Thursday, October 29, 2015
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

Ten Pioneer Football League teams will be in action during Week 9 of the college football season. Fans will be able to catch a glimpse of all five games involving PFL squads on their computer or digital device through live video offerings, available on various school and league live video platforms, as noted in the table below.

Week 9 Game Capsules

Butler at Marist, Noon
A battle of two teams with 2-2 PFL marks will kick off Week 9 of PFL action when Butler travels to Marist. The Bulldogs finish up a back-to-back road stretch after falling at Dayton in Week 8. The Red Foxes return home after completing a sweep of the Tar Heel State PFL squads with a win at Davidson in Week 8. Butler quarterback Matt Shiltz rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown, but was more impressive with his arm as his 13 completions covered 319 yards (24.5 yards per completion), including a pair of touchdowns. Marist won its second straight game thanks to freshman wide receiver Juston Christian who caught 11 passes for 157 yards (14.3 yards per reception), including a touchdown. Defensively, the two squads are evenly matched from a yardage point of view. Butler ranks fifth in rush defense (133.9 ypg) ahead of Marist in sixth (137.0 ypg). Butler ranks 10th in pass defense (223.0 ypg) while Marist is 11th (225.1 ypg). 

Campbell at Davidson, 1 p.m.
The PFL’s version of the Tar Heel State battle takes place in Week 9 when Campbell travels upstate to meet Davidson. Both teams are coming off home losses in Week 9 – the Camels falling to Morehead State while the Wildcats fell to Marist. Campbell saw its special teams  and defense chip in the first 14 points in the Week 8 loss as Aaron Blockmon returned a first-quarter kickoff 95 yards for a score to tie the game. Chris Beaty then returned an interception 50 yards for a go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter. Davidson showed off its big play ability against Marist when Taylor Mitchell found William Morris for a 92-yard passing touchdown for an early 10-0 lead. The Camels have seen their season haunted by turnovers, bringing a minus-14 turnover margin into the weekend matchup. Davidson has a minus-five turnover margin entering the weekend.

Drake at Morehead State, 1 p.m.
Will Drake play spoiler for a second consecutive week when it travels to Morehead State? The Bulldogs handed Jacksonville its first loss of 2015 and now prepares to meet second-place Morehead State. The Eagles moved into second thanks to its first road win of 2015 at Campbell. Drake players snatched the PFL’s offensive and defensive honors in Week 8 with tight end Eric Saubert catching three touchdown passes for offensive award while linebacker John Hugunin wrapped up the defensive honor with a 20-tackle performance. It was the first 20-tackle performance by a Drake player since the 2002 season when Eric Papp posted 20 tackles against San Diego. Meanwhile, Morehead State needed Christian Robinson’s two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns – his first touchdowns this season – to escape Buies Creek with a win. The Eagles did not record a passing touchdown in the Week 8 affair, after posting 18 passing touchdowns in its previous five games. Their four rushing touchdowns against Campbell was their most since an Oct. 25, 2014 win at Valparaiso. Defensively, MSU’s Justin Grier nabbed his sixth interception this season in Week 8, taking over the FCS and PFL lead.

Jacksonville at Dayton, 1 p.m.
PFL-unbeaten Dayton plays the first of two games against current one-loss teams when it hosts Jacksonville. The Dolphins fell from the unbeaten ranks with a Week 8 loss at Drake. The Flyers needed 10 fourth-quarter points to down Butler for their 100th PFL victory. Jacksonville was held to 336 offensive yards in the loss, its fewest yards against a Division I opponent since being held to 222 yards at Southeastern Louisiana in Week 1 of the 2014 season. Running back Ulysses Bryant posted his second 100-yard rushing performance in the loss, which included a touchdown that gave JU its largest lead, 24-14. Linebacker Grady Redding finished the Drake contest with a team-best 11 tackles, including two tackles for loss, giving him 5½ tackles for loss this season. Freshman running back Tucker Yinger rushed for just 55 net yards, but 50 of those came on his game-winning touchdown with 7:10 left in the game. He enters the week with 298 all-purpose yards, 167 of those on the ground. Defensive end Nick Surges helped save the day in the fourth quarter, forcing a fumble that stopped a Butler drive deep in Dayton territory and set up the eventual game-winning drive. He then had a sack that pushed the Bulldogs back far enough that a potential game-tying field goal fell short. 

San Diego at Stetson, 1 p.m.
San Diego returns to PFL action with a cross-country trip to Stetson. It will be the second-straight contest against a Florida school for the Toreros, who defeated NAIA foe Warner in Week 8. The Hatters return to DeLand after notching its first road win of 2015 at Valparaiso. San Diego rolled up a season-high 525 offensive yards against Warner, nearly evenly split between rushing (247) and passing (278). Freshman quarterback Anthony Lawrence posted his third four touchdown outing of the year, with four different receivers catching a touchdown. Jamal Agnew had an interception and a pass breakup in the win and now has 12 passes defended on the season, second most in the PFL.  Stetson’s defense held Valparaiso to just 162 yards in the Week 8 win, its fewest yards allowed to an opponent this season. Cornerback Chris Atkins had a hand in that effort with his 34-yard interception return for a touchdown, his 12th career interception. The Hatters offense churned out 34 points with four different players scoring a touchdown and two kickers combining for three field goals, including Grant Amick’s 50-yard field goal – the longest made by a PFL player this season.

Off Week: Valparaiso
Valparaiso will take its off week in Week 9 after back-to-back home games. The Crusaders scored just 14 points in each of those two home outings, falling to Butler and Stetson. Valparaiso running back Jarrett Morgan’s one-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left against Stetson was the team’s first rushing touchdown this season. Linebacker Alex Green’s 16-tackle effort against Stetson was the season-best for any Crusader tackler and he ranks second among league defenders with 81 tackles (11.6 per game).