2019 Football Game Notes Contact: BRANDON VICKREY Office: 219.464.5396 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] www.valpoathletics.com Athletics-Recreation Center 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 2019 Schedule and Results Morehead State (4-5, 2-3 PFL) Date Opponent Time/Result at Valparaiso (1-8, 1-4 PFL) Aug. 29 at Eastern Kentucky L 53-7 Game #10 Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, 1 p.m. CT Sept. 14 Central Connecticut State L 42-13 Brown Field (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind. Sept. 21 at Truman State L 38-7 This Week in Valpo Football: The Valparaiso University football team has put Sept. 28 University of Charleston L 19-13 together its best showings of the year over the last two weeks and will look to gain Oct. 5 at Drake* L 35-6 a second straight home win on Saturday afternoon at Brown Field. Morehead State Oct. 12 Dayton* L 41-28 comes to town for the season’s penultimate home date, a battle of teams that tied Oct. 19 at San Diego* L 42-17 in the Pioneer Football League’s preseason poll. Oct. 26 Stetson* W 19-10 Nov. 2 at Davidson* L 27-21 Previously: Valpo came from 14-0 down to level Saturday’s game at Davidson Nov. 9 Morehead State* 1 p.m. at 21 all, but the Wildcats scored with two minutes remaining to capture a 27-21 Nov. 16 at Butler* 11 a.m. victory. Valpo forced four fumbles in the game and received career-high tackle Nov. 23 Marist* 1 p.m. outputs from a trio of players – Jamari Booker (21), Nick Turner (14) and Kolton Sherman (10). The offense put