Monday, September 7, 2015
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

AHEAD IN WEEK 2

All times Eastern.
FCS rankings in brackets following school’s name: [STATS FCS Poll/FCS Coaches Poll]

Saturday, Sept. 12

Jacksonville [RV/RV] at Newberry, 1 p.m.
Location: Newberry, South Carolina
Stadium: Setzler Field (4,000)
Series: First Meeting
Video: NewberryWolves.tv

Morehead State at VMI, 1:30 p.m.
Location: Lexington, Virginia
Stadium: Alumni Memorial Field (10,000)
Series: MOR leads 1-0    Streak: MOR, one win
Last Meeting: Morehead State def. VMI, 41-38 (Oct. 24, 1998)
Video: Not Available

Sacred Heart [RV/—] at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana
Stadium: Brown Field (5,000)
Series: First Meeting
Video: Not Available

Chowan at Campbell, 6 p.m.
Location: Buies Creek, North Carolina
Stadium: Barker-Lane Stadium (5,000)
Series: First Meeting
Video: BigSouthNetwork.com

Marist at Georgetown, 6 p.m.
Location: Washington, D.C.
Stadium: Multi-Sport Field (2,500)
Series: GU leads, 13-4    Streak: GU, one win
Last Meeting: Georgetown def. Marist, 27-7 (Sept. 13, 2014)
Video: GUHoyas.com

Stetson at Mercer, 6 p.m.
Location: Macon, Georgia
Stadium: Five Star Stadium (10,200)
Series: Mercer def. Stetson, 49-0 (Sept. 13, 2014)
Video: ESPN3.com

Drake at North Dakota [RV/RV], 6 p.m.
Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
Stadium: Alerus Center (12,283)
Series: UND leads 1-0    Streak: UND, one win
Last Meeting: North Dakota def. Drake, 16-0 (2011)
Television: FCS Pacific

Franklin at Butler, 6:30 p.m.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Stadium: Butler Bowl (6,500)
Series: BUT leads, 38-16-2    Streak: BUT, one win
Last Meeting: Butler def. Franklin, 31-28 (Sept. 14, 2013)
Video: ButlerSports.com

Catawba at Davidson, 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, North Carolina
Stadium: Richardson Stadium (4,500)
Series: First Meeting
Video: DavidsonWildcats.com

Western New Mexico at San Diego, 9 p.m.
Location: San Diego, California
Stadium: Torero Stadium (7,000)
Series: SAN leads, 4-0    Streak: SAN, four wins
Last Meeting: San Diego def. Western New Mexico, 23-17 (Sept. 6, 2014)
Video: USDToreros.com

Off Week: Dayton

WEEK 2 KICKOFF CAPSULES

Jacksonville (1-0) at Newberry (1-0), 1 p.m.
After its season-opening win, Jacksonville travels to Division II Newberry, which is opening a three-game homestand. The Dolphins’ season-opening three-game road trip got off to a successful start with a Week 1 win at Delaware, its first season-opening win since 2010. Dolphins quarterback Kade Bell was named the PFL Offensive Player of the Week after passing for 269 yards and a touchdown last week. In addition, Jacksonville’s defense contributed a touchdown courtesy linebacker Justin Horton’s fumble recovery in the end zone. That capped a defensive effort that held the Blue Hens to just 297 offensive yards.

Morehead State (0-1) at VMI (0-1), 1:30 p.m.
Morehead State concludes its season-opening two-game road trip when it meets VMI, Saturday. The Eagles will look to take a step forward after a tough opening night at nationally-ranked James Madison in Week 1 that saw them out-gained by a 713-252 margin. Quarterback Austin Gahafer completed 18 passes for 173 yards and scored MSU’s lone touchdown on a one-yard dash in the second quarter. Wide Receiver Jake Raymond caught 11 passes for 130 yards, just 10 yards shy of his career-best mark. Linebacker Ryan Bennett had 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss, to lead the Eagles’ defense.

Sacred Heart (1-0) at Valparaiso (0-1), 2 p.m.
Valparaiso opens a three-game homestand when it hosts Sacred Heart in the first-ever meeting between the programs. The Crusaders opened their season with a loss at nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky where they were out-gained 410-220. Valparaiso defensive back Joey Diaz-Martinez impressed in his collegiate debut, intercepting a pair of passes in less than three minutes of the fourth quarter. His second pick set up the Crusaders lone touchdown drive, which quarterback Scott Staal finished off with a 16-yard pass to running back Jake Hutson. Wide receiver Frank Catrine caught eight passes for 70 yards in the loss. Sacred Heart enters the matchup after a 43-19 victory against Division II Saint Anselm.

