Saturday, November 19, 2022
by Cody Bush, PFL Media Relations

Week 12 Scoreboard

St. Thomas 27, Butler 13
Davidson 24, Dayton 23
San Diego 14, Morehead State 9
Drake 24, Valparaiso 0
Stetson 42, Presbyterian 21
Bucknell 24, Marist 13

At Regular-Season’s End

• St. Thomas, in its second year as a NCAA Division I FCS member, won the 2022 PFL Championship outright.
• Davidson won the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division I Football Championship for the third consecutive season.

Game Recaps

St. Thomas 27, Butler 13
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – St. Thomas clinched the 2022 PFL Championship and an undefeated PFL season with a 27-13 victory against Butler, Saturday, at the Sellick Bowl. The Tommies broke out to a 17-0 lead and didn’t look back. Cade Sexauer’s two-yard touchdown run capped the game’s opening drive. On the ensuing Butler drive, Yusef Leak returned a blocked field goal 66 yards for a touchdown and 14-0 halftime lead. Stephen Shagen’s 35-yard field goal at the 11:18 mark of the third quarter put St. Thomas up 17-0. Butler would get on the scoreboard before the third quarter ended as Bret Bushka connected with Luke Wooten for a 10-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 17-7. But Shagen hit a 33-yard field goal and Sexauer scored his second rushing touchdown to start the fourth quarter, securing the win. Sexauer ran for two touchdowns as part of his 13-carry, 38-yard effort on the ground. Bushka completed 13-of-29 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

Davidson 24, Dayton 23
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Tyreece White’s blocked field goal with 5:03 remaining in the game helped Davidson hold on for a 24-23 PFL victory against Dayton, Saturday, at Richardson Stadium. With the win, Davidson clinched the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship for the third consecutive season. Davidson claimed a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter as Jayden Waddell found Maxwell Weaver for a 35-yard touchdown completion. Dayton bounced back with a seven-play, 55-yard scoring drive that Shane Hamm completed with a 17-yard touchdown run with 14:18 left in the game. However, the Flyers PAT missed leaving the Wildcats with a slim 24-23 edge. Davidson had an opportunity to extend its lead, but a 44-yard field goal missed the mark with 10:01 left. Dayton took over and drove to the Davidson 23-yard line where a 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked. After a Davidson punt, Dayton had one last drive but saw the drive bog down at its own 32-yard line and an incomplete pass ended the Flyers’ threat. Davidson’s Coy Williams had two touchdown runs on a 12-carry, 99-yard outing. Dayton’s Jake Chisholm also had two touchdowns in his 19-carry, 90-yard effort.

San Diego 14, Morehead State 9
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Judd Erickson threw two first half touchdowns and San Diego held on for a 14-9 PFL victory against Morehead State, Saturday, at Jayne Stadium. Erickson found Vance Jefferson for a seven-yard touchdown pass with 1:34 left in the first quarter to open the day’s scoring. Almost 15 minutes later, Erickson struck again when he hit Re-al Mitchell for a three-yard touchdown pass. After a scoreless first half, Morehead State scored twice in the third quarter. Nathan Hazlett’s 21-yard field goal broke up the shutout bid. Six minutes later, Carter Cravens narrowed the deficit to five points with his one-yard touchdown run, but a two-point conversion failed. The rest of the way, San Diego dodged a fumble and interception as Morehead State missed a 31-yard field goal after the fumble and Ruben Lopez intercepted a MSU pass after a USD pass was picked off. Erickson completed 14-of-27 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Cravens ran for a touchdown while also completing 25-of-48 passes for 227 yards.

Drake 24, Valparaiso 0
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Drake shutout an opponent for the first time since 2011 with a 24-0 PFL victory against Valparaiso, Saturday, at Brown Field. It was the Bulldogs’ third-straight win to conclude the 2022 season. Drake quarterback Luke Bailey threw a pair of touchdowns, including a 60-yarder to Brandon Langdok that opened the day’s scoring. An 18-yard touchdown pass to Sam Rodriguez wrapped up the Bulldogs’ scoring. The Drake defense held Valparaiso to 215 offensive yards and forced four turnovers to claim its first shutout since blanking Valparaiso during the 2011 season. Bailey completed 9-of-19 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Valparaiso’s Michael Appel Jr. completed 18-of-39 passes for 172 yards.

Stetson 42, Presbyterian 21
DeLAND, Fla. – Alex Piccirilli threw four touchdowns to lead Stetson past Presbyterian, 42-21, in Saturday PFL action at Spec Martin Stadium. Piccirilli opened the scoring with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Michael Carley. He then found Mason Porch for a 22-yard touchdown with 5:00 minutes left in the first half as Stetson held on for a 14-7 advantage at the break. Piccirilli broke the game open with two third quarter touchdown passes – a 35-yarder to Jalon Warthen-Carr and a five-yard completion to Quinton Lane. Jalen Leary would add two fourth quarter touchdown runs to secure the win. Piccirilli completed 24-of-44 passes for 334 yards to pace the Hatters’ offense. Ty Englehart completed 17-of-29 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown while adding two touchdown runs as part of a 20-carry, 49-yard effort.

Bucknell 24, Marist 13
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell scored the final 21 points, erasing a halftime deficit to down Marist, 24-13, in Saturday nonconference action at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Amin Woods pushed Marist out to a 13-3 halftime lead with a pair of touchdown runs – a 14-yard rush in the first quarter and a 27-yard run in the second quarter. Bucknell erased the deficit as Nick Semptimphelter passed for one score and ran for another to start the second half, giving Bucknell a 17-13 lead. Rushawn Baker sealed the win with a six-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Woods finished with 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Semptimphelter passed for 93 yards on 11-of-19 passing and ran for 35 yards on 12 carries.