Williams is 825 yards away.

Southern Virginia (0-1)
at Morehead State (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
7 p.m., Saturday
Morehead State will put some tread on the newly-turfed Jayne Stadium when it hosts Southern Virginia in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Senior linebacker Wes McDermott – a unanimous first-team All-PFL pick last season – will join forces with junior Josh Ballard. That duo combined for 170 total tackles, including 30 tackles for a loss, last season.

Azusa Pacific (0-1)
at San Diego (0-0, 0-0 PFL)
9:30 p.m., Saturday
San Diego, the coaches preseason pick to win the PFL, closes out the league's opening weekend when it meets Azusa Pacific. It will be the 42nd meeting between the two teams with APU leading the series, 21-20, while USD has trimmed the margin with four straight victories in the series. Saturday's game has been relocated to nearby Citrus Stadium, a 10,000 seat facility in Glendora, Calif. All eyes will focus on senior quarterback Sebastian Trujillo, a preseason member of the Payton Award Watch List, who passed for 2,822 yards and 35 touchdowns en route to first-team All-PFL honors.