Chowan (1-0) at Campbell (1-0), 6 p.m.
Campbell wraps up its season-opening two-game homestand when its hosts Division II Chowan. The Camels opened the season with a 41-point outburst in a win against NAIA Pikeville on the back of a 468-yard offensive performance. Running back De’Shawn Jones had a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Quarterback Kameron Bryant added two touchdown passes while completing 12-of-19 passes for 138 yards. Defensively, defensive lineman Ugonna Awuruonye opened the season with a team-best seven tackles. Chowan continues its three-game road trip after a season-opening 41-31 victory at Fayetteville State.

Marist (0-1) at Georgetown (0-1), 6 p.m.
Marist concludes its two-game season-opening road trip when it meets Georgetown in the nation’s capitol. The Red Foxes will look to rebound from their season-opening shutout at Bucknell, which saw it out-gained by a 371-161 margin. Free safety Zach Adler began the season with an interception at Bucknell, his 16th career interception – he led all FCS ballhawkers with seven interceptions last season. Quarterback Ed Achiziger returned under center and completed 16-of-34 passes for 140 yards. Georgetown continues its homestand after dropping a 48-20 decision to St. Francis (Pa.), Saturday. This will be the 14th meeting between the Hoyas and Red Foxes. The road team has won each of the last three meetings.

Stetson (1-0) at Mercer (1-0), 6 p.m.
Stetson begins a two-game road trip when it travels north to face Mercer. The Hatters opened the season with a 42 points in a win against Webber International, its highest point total since restarting the program. Running back Cole Mazza rushed for a career-best tying three touchdowns on 21 carries, finishing with 99 yards. Meanwhile, quarterback Ryan Tentler threw a touchdown pass in his 10th consecutive game, completing 23 passes for 229 yards. Safety Donald Payne, the reigning PFL Defensive Player of the Year, had a team-best six tackles and an interception to begin 2015. Mercer returns home after posting a season-opening 28-7 victory at Austin Peay.

Drake (1-0) at North Dakota (1-0), 6 p.m.
Drake’s recovery from a wild weekend is a strong test at North Dakota. The Bulldogs opened their campaign with a wild 44-30 victory against William Jewell in a game that saw 58 points scored in the second half. Running back Conley Wilkins had three touchdowns on 22 carries for 110 yards, his third career 100-yard rushing performance. Quarterback Andy Rice threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns and added 68 rushing yards to finish with a PFL-leading 354 total offensive yards. North Dakota opened its season with an impressive 24-13 victory at FBS foe Wyoming – one of three FCS victories against FBS teams in Week 1.

Franklin (0-1) at Butler (0-1), 6:30 p.m.
Butler will look to bounce back from a season-opening loss when it hosts Division III Franklin in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs had to battle Indiana State and the weather last Saturday, ultimately dropping a 52-17 decision. Quarterback Matt Shiltz did a little bit of  everything on the offensive side. He completed 13 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, rushed 11 times for a team-best 76 yards, with 75-yards on his touchdown dash, and even added a 19-yard reception to his total. Defensive end Josh Willis was credited with 1½ tackles for loss as part of a two-tackle outing. Franklin, a Division III playoff participant in 2014, suffered a 34-24 loss to Illinois Wesleyan in its season-opener.

Catawba (0-1) at Davidson (0-1), 7 p.m.
Davidson opens the home portion of its schedule when it hosts Division II Catawba, Saturday. The Wildcats will look to shake off their outing at The Citadel that saw them suffer a shutout while accumulating just 104 offensive yards. Quarterback Taylor Mitchell took over the offensive reins and completed 8-of-12 passes for 52 yards in his first start. Linebacker Zach Popocvec led the Davidson defense with a nine-tackle outing that included credit for ½-tackle for loss. Catawba begins a two-game road trip after opening its season with a 44-13 loss at West Georgia.

Western New Mexico (1-0) at San Diego (0-1), 9 p.m.
San Diego also enters Week 2 seeking a bounce-back outing when it hosts Division II Western New Mexico at Torero Stadium. The Toreros allowed just one offensive touchdown in a 37-3 loss at San Diego State, but saw two interceptions returned for scores as well as a 97-yard kickoff return. Kicker Jack Flatau’s 23-yard field goal provided San Diego’s only points in the contest against the FBS foe. Cornerback Jamal Agnew had five tackles, an interception and two pass breakups as USD held SDSU to 305 offensive yards. San Diego has not lost in four previous tries against Western New Mexico, but the Mustangs opened 2015 with a 70-14 victory against NAIA Arizona Christian.

Off Week: Dayton
Dayton gets an early week off after opening 2015 with a victory at Robert Morris. Linebacker Christopher Beaschler was particularly busy in the win, his 18 tackles the most of any FCS defender in Week 1. He also had two sacks and a pass breakup. Running back Connor Kascor, the reigning PFL Offensive Player of the Year, was held to 72 yards on 33 carries. Quarterback Alex Jeske, a redshirt freshman, came off the bench with the Flyers trailing by 10 points to spark the victory. He completed 11 passes for 162 yards and rushed for 41 yards on six carries, finishing with a touchdown in both roles.