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11/13/2009
Plenty to play for in PFL's penultimate week
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The PFL’s two remaining unbeaten teams will have to buck history if they are to stay unbeaten following Week 11. Butler hits the road to face a Jacksonville squad it has not beaten in four tries. Drake closes out its home schedule against a Dayton team that has won the last six meetings in Drake Stadium. Elsewhere, Marist looks to extend its win streak to six games with a visit to Davidson, San Diego ends its PFL slate at winless Morehead State and Campbell visits Valparaiso for the first time.

Week 11 Preview

Butler at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (D.B. Milne Field)
Series: JAC leads, 4-0
Streak: JAC, four wins
[Butler Game Notes | Jacksonville Game Notes]

Butler enters Week 11 as one of just two FCS unbeaten squads but will have to post its first-ever victory against Jacksonville to remain perfect through 11 weeks. The Bulldogs survived a Hail Mary at Dayton to win in Week 10 but saw its average margin of victory fall to 5.7 points in PFL play this season. The Dolphins rebounded from their second PFL loss with a home victory against Valparaiso in Week 10 and boast the league’s top-scoring offense, averaging 35.7 points per PFL game.
Who to watch: Butler's defense will be called upon to slow down the PFL's top-scoring offense. The Bulldogs should be up to the task, entering the weekend ranked third among the league's defense in scoring average, surrendering just 17.0 points per game. Butler does not have an individual tackler among the league's top-20, but sophomore Grant Hunter – a preseason All-America honoree – leads the league in sacks average (1.07 pg) and is fifth in tackles for loss average (1.50 pg). For Jacksonville its a case of keep on keeping on as it boasts the league's top offense in scoring (31.2 ppg) and second-best in yardage (391.9 ypg). Junior running back Rudell Small is providing the ground attack, averaging a league-best 103.0 yards per game. Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Josh McGregor leads the air attack, averaging a league-best 257.1 yards per game and throwing a league-leading 26 touchdowns. 

Marist at Davidson, 1 p.m.
Location: Davidson, N.C. (Richardson Stadium)
Series: MAR leads, 1-0
Streak: MAR, one win
[Marist Game Notes | Davidson Game Notes]

Marist has quietly won five straight contests, including its last four PFL outings, and travels to Davidson which has won two of its three PFL outings at home this season. The Red Foxes extended their win streak with a non-conference victory against Georgetown but scored 23 points, the fewest in any of its six victories this season. The Wildcats ended a three-game losing streak with a victory at San Diego, scoring a season-high 34 points, and return home where they are 2-2 this season.
Who to watch: Marist's offense continues to be led by the senior duo of quarterback Chris Debowski and running back O'Neill Anderson. Anderson is ranked second among the league's rushers (79.4 ypg) with the second-most rush attempts (162). Debowski is ranked fifth in total offense (178.4 ypg) and fifth in passing yardage (159.5). Davidson's ground game has provided the offensive punch this season, averaging 156.9 yards per game and is ranked third in the PFL behind Butler and Campbell. Junior running back Kenny Mantuo is ranked fifth in individual rushing (68.2 ypg) and junior quarterback Michael Blanchard is ranked seventh among the league's rushers (49.2 ypg) with the duo combining to score nine of Davidson's 15 touchdowns this season.

San Diego at Morehead State, 1 p.m.
Location: Morehead, Ky. (Jayne Stadium)
Series: SAN leads, 5-0
Streak: SAN, five wins
[San Diego Game Notes | Morehead State Game Notes]

San Diego will close out its PFL schedule with a trip to Morehead State. The Toreros have battled quarterback injury woes all season and enter Saturday’s contest with a four-game losing streak after falling to Davidson in Week 10. The Eagles took Week 10 off and will seek its season’s first PFL victory but will need to win for the first time in its series against San Diego.
Who to watch: Both the Toreros and Eagles have had quarterback woes this season. The Toreros current signal caller is freshman Bo Stompro who has two starts under his belt and has averaged 193.0 passing yards per game. The Eagles counter with freshman Zach Lewis who is schedule to make his third career start, Saturday, and has averaged 89.8 passing yards per game in five appearances this season.

Campbell at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Ind. (Brown Field)
Series: VAL leads, 1-0
Streak: VAL, one win
[Campbell Game Notes | Valparaiso Game Notes]

Campbell makes its final regular-season road trip when it visits Valparaiso. The Camels have not won on the road this season, a streak lengthened with its loss at Drake last week. The Crusaders are seeking their season’s first PFL victory after falling at Jacksonville last week despite posting 20 points – its third outing 20 or more points this season.
Who to watch: Campbell ranks second among the league's 10 members in rushing, averaging 181.3 yards per game, and that without a single rusher averaging more than 50 yards per game. In all 13 Camels have carried the ball this season, but none more than junior quarterback Daniel Polk who leads the team with 119 carries and 431 yards (47.9 ypg). Entering last week's contest with just 108 passing yards to his credit, junior Nate Goergen put together a 21-of-35, 261-yard performance that included two touchdown tosses. In six appearances this season, Goergen has completed 49 percent of his passes and compiled a 108.52 pass efficiency rating.

Dayton at Drake, 4 p.m.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
Series: DAY leads, 21-4
Streak: DAY, two wins
[Dayton Game Notes | Drake Game Notes]

Dayton, freshly knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten, will seek to rebound when it travels to Drake. The Flyers dropped its first PFL contest to unbeaten Butler last week but travels to Des Moines where it has not lost in its last six visits. The Bulldogs won their sixth-straight contest by downing Campbell in Week 10, scoring a season-high 49 points – the second straight week they have scored more than 40 points.
Who to watch: If you're a fan of defensive battles, this is the game for you. Two of the FCS' best defenses will square off as Dayton looks to stay alive in the PFL championship race while Drake seeks to remain unbeaten in PFL action. The Flyers bring the nation's fourth-ranked defense (240.6 ypg) to the fray with the FCS' top-ranked passing defense using defensive pass efficency (95.21 rating). The Bulldogs bring the FCS' seventh-ranked defense (260.44) into Saturday's battle and boast the nation's eighth-ranked rushing defense (84.0 ypg). Individually, Dayton senior linebacker James Vercammen leads the league with 12.3 tackles per game and is ranked fourth in tackles for loss, averaging 1.56 backfield stops per game. Meanwhile, Drake senior linebacker Cale Hunt is ranked seventh among PFL tacklers with 7.9 tackles per game while senior defensive end Dain Taylor leads the league in tackles for loss, averaging 1.72 per game this season.