The Week Ahead

Butler #4 Morehead State Valparaiso at #2 Dayton at #5 Davidson at Drake 1 p.m., Sat., Oct. 5 1 p.m., Sat., Oct. 5 2 p.m., Sat., Oct. 5 Drake Stadium Dayton, Ohio Davidson, North Carolina Des Moines, Iowa • PFL North Contest • • PFL South Contest • • PFL North Contest • Butler: 2-2, 0-0 PFL North Morehead State: 4-1, 0-0 PFL South Valparaiso: 0-4, 0-0 PFL North lost at then-No. 7 Morehead State, 53-20, Sept. 28 def. then-No. 9 Butler, 53-20, Sept. 28 lost at St. Joesph’s (Ind.), 54-43, Sept. 28 Dayton: 3-1 0-0 PFL North Davidson: 3-1, 1-0 PFL South Drake: 3-2, 0-0 PFL North lost to then-No. 2 Duquesne, 35-28, Sept. 28 def. Emory & Henry, 44-7, Sept. 28 won at Quincy, 45-28, Sept. 28 Series: Dayton leads, 19-7-1 Series: Morehead State leads, 2-1 Series: Drake leads 7-2 Last Meeting: UD def. BU, 42-7 (2001) Last Meeting: MSU def. DC, 28-17 (2001) Last Meeting: VU def. DU, 17-7 (2001) Notes: The PFL North race officially gets underway as Butler Notes: This is the third of six divisional contests in the PFL South Notes: This contest features two teams headed in opposite di- travels to Dayton, Ohio to meet defending PFL champion Day- this season and is a pivotal moment for both clubs: Morehead rections: Drake has won its last three contests while Valparaiso ton… The Flyers have won seven consecutive games in the se- State needs a victory to keep up with Davidson and Austin Peay, is looking for its season’s first win… This contest promises to be ries… Both teams enter the contest following losses to ranked which lead the division. A Davidson victory gives them the upper an interesting affair for the offenses as both defenses have opponents… This contest features the league’s top two rushing hand with just one contest left at Austin Peay, Nov. 9… The Wild- struggled in the early going… However, Valparaiso enters the offenses. Senior running back Dale Jennings leads Butler with cats enter the contest having won their last three. Their average contest with the PFL’s best passing offense and Drake with the 106.3 yards per game. Meanwhile, Dayton’s leading rusher is winning margin in those three contests has been 27.3 points and league’s best overall offense… The Crusader’s David Macchi, a junior quarterback Kelly Spiker, who is averaging 49.7 yards per has increased with each contest… Morehead State shook off a junior quarterback, has made an early season run at the league’s game… Butler’s Justin Campbell (157.0 ypg) and Jennings 42-0 shutout at Tusculum in Week 4 with a 53-20 run-away vic- top offensive honor, leading the league in total offense with 307.0 (155.0) are ranked second and third, respectively, in all-puropse tory last week against PFL North foe Butler… The Eagles are yards per game, fourth-best in Division I-AA. He also leads the yardage. They sit just behind Austin Peay’s Jay Bailey (160.6) in ranked second in total defense (281.0 ypg), passing defense league in passing, averaging 300.8 yards per game… Drake’s the category… Defensively, Dayton leads the league and ranked (186.2 ypg) and rushing defense (94.8 ypg) and are ranked third quarterback is senior Ira Vandever, a household name in the 24th in NCAA I-AA, allowing just 278.0 yards per game, includ- in total offense (385.4 ypg)… Davidson is third in total defense PFL, who is second it total offense behind Macchi and eighth in ing a league-best 61.3 yards allowed per game on the ground… (297.3 ypg) and first in passing defense (183.0 ypg) but is not the league’s rushing statistics. He leads the league in points re- However, they Flyers’ pass defense is nothing to sneeze at, es- ranked in the top four in any offensive category… Morehead sponsible for (16.8 pg)… Special teams are just as evenly pecially the play of senior safety Mark Kasmer. He leads Division State’s Craig Unger is tied for the PFL lead in total tackles, aver- matched as Drake boasts the league’s best punter, Ryan I-AA in interceptions, averaging 1.5 per game, and has 136 yards aging 11.00 per game… Davidson’s Ryan Tennis leads the league Horvarth, who is averaging 40.6 net yards per punt. That advan- in returns, including two touchdowns… Butler’s Parker Smith tied in quarterback sacks, averaging 1.50 per game, fourth best in tage could be negated by Valparaiso punt returner Bryan for the league lead in total tackles per game (11.00 pg) and leads Division I-AA… MSU and DC are first and second, respectively, Hollermeier who is third in the league in punt returns, averaging the league in solo tackles (8.75 pg). in quarterback sacks this season. MSU has 18 for 88 yards and 14.7 yards per return. DC has 17 for 106. Austin Peay Jacksonville at Troy State at 2 p.m., Sat., Oct. 5 10 p.m., Sat., Oct. 5 Memorial Stadium Torero Stadium Troy, Alabama San Diego, Austin Peay: 3-2: def. Jacksonville, 20-16, Sept. 28 Jacsonville: 1-3: lost to Austin Peay, 20-16, Sept. 28 Troy State: 1-4: lost at Missouri, 44-7, Sept. 28 San Diego: 1-2: lost at Yale, 49-14, Sept. 21 Notes: Austin Peay heads south for a date with Division I-A in- Notes: Jacksonville travels 2,346 miles west to meet San Diego dependent Troy State… It is the first contest between a non- in a PFL interdivisional contest… Jacksonville looks to end a scholarship program and a Division I team since 1986 when three-game losing streak… San Diego’s Eric Rasmussen is Northwestern defeated Princeton… This is only Troy State’s sec- ranked second in Division I-AA in pass efficiency with a 187.11 ond home contest, they were 5-0 at home last season… The all- rating… The Dolphins are amidst a four-game road trip with time series between the two teams is tied 7-7-1 with the Trojans games at San Diego, Morehead State, Charleston Southern and (then the Red Wave) winning the last meeting between the two Florida International… San Diego is back home after its own teams, 27-0 in 1972. cross-country trek, a 2,898-mile trip to visit Yale.