Friday, October 21, 2016
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

League leaders Marist and San Diego face home tests during Week 8 of the football campaign, one week prior to their Week 9 battle. The Red Foxes open the slate when they host Davidson in a noon contest. Four hours later, the Toreros host Valparaiso loolking to keep its home win streak intact. Dayton hits the road looking to keep the pressure on the top two when it faces Butler. A high-scoring matchup is promised with Jacksonville traveling to Morehead State while Stetson also heads north to meet Campbell.

Davidson at Marist, Noon
Video: GoRedFoxes.com

Setting the Scene: Marist returns home after claiming back-to-back road wins to remain unbeaten in PFL play and begins a two-game homestand when it hosts Davidson. After a slow start to 2016 offensively, Marist has found its legs in PFL play, ranking third in both scoring (32.7 ppg) and yardage (423.7 ypg) in its first three league outings. Davidson was left searching for its first PFL win after surrendering a fourth-quarter lead to Butler – the three-point loss was its third PFL loss of four points or less this season.

Marist Matchup to Watch: The Mike White-Juston Christian connection was devastating in last week’s win at Morehead State as the pair connected six times for 217 yard and three touchdowns, including the overtime game winner. That followed a Week 6 outing at Butler that saw the duo connect eight times for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Davidson’s defense has allowed a 100-yard receiver in each of its last three games with PFL foes averaging 235.5 passing yards per game (7.9 yards per attempt) this season.

Davidson Matchup to Watch: After missing the Week 6 outing against San Diego, freshman quarterback Stockton McGuire returned under center against Butler and completed nearly 62 percent of his passes for a career-high 273 yards and two touchdowns. He has four touchdown throws in two PFL outings this season and has rushed for another, while rushing for 158 yards in those two games. Marist comes off a Week 7 outing that saw it surrender 397 yards of total offense to Morehead State’s Austin Gahafer, including 72 yards and a touchdown via the run game.

Dayton at Butler, 1 p.m.
Video: ButlerSports.com

Setting the Scene: Two teams coming off Week 7 wins meet up in the Circle City when Dayton and Butler square off for the 42nd time. The Flyers turned up their defense in a dominating win at Jacksonville last week, forcing five turnovers and holding the Dolphins to 256 offensive yards. It was the second time this season Dayton has forced five turnovers in a game. The Bulldogs scampered back from a 14-0 deficit to claim a victory thanks to the leg of freshman Drew Bevelhimer, whose two fourth-quarter field goals delivered the win.

Dayton Matchup to Watch: Dayton’s 357 yards in the win at Jacksonville were its fewest during its current three-game win streak, but that was because the defense gave it impressive starting field position – averaging its own 44-yard line with five drives starting in Jacksonville territory thanks to turnovers. The Flyers are now a PFL best +8 in turnover margin this season. Butler has surrendered an interception in each game this season and is -4 in turnover margin in 2016.

Butler Matchup to Watch: The Bulldogs again deployed two quarterbacks at Davidson with Will Marty getting the start and playing the entire first half and threw a touchdown as part of a 6-for-14, 74-yard outing. Butler then turned to Malcolm Weaver in the second half and he used his legs to tie the game, rushing for a 90-yard touchdown as part of a 110-yard outing. In league play, Dayton has been far more susceptible to the pass (298.0 yards allowed per game) than it has been the run (100.8 yards allowed per game).

Jacksonville at Morehead State, 1 p.m.
Video: OVCDigitalNetwork.com

Setting the Scene: Morehead State and Jacksonville will each look to shake off Week 7 disappointment when they square off in Morehead, Kentucky. The Eagles rallied from an 11-point deficit to force overtime, but fell in the extra period for their second consecutive loss. The Dolphins could not overcome a five-turnover outing in a home loss to Dayton, its first game after returning to action following Hurricane Matthew.

