Monday, November 5, 2012

AHEAD IN WEEK 11
Saturday, Nov. 10
Campbell at Jacksonville, Noon
    Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (Milne Field)
    Series: JAC leads, 4-0    Streak: JAC, four wins
    Last Season: Jacksonville def. Campbell, 57-21

Dayton at Marist, Noon
    Location: Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Tenney Stadium)
    Series: Dayton leads, 3-0    Streak: DAY, three wins
    Last Season: Dayton def. Marist, 24-10

Davidson at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
    Location: Valparaiso, Ind. (Brown Field)
    Series: DAV leads, 6-1    Streak: DAV, one win
    Last Season: Davidson def. Valparaiso, 30-22

Butler at Drake, 2 p.m.
    Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
    Series: DRA, 14-6-1    Streak: DRA, two wins
    Last Season: Drake def. Butler, 24-14

Morehead State at San Diego, 9 p.m.
    Location: San Diego, Calif. (Torero Stadium)
    Series: SAN leads, 7-0    Streak: SAN, seven wins
    Last Season: San Diego def. Morehead State, 48-44

All times Eastern.
FCS rankings in brackets prior to school’s name:
[Sports Network Poll/FCS Coaches Poll]

WEEK 11 PREVIEW
HIGHLIGHTS: Can Butler do it? Butler will have the opportunity to claim the 2012 title outright when they travel to Drake, Saturday. Drake has plenty of motivation to spoil Butler’s trip, with a win they can move back into a tie for the title. San Diego also remains an interested party and will host Morehead State after seeing the result of Butler-Drake contest • CAMPBELL returns to the road with a travel down the eastern seaboard to visit JACKSONVILLE. The Fighting Camels struck unusually quickly in their Week 10 loss to Morehead State, scoring 14 first-quarter points – they had scored seven first-quarter points in their previous eight games. Defensive back Jeff Swinton scored on a 67-yard fumble recovery for the program’s eighth defensive score in four seasons of existence. The Dolphins suffered a second-straight loss with a Week 10 loss to Butler that came down to the final seconds. Placekicker Dylan Lynch converted on all three of his field goal tries and has made seven straight after making 3-of-7 to start the season • DAYTON closes out its 2012 campaign with a visit to MARIST. The Flyers Week 10 win assured them at least a .500 mark in PFL play, they have only finished below .500 once (2006) in 20 seasons of PFL play. Cornerback Kyle Sebetic has two interceptions and six pass breakups in the last two weeks. The Red Foxes return to action after seeing their Week 10 contest postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Marist’s red zone defense is ranked first in the FCS, allowing opponents to convert on only 53 percent of their red zone opportunities • DAVIDSON travels to VALPARAISO in a matchup of teams seeking a second PFL win this season. Both the Wildcats and Crusaders picked up their lone win against Campbell. Davidson wideout Lanny Funsten leads the PFL with 7.1 receptions per game and is second with 88.8 yards per game. Valparaiso running back Jake Hutson rushed for 248 yards in the Week 10 win and now is the PFL’s leading freshman rusher, averaging 69.9 yards per game • BUTLER wraps up its 2012 season with a trip to DRAKE in a matchup that will decide the fate of the PFL title. Drake has won the last seven meetings at Drake Stadium, Butler last winning in Des Moines back in 1994. Butler has scored the final points to win three of its last four outings and has only won by an average of 5.3 points in those four games. Quarterback Matt Lancaster leads the PFL with 290.3 total yards per game, including 44.8 rushing yards per game. Drake returns home after suffering a loss at Dayton and will need a win to stay in the hunt for a share of the PFL title. Three Drake players – Joey Orlando (5.0 receptions per game), Kevin Marshall (4.9) and Nick Rosa (4.7) – are respectively ranked sixth, seventh and eighth among the PFL’s receivers • MOREHEAD STATE will put its two-game win streak on the line with a visit to SAN DIEGO which owns an 11-game win streak at Torero Stadium. The Eagles has scored 119 points in its last two PFL contests and scored 42 consecutive points in their Week 10 victory. Wide receiver Donte Sawyer has 15 catches for 215 yards in those two games, accounting for nearly a third of his yardage total (686 yards) this season. The Toreros got an unexpected week off after their game at Marist was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy’s after-effects. San Diego’s defense has held opponents to 16 points in its last three games – wins against Campbell, Jacksonville and Dayton.

NEWS AND NOTES
BUTLER CLAIMS SHARE OF PFL TITLE | With its last second victory against Jacksonville, Nov. 3, Butler claimed a share of the 2012 PFL Championship. It is the Bulldogs third championship and first since the 2009 season. Butler has not won a championship outright, something it can accomplish with a victory at Drake, Saturday.
VALPO’S HUTSON NAMED NATIONAL CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK | Valparaiso redshirt freshman Jake Hutson was named the National FCS Co-Freshman of the Week by The Sports Network, Nov. 5. Hutson carried the ball 28 times for 248 yards and three touchdowns – the best rushing performance by yardage in the PFL since 2005. He also amassed a PFL season-best 323 all-purpose yards. Hutson shared the honor with Appalachian State wideout Sean Price.
OTHER WEEK 10 NATIONAL HONORS | Morehead State’s kick returner Cyrus Strahm and Valparaiso’s Greg Wood earned national honors from the College Football Performance Awards after Week 10 action. Strahm was the national kick returner of the week after his 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Davidson. Wood averaged 53.0 yards on his three punts – all three surpassing the 50-yard mark – with two downed inside the 20-yard line. In addition, five PFL student-athletes received honorable mention recognition from the CFPA.
PFL = PASSING FOOTBALL LEAGUE? | The PFL’s passers have enjoyed near record-breaking seasons through four weeks. The league’s teams are averaging an 241.6 yards per team game, fourth among FCS conferences. Drake’s Mike Piatkowski (292.2 ypg) is ranked seventh and 12th among the FCS’ quarterbacks in passing yards per game. He is one of six PFL signal callers ranked among the top 25 nationally.
HOME SWEET HOME, WEST COAST | San Diego extended its home win streak to 11 games (third-best in the FCS) with a Week 9 win against Dayton. The Toreros will close out their 2012 home schedule with a Nov. 10 contest against Morehead State.
STREAKY ONCE AGAIN | Butler’s seven-game win streak has led it to at least a share of the 2012 PFL title. The Bulldogs streak is the third longest in the FCS currently, behind Lehigh (eight games) and Northern Arizona (seven games).
DOWN, BUT NOT OUT | While Drake and San Diego both have one loss, the PFL regular-season race is far from over. Drake will host Butler in Week 11 with a chance to pull even in the regular-season race. Drake then travels to Jacksonville to close out the regular season. San Diego has three games remaining. It hosts Morehead State in Week 11 before traveling to Davidson. In addition, the Toreros have yet to reschedule their Nov. 3 contest at Marist.
CAMPBELL HEAD COACH STEELE WILL NOT RETURN IN 2013 | The Campbell athletics department announced head football coach Dale Steele will be released at the conclusion of the 2012 season. Coach Steele and his staff will remain with the program through the team’s final game on Nov. 17.  The search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
DAVIDSON HEAD COACH MERRITT DISMISSED | Davdison head coach Tripp Merritt will be released from his contract at season’s end and has been relieved of his coaching responsibilities for the season’s remaining two games, Director of Athletics Jim Murphy announced Monday. Brett Hayford, who has been the associate head coach for the past eight years, will serve as the interim head coach until further notice..