Friday, October 28, 2016
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

A showdown for first place in the Pioneer Football League will unfold at high noon in Poughkeepsie, New York, when San Diego and Marist – the league's last remaining unbeaten squads – take to the field at Tenney Stadium. Third-place Dayton, which has not lost at Welcome Stadium in 2016, will host a Stetson squad that has not lost on the road this season. Elsewhere in the PFL, in-state rivals Butler and Valparaiso will meet to battle for the Hoosier Helmet trophy; Fourth-place Jacksonville stays on the road for a second consecutive week and willl face Davidson; Campbell heads westward to meet fifth-place Drake.

San Diego at Marist, Noon
Video: GoRedFoxes.com

Setting the Scene: The biggest matchup of Week 9 pits the PFL’s two unbeaten teams against each other when San Diego travels cross country to meet Marist. The Toreros bring a five-game win streak into the contest and its only loss this season came in a road test at now nationally-ranked Cal Poly. The Red Foxes have bounced back nicely from an 0-3 start, winning their last four outings and have scored more than 30 points in their last three outings. The duo has two common opponents this season: Butler and Davidson. Marist outscored those two teams, 61-31, while San Diego dominated the pair, 96-13.

San Diego Matchup to Watch: Can the Toreros rein in another PFL quarterback? Taking just PFL games into account, San Diego is the league’s top defense in rushing defense (62.6 ypg), total defense (252.0 ypg) and scoring (10.4 ppg). While Marist hasn’t been a rushing threat (11th, 99.2 ypg), it does provide a test with the league’s top passing offense (1st, 337.8) as quarterback Mike White has made steady improvement as the season has progressed. Meanwhile, San Diego allowed a season-high 248 passing yards last week against Valparaiso, slipping to second among PFL defenses in passing yardage allowed in PFL play

Marist Matchup to Watch: Can the Red Foxes turn over the Toreros? Marist enters Week 9 as one of the league’s top defenses in terms of turnovers forced, with 14 turnovers gained in seven contests this season (10 in four PFL games). The Red Foxes are ranked second in the league with 12 interceptions this season. But despite all the turnovers forced, Marist has scored just 28 points off those miscues. San Diego is eighth in the league in turnover margin (-1) and has committed seven turnovers in PFL play alone (five interceptions).

Stetson at Dayton, 1 p.m.
Video: DaytonFlyers.com

Setting the Scene: Stetson, the PFL’s road warriors in 2016, stay on the road for a second straight week when they head north to Dayton. The Hatters remained undefeated (3-0) on the road this season with an overtime victory at Campbell. Stetson has scored 30-plus points in each of its road games this season, but has only won by 20 total points in those three games. Dayton won its fourth straight game with a 15-point victory at Butler and returns to Welcome Stadium where it is unbeaten this season and has won its last 11 regular-season contests.

Stetson Matchup to Watch: Can the Hatters get into the Flyers backfield? Stetson lead the nation in tackles for loss in 2016, averaging over 10 per game. It runs into a Dayton offensive unit that has allowed just 5.13 tackles for loss per game this season. The Hatters may well need to disrupt the Dayton offense, particularly its running game which has amassed a league-best 1,179 yards and 12 touchdowns in five PFL games this season.

Dayton Matchup to Watch: Win the turnover battle. This contest will pit the league’s best turnover margin squad against its worst in the category. Dayton has compiled a +9 turnover margin in PFL action, with a league-best nine interceptions to its credit. Stetson has been turnover prone in PFL action with 14 turnovers loss (seven interceptions) and a minus-7 margin in four league contests. The Flyers have scored 39 points off turnovers in league play while the Hatters, despite all their giveaways, have allowed just 21 points off turnovers.

Jacksonville at Davidson, 1 p.m.
Video: DavidsonWildcats.com

Setting the Scene: Coming off the PFL’s top offensive performance of 2016, Jacksonville returns to the road when it travels to Davidson. The Dolphins scored an impressive 61 points on the road last week, an outing that accounted for nearly one-third of its points scored this season. The Wildcats return to Richardson Stadium seeking their elusive first PFL win this season, though they have come closest in their two home PFL games this season (two losses by seven total points).

Jacksonville Matchup to Watch: Can the Dolphins establish the run game? Jacksonville is usually associated as one of the PFL’s top passing threats, but has changed the script in 2016. The Dolphins three wins this season have each come when they have posted 40-plus rush attempts this season, punctuated by last week’s 66 carries for 433 yards at Morehead State. Davidson has been tougher against the run this season, permitting just 3.9 yards per carry (6th in the PFL) and opponents are rushing just 137 yards per game against it.

Davidson Matchup to Watch: Press the home field advantage. The Wildcats have posted two of their best offensive performances at Richardson Stadium, including a season-best 405 yards in a near-win against Butler in Week 7. Freshman quarterback Stockton McGuire led that effort with 21 completions for 273 yards, but is coming off a Week 8 outing that saw him held to eight completions for 97 yards at Marist. Jacksonville has two of its three wins on the road this season but has allowed 104 points in its two games outside the state of Florida in 2016.

Butler at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Video: ESPN3

Setting the Scene: The Hoosier Helmet will be up for grabs when Butler makes the 150-mile trip to Valparaiso in one of three PFL series between in-state foes. Both squads enter the Week 9 matchup after losses last week – Valparaiso falling at league-leading San Diego while Butler dropped a home outing to league No. 3 Dayton. Saturday’s meeting will be the 24th between the two teams as PFL members, Butler owning a narrow 12-11 edge after winning last season’s meeting in Indianapolis.

Butler Matchup to Watch: Establish the run game. Butler has been a better team when the run game, led by running back Duvante Lane and quarterback Malcolm Weaver, has posted 200-plus yards, winning all three games when it hits that mark. Valparaiso has been hit-and-miss when stopping the run this season, allowing four 200-yard rushing performances this season while the other four games have seen it limit opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.

Valparaiso Matchup to Watch: Win the turnover battle. This contest is another that features a lopsided matchup in turnovers. Valparaiso is +5 in turnover margin during league play, thanks to seven interceptions in five games. The Crusaders have scored 28 points off those takeaways out of 102 points scored in PFL play this season. Meanwhile, Butler is minus-5 in turnover margin with eight interceptions thrown in league play.

Campbell at Drake, 2 p.m.
Video: DrakeBulldogs.com

Setting the Scene: Campbell will look to close its odd October with a victory when it travels west to meet Drake. The Camels rallied to force overtime with two fourth-quarter touchdowns last week, but saw a field goal attempt blocked and returned for a touchdown in the extra period. The Bulldogs return to action following their off week and look to bounce back from a Week 7 home loss to league-leading San Diego.

Campbell Matchup to Watch: Rediscover the run. The league’s most run-dependent team, Campbell was held to a season lows in rush attempts (28) and yardage (102) against Stetson. Instead, the Camels turned to the passing game for a season-high 51 pass attempts, 47 coming from quarterback Anthony Robbins who was called into action when starter Elijah Burress was injured in the first series. Drake is 1-4 this season when allowing an opponent to rush for more than 100 yards.

Drake Matchup to Watch: Kraemer Keeping them Honest. In the loss to San Diego, Drake quarterback Grant Kraemer was held without a passing touchdown for the first time this season and only 116 yards on 10 completions. In his previous four starts he had a threw for over 200 yards and averaged at least five yards per attempt, Drake posting a 3-1 record in that span. The Bulldogs will face a stiff test as they face a Campbell defense that is ranked just behind San Diego in pass defense, limiting opponents to 189.7 yards per game in PFL play this season.