Jacksonville Matchup to Watch: Quarterback Rylan Wells is a considerable threat thanks to his FCS leading 18.98 yards per completion. However he has the second fewest pass completions (41) among the 109 FCS quarterbacks qualifying for the statistic, an average of just 8.2 completions per game. He could be able to air it out against a Morehead State defense permitting PFL opponents 14.8 yards per completion, though those same opponents are completing just 50.8 percent of their passes.

Morehead State Matchup to Watch: While Austin Gahafer is a show stealer in Morehead, the more impressive note might be the cadre of receivers he has to throw to. In four PFL games he has completed a pass to nine different receivers in each game. On the season, six MSU receivers have caught at least 10 passes – a feat matched by no other PFL squad. It will be a stern test for a Jacksonville pass defense that has faced just 156 pass attempts (31.2 per game) but is allowing 6.9 yards per attempt in 2016.

Stetson at Campbell, 4 p.m.
Video: GoCamels.com

Setting the Scene: After an unexpected two-week layoff, Campbell returns to action when it hosts Stetson. The Camels have had two weeks to regroup after a loss at Marist, losing their Oct. 8 contest at Jacksonville due to Hurricane Matthew and then taking their off week last week. Meanwhile, the Hatters return to the road where they have not lost a game this season with wins at Davidson and Brown in hand already, but they look to bounce back from a narrow loss to Valparaiso last week.

Campbell Matchup to Watch: The Camels will have to knock the rust off what was the league’s most prolific offense when they return to play. Campbell led the PFL in both scoring offense (32.0 ppg) and total offense (446.2 ypg) when it took its unexpected break and watched San Diego surpass it in both categories. Stetson has proven stingy this season in both categories, ranking fourth among PFL teams in scoring defense (21.0 ppg) and third in  total defense (313.7 ypg). The Hatters have been tough on offense thanks to its FCS best 10.2 tackles for loss per game, averaging 33.8 yards lost per game for their opponents.

Stetson Matchup to Watch: Stetson has been bitten by the turnover bug since getting PFL play underway. The Hatters have 13 turnovers lost in three PFL contests, including seven interceptions (four of those in last week’s loss to Valparaiso). However, Campbell has only two turnovers gained in its first two PFL outings this season and only nine turnovers gained in four games overall. However, the Camels have scored 31 points off those nine turnovers, proving they can be opportunistic, given a chance.

Valparaiso at San Diego, 4 p.m.
Video: TheW.tv

Setting the Scene: San Diego returns home to the friendly confines of Torero Stadium to face Valparaiso. The Toreros held Drake to a lone touchdown in its Week 7 victory and have held their PFL foes to 10.5 points per game en route to their 4-0 start. The Crusaders picked up a road win at Stetson, passing the 21-point plateau for a fifth consecutive game and are averaging 23.0 points per PFL outing. The Crusaders will look to snap a pair of long Toreros wins streaks, Saturday, as San Diego has not lost a home contest to a PFL foe since Oct. 9, 2010 (a 21-20 loss to Dayton) and have not lost to Valparaiso since the 2003 season.

Valparaiso Matchup to Watch: The Crusaders bent but did not break at Stetson, forcing two missed field goals and two interceptions on the Hatters final four drives to hold on for the three-point win. Valparaiso has a plus-four turnover margin in PFL play this season and has turned eight opponent giveaways into 28 points. San Diego has been oddly turnover prone in PFL action with six giveaways in four contests, but has only paid the price twice with opponents scoring only 15 points on the opportunities.

San Diego Matchup to Watch: The Toreros enter the Week 8 affair as the FCS’ stingiest defense, permitting just 13.3 points per game. San Diego also leads the PFL in total defense (274.2 yards per game) and particularly tough on opposing pass offenses with a 86.1 pass defense efficiency rating entering the week. The San Diego pass defense will face a Valparaiso offense that has alternated its quarterback  spot between senior Ryan Clarke and freshman Jimmy Seewald. Seewald took every snap of the Stetson win and has compiled a 125.1 pass efficiency rating this season with nine touchdowns against four interceptions.