Tuesday, September 21, 2021
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

AHEAD IN WEEK 4

Butler at St. Thomas, 1 p.m.
Broadcast: TommieSports.com/Watch
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Stadium: O’Shaughnessy Stadium
Series: First Meeting

San Diego at Davidson, 1 p.m.
Broadcast: DavidsonWildcats.com/Watch
Location: Davidson, North Carolina
Stadium: Richardson Stadium
Series: San Diego leads, 13-3    Streak: Davidson, one win
Last Meeting: Davidson def. San Diego, 31-25 (4/3/21)

Presbyterian at Dayton, 1 p.m.
Broadcast: Facebook.com/DaytonFlyersFootball
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Stadium: Welcome Stadium
Series: First Meeting

Valparaiso at Drake, 1 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN3
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Stadium: Drake Stadium
Series: Drake leads, 25-4    Streak: Valparaiso, one win
Last Meeting: Valparaiso def. Drake, 10-7 (4/3/21)

Stetson at Princeton, 1 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Stadium: Princeton Stadium
Series: First Meeting

Bryant at Marist, 6 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN3
Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
Stadium: Tenney Stadium
Series: Marist leads, 2-1    Streak: Bryant, one win
Last Meeting: Bryant def. Marist, 37-27 (9/15/18)

Off Week: Morehead State

NOTES & NOTABLY

WEEK 4 PREVIEW
The 2021 PFL race gets underway with four league contests on the schedule to end September… The league will waste no time pitting defending champion Davidson against the team it dethroned in San Diego, with the two teams meeting in North Carolina in the opening weekend… St. Thomas and Presbyterian each get their official league debuts in Week 4… Butler heads northwest to help the Tommies open their PFL and home schedules… Meanwhile, Presbyterian makes a similar trek northwest to meet Dayton… Valparaiso travels to Drake to wrap up the Week 4 PFL slate… In nonconference action Stetson returns after its off week by traveling to face Ivy League member Princeton while Marist opens its home schedule when it hosts Bryant.

WEEK 3 LEADS
Butler used a 35-point second quarter and 602 offensive yards to upend Taylor, 77-24… Marist used two big plays to gain an early 14-0 lead but could not hold on in a 37-14 loss at Columbia… Valparaiso closed within three points late in the third quarter but could not regain the lead in a 28-18 loss to Dartmouth… After matching touchdowns in the first quarter, Morehead State could not keep pace with Austin Peay’s 20-point second quarter in a 59-35 loss… San Diego had few answers as nationally-ranked Montana State amassed 540 offensive yards to down the Toreros, 52-10… Louis Hyde’s 35-yard field goal late in the first half was St. Thomas’ only points in a 44-3 loss at nationally-ranked Northern Iowa… Nationally-ranked North Dakota held Drake to 163 offensive yards in a 38-0 victory… Presbyterian could not overcome a 10-turnover outing in a 72-0 loss at Campbell… Nationally-ranked Southern Illinois scored the game’s first 48 points en route to a 55-3 victory against Dayton.

LEARY AMASSING YARDAGE
Stetson running back Jalen Leary ran for 293 yards in the Hatters’ first two victory of the season and he enters Week 4 ranked third among FCS rushers behind Harvard’s Aaron Shampkin (183.0 ypg)  and Sam Houston’s Ramon Jefferson (148.0 ypg). Davidson’s Coy Williams is ranked 29th among FCS runners at 76.5 yards per game.

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. 4 single-game point totals. Butler joined the list with the No. 2 point total thanks to its 77 points at Taylor in Week 3. Morehead State has the FCS’ No. 11 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 six of the FCS’s 500-plus yard performances in 2021 with Stetson, Butler (twice) and Drake joining Presbyterian. 

HEFLEY HURLING EARLY AND OFTEN
Leading the FCS’ top offense, Presbyterian quarterback Ren Hefley leads the FCS in passing yards per game (429.7), total offense per game (438.0) and points responsible for (146).