Tuesday, September 14, 2021
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

AHEAD IN WEEK 3

Marist at Columbia, 1 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+ / SNY
Location: New York City, New York
Stadium: Wien Stadium
Series: Columbia leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: Columbia def. Marist, 34-24 (2018)

Dartmouth at Valparaiso, 2 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN3
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana
Stadium: Brown Field
Series: First Meeting

Morehead State at #19/21 Austin Peay, 3 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee
Stadium: Fortera Stadium
Series: Morehead State leads, 26-20    Streak: Austin Peay, 3 wins
Last Meeting: Austin Peay def. Morehead State, 78-40 (2018)

San Diego at #4/5 Montana State, 3 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Stadium: Bobcat Stadium
Series: First Meeting

Drake at #11/14 North Dakota, 5 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+
Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
Stadium: Alerus Center
Series: North Dakota leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: North Dakota def. Drake, 47-7 (2019)

St. Thomas at #18/15 Northern Iowa, 5 p.m.
Broadcast: Facebook.com/DaytonFlyersFootball
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Stadium: Welcome Stadium
Series: First Meeting

Presbyterian at Campbell, 6 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+
Location: Buies Creek, North Carolina
Stadium: Barker-Lane Stadium
Series: Presbyterian leads, 3-2    Streak: Campbell, 2 wins
Last Meeting: Campbell def. Presbyterian, 28-14 (2019)

Dayton at #8/9 Southern Illinois, 7 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+
Location: Carbondale, Illinois
Stadium: Saluki Stadium
Series: Southern Illinois leads, 3-2-1    Streak: Southern Illinois, 1 win
Last Meeting: Southern Illinois def. Dayton, 38-16 (1974)

Butler at Taylor, 7 p.m.
Broadcast: YouTube.com/TaylorAthletics
Location: Upland, Indiana
Stadium: Turner Stadium
Series: Butler leads, 8-1    Streak: Taylor, 7 wins
Last Meeting: Taylor def. Butler, 17-14 (2019)

Off Week: Davidson & Stetson

NOTES & NOTABLY

WEEK 3 PREVIEW
After facing three FCS Top 25 teams in Week 2, a nine-game Week 3 slate features PFL teams facing off against five FCS Top 25 teams… San Diego makes its first roadtrip of 2021 to face #5/4 Montana State… Dayton, fresh off downing OVC foe Eastern Illinois at home, travels to #8/9 Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley Conference… Drake makes its second foray to the west with a matchup against #11/14 North Dakota… St… Thomas gets its toughest test as a Division I FCS team in its second outing with a trip south to face #18/15 Northern Iowa… Meanwhile, Morehead State faces a former PFL member in #19/21 Austin Peay… Marist (at Columbia) and Valparaiso (hosting Dartmouth) will help a pair of Ivy League members kick off their season… Elsewhere, Butler (at Taylor) and Presbyterian (at Campbell) will face regional foes to cap Week 3 action.

WEEK 2 LEADS
The PFL went 7-3 in Week 2 with the three losses coming on the road to nationally-ranked FCS foes… Dayton scored on each of its first three possessions to start the second half and downed Eastern Illinois, 17-10… Louis Hyde hit a 32-yard field goal with 59 seconds left, helping St. Thomas win in its Division I debut, 12-9 at Michigan Tech… Mark Pappas threw a career-high five touchdowns, including four to start the game, as Morehead State swamped Point University (Ga.), 62-9… Ren Hefley threw for four touchdowns and 309 yards, leading Presbyterian to a 68-3 victory against Fort Lauderdale… Butler broke out to a 28-7 halftime lead and never looked back en route to a 49-24 victory… Ave Maria scored the game’s first touchdown but Stetson scored the next six touchdowns to post a 49-16 victory… Davidson fended off Shaw’s fourth-quarter comeback bid, holding on for a 28-26 victory… North Dakota State used big plays and a stout defense to down Valparaiso, 64-0… UC Davis scored the first 36 points and downed San Diego, 53-7… Montana State scored the game’s first 24 points to down Drake, 45-7.

WELCOME BACK FLYERS, TOMMIES, & RED FOXES
Dayton, St. Thomas and Marist saw their 2020 seasons wiped out in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and all three saw their Week 1 contests canceled as the pandemic continued to affect schedules into the 2021 season. Dayton finally took the field in Week 2 for their first game in 658 days while St. Thomas ended a 665-day break from the field with its Week 2 road game. Marist took its off week in Week 2 and will see action (hopefully) in Week 3, bringing an end to its own 665-day hiatus.

BLUE HOSE OFF TO FLYING START, EAGLES IN PURSUIT
After scoring a FCS record 84 points in its 2021 season opener, Presbyterian stacked up a 68-point performance against Fort Lauderdale in Week 2, giving the Blue Hose the FCS’ No. 1 and No. 3 single-game point totals through two weeks. Morehead State has the FCS’ No. 8 total with 62 points in a Week 2 win against Point (Ga.).

WHOLE LOTTA OFFENSE TOO
As would be expected with the previous note, Presbyterian also holds two of the Top 10 offensive yard marks in the FCS, including its FCS-leading 814-yard outing in the season-opener. But PFL teams have posted five of the FCS’s 500-plus yard performances through two weeks with Stetson, Butler and Drake joining Presbyterian.