Tuesday, August 29, 2017
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

AHEAD IN WEEK 1
All times Eastern.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31
Kentucky Christian at Morehead State, 6 p.m.
Location: Morehead, Kentucky
Stadium: Jayne Stadium (10,000)
Series: MOR leads, 2-0    Streak: MOR, two wins
Last Meeting: Morehead State def. Kentucky Christian, 28-0 (2015)
Video: OVC Digital Network

Methodist at Campbell, 7 p.m.
Location: Buies Creek, North Carolina
Stadium: Barker-Lane Stadium (5,000)
Series: Series tied, 1-1    Streak: CAM, one win
Last Meeting: Campbell def. Methodist, 48-28 (2009)
Video: Big South Network

Jacksonville at Mercer, 7 p.m.
Location: Macon, Georgia
Stadium: Five Star Stadium (10,200)
Series: MER leads, 1-0    Streak: MER, one win
Last Meeting: Mercer def. Jacksonville (2013)
Video: ESPN3

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Dayton at Robert Morris, 1 p.m.
Location: Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Stadium: Joe Walton Stadium (3,000)
Series: DAY leads, 17-2    Streak: DAY, 14 wins
Last Meeting: Dayton def. Robert Morris, 13-0 (2016)
Video: NEC Front Row

Valparaiso at Montana, 3 p.m.
Location: Missoula, Montana
Stadium: Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,200)
Series: First Meeting
Video: Griz All-Access

Western New Mexico at San Diego, 5 p.m.
Location: San Diego, California
Stadium: Torero Stadium (6,000)
Series: SAN leads, 6-0    Streak: SAN, six wins
Last Meeting: San Diego def. Western New Mexico, 27-0 (2016)
Video: TheW.tv

Marist at Bucknell, 6 p.m.
Location: Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Stadium: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium (13,100)
Series: BUCK leads, 11-1    Streak: BUCK, six wins
Last Meeting: Bucknell def. Marist, 26-10 (2016)
Video: Patriot League Network

Stetson at Sacred Heart, 6 p.m.
Location: Fairfield, Connecticut
Stadium: Campus Field (4,000)
Series: SHU leads, 1-0    Streak: SHU, one win
Last Meeting: Sacred Heart def. Stetson, 18-16
Video: NEC Front Row

Butler at #20/18 Illinois State, 6:30 p.m.
Location: Normal, Illinois
Stadium: Hancock Stadium (13,391)
Series: ILST leads, 1-0    Streak: ILST, one win
Last Meeting: Illinois State def. Butler, 14-0 (1949)
Video: ESPN3

Brevard at Davidson, 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, North Carolina
Stadium: Richardson Stadium (6,000)
Series: First Meeting
Video: Davidson All-Access

South Dakota at Drake, 7 p.m.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Stadium: Drake Stadium (14,557)
Series: DRA leads, 11-7    Streak: SODAK, one win
Last Meeting: South Dakota def. Drake, 51-21 (2009)
Video: Drake All-Access

LATEST PFL NEWS AND NOTES
Complete news and notes available in PDF version

PFL’s 25th CAMPAIGN | The 2017 season marks the 25th year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature 11 teams each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA FCS Championship.

EIGHT FIRST-TEAM ALL-PFL RETURNEES HIGHLIGHT PRESEASON SQUAD | San Diego, the defending PFL Champion, returns four First-Team All-PFL selections among its seven preseason picks, including quarterback Anthony Lawrence. Dayton, last season’s PFL runner up, had two returning first-team selections on the team while Campbell and Marist return one first-teamer each.

SAN DIEGO PICKED TO WIN PFL | For the seventh consecutive year, the University of San Diego has been picked to win the Pioneer Football League regular-season race in a preseason vote of the league’s coaches. San Diego, which won the 2016 regular-season title then advanced to the second round of the FCS Championship, again received the coaches’ nod to win the 2017 PFL title. The Toreros were chosen just ahead of Dayton in polling that was dominated by the two teams. San Diego and Dayton combined to receive all available first-place votes and also claimed all but two of the possible second-place votes.

DAYTON’S SCORING STREAK PASSES 450 GAMES | The nation’s longest streak of games without being shutout belongs to PFL-member Dayton, which extended the streak to an impressive 454 games with a 2016-ending victory against Marist. On the FBS side, Florida holds the nation’s longest streak of games without being shutout at 355, dating back to the 1988 season. The Flyers streak dates back to 1976 when it suffered a 9-0 loss to Marshall.

TWO PFL ALUMNI SELECTED IN 2017 NFL DRAFT | In a milestone moment for the Pioneer Football League, Drake tight end Eric Saubert and San Diego defensive back Jamal Agnew were each selected in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The PFL was one of five Division I FCS conferences to have two players selected in the draft. The PFL joined the Colonial Athletic Association, Big Sky Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference with two selections while the entire FCS saw 15 players drafted.

THREE PFL ALUMNI SAW NFL ACTION IN 2016 | A trio of Pioneer Football League alumni played during the 2016 NFL season. Marist alumni Terrence Fede (Miami Dolphins) and Jason Myers (Jacksonville Jaguars) and San Diego alumnus Josh Johnson (New York Giants) each continued their professional careers. In addition, Jacksonville alumnus Andy Jones was a member of the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.

SAN DIEGO’S LAWRENCE NAMED TO PAYTON WATCH LIST | San Diego junior quarterback Anthony Lawrence, a nominee for the 2016 Walter Payton Award Watch List a year ago, is one of 22 players on the 2017 preseason watch list for the 2017 STATS FCS Walter Payton Award. As a sophomore, he helped the Toreros to an undefeated league record and then an FCS playoff win over Cal Poly that was the first in PFL history. Lawrence ranked fourth in the FCS in completion percentage (67.6) and eighth in passing efficiency rating (155.0) while throwing for 2,998 yards and 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

THREE NAMED TO STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA SQUADS | Three Pioneer Football League student athletes were among the 100 named to the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team. San Diego junior offensive lineman Daniel Cooney was a second-team selection while teammate senior defensive lineman Jonathan Petersen was joined on the third team by Drake punt returner Terry Wallen.

FIVE  PFL ATHLETES NOMINATED FOR 2015 ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM | Three Pioneer Football League student-athletes were among 146 nominees from across the country for the 26th edition of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. Isaak Newhouse (Butler), Ryan Samuels (Davidson) and Lawrence Dickens (Marist) were nominated for the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. In order to meet the criteria set forth by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.

TOREROS CHARGE TO 2016 FCS OPENING ROUND WIN | San Diego became the first PFL team to win a game in the Division I Football Championship with its 35-21 victory at Cal Poly, last season. The Toreros win came in just the fourth season of the PFL’s automatic bid into the championship.