The PFL’s three unbeatens will square off against one another during the season’s final three weeks. First up is the Week 10 match up between Butler and Dayton. Meanwhile, Drake, the league’s other unbeaten, hosts PFL first-time winner Campbell. Valparaiso seeks its season’s first PFL win at Jacksonville while Davidson heads cross country to visit San Diego. Elsewhere, Marist steps out of PFL conference action to host former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference conference foe Georgetown. Morehead State will get the week off after nine straight weeks of action.
This weekend's action also takes place on the Sixth Annual National College Football Day. Observed on the first Saturday of November, National College Football day was created by the AT&T Cotton Bowl six years ago as a way to pay tribute to a significant moment in our nation’s history. On Nov. 6, 1869, Rutgers defeated Princeton, 6-4. More importantly, those college athletes left a lasting legacy that would evolve into the great spectacle of football. In 2006, the holiday took on added significance when the Classic teamed up with The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the National Association of Collegiate Football Officials (NACFO),
the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), the Athletic Equipment Managers Association (AEMA) and the
College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA) have teamed up with the AT&T Cotton Bowl
Classic and The V Foundation for Cancer Research as official partners of the Sixth Annual National College Football Day.
Week 10 Preview
Butler at Dayton, 1 p.m.
Location: Dayton, Ohio (Welcome Stadium)
Series: DAY leads, 25-8-1
Streak: DAY, two wins
[Butler Game Notes | Dayton Game Notes]
Butler, one of the FCS’s last unbeaten teams, travels to Dayton, the league’s nine-time champion. Butler survived its Week 9 scare from Davidson and has won its five league outings by just 31 points (6.2 ppg). Dayton also survived a scare from San Diego last week but has won its five league outings by 88 points (17.6 ppg). Butler has won its three road trips this season while Dayton is 3-1 at home after a season-opening home loss.
Who to watch: It's an old storyline... the irresistable force meeting the immovable object. Saturday, the irresistable force will be a Butler offense that leads the PFL in both yards per game (400.9) and points per game (30.8). Sophomore quarterback Andrew Huck leads the Bulldogs offensive attack and leads the PFL with 265.5 total offensive yards per game. He ranks third in passing yards (209.0 ypg) and is third among the league's quarterbacks in rushing yards per game (47.5 ypg). The immovable object is the Dayton defense which leads the PFL in both total defense (223.0 yards allowed per game) and defensive points allowed (12.1 ppg). Senior defensive back James Vercammen leads the Flyer defensive effort and leads the PFL in tackles (12.1 pg) while ranking third in tackles for loss (1.62) and tenth in sacks (0.50)
Valparaiso at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (Milne Stadium)
Series: JAC leads, 3-2
Streak: JAC, one win
[Valparaiso Game Notes | Jacksonville Game Notes]
Valparaiso seeks to end its six-game losing streak with a visit to Jacksonville. The Crusaders have not scored more than two touchdowns in any of their PFL outings, including being shutout at Marist last week. The Dolphins have scored more than 30 points in each of their last three outings, but surrendered a season-high 45 to Drake in last week’s loss.
Who to watch: Valparaiso, seeking to end its six-game losing streak, will turn to sophomore quarterback Bobby Wysocki who ranks ninth in both passing yardage (92.8 ypg) and total offensive yards (121.8 ypg). Jacksonville junior running back Rudell Small put together his second consecutive 100-yard outing against Drake, carrying the ball 19 times for 100 yards, and now leads the PFL rushing corps with 97.0 yards per game and 776 total yards.
Georgetown at Marist, 1 p.m.
Location: Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Tenney Stadium)
Series: Georgetown leads, 10-2
Streak: Georgetown, one win
[Marist Game Notes]
Marist steps out of PFL play in Week 10 to host Georgetown. The two were members of the former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League from 1994-99. Marist has won the last two meetings in Poughkeepsie (2001, 2007), but has needed overtime in both instances.
Who to watch: Marist has shown a much improved passing game during its current three-game win streak with bothsenior quarterback Chris Debowski and senior wideout James LaMacchia playing well above their respective season averages during the streak. Debowski has averaged 216.7 yards during the streak, bringing his season average up to 161.7 yards per outing. LaMacchia has been his favorite target, averaging 122.7 yards during the win streak and upping his season average to 103.5 yards per game.
Campbell at Drake, 2 p.m.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
Series: DRA leads, 1-0
Streak: DRA, one win
[Campbell Game Notes | Drake Game Notes]
Fresh off its first-ever PFL victory, Campbell takes to the road to visit Drake, the league’s third unbeaten team. The Camels needed a come-from-behind effort to down Morehead State for its PFL victory last week. Drake won a shootout with Jacksonville last week and is unbeaten at home (4-0) this season.
Who to watch: If Campbell is to play spoiler, it will have to rely on its defense to step up. While the Camels defense is ranked last in the PFL, its not because of the pass defense which is ranked sixth in yards allowed (177.4 ypg) and seventh defensive pass efficiency (126.5). PFL Defensive Player of the Week Cody Lyon helped both those numbers with a pair of interceptions last week. Meanwhile, the Drake passing offense is ranked third in yardage (216.5 ypg) and fourth in efficiency (132.4). Last week the Bulldogs used the quarterback combo of sophomore Mike Piatkowski and redshirt freshman Pete Badovinac to pull off the come-from behind win. Piatkowski three three touchdowns and ran for another before Badovinac stepped in and engineered a pair of touchdown drives.
Davidson at San Diego, 4 p.m.
Location: San Diego, Calif. (Torero Stadium)
Series: SAN leads, 5-1
Streak: SAN, five wins
[Davidson Game Notes | San Diego Game Notes]
Davidson makes the trek from North Carolina to California to square off against San Diego. Both teams bring three-game losing streaks to the contest. The Wildcats dropped a 14-7 decision at Butler while the Toreros dropped a 21-14 decision
at Dayton. San Diego has lost two straight at Torero Stadium (1-2) but Davidson has not won a road contest this season (0-4).
Who to watch: Davidson junior running back Kenny Mantuo ran for a career-high 147 yards in Davidson's Week 9 loss. It was his second 100-yard rushing performance, rushing for a then-career high 135 yards in Davidson's win against Campbell, Sept. 19. He currently ranks fourth among the PFL's rushers, averaging 69.5 yards per game. San Diego's quarterback woes continue as they have been forced to move to their third starting quarterback this season. True freshman Bo Stompro took over the reins against Dayton after red-shirt freshman Sam Scudellari was ruled out for the season due to an injury. Scudellari took over after senior Seb Trujillo left the program earlier this season for personal reasons. The Toreros have used four quarterbacks this season with junior Justin Fontenberry also picking up time this campaign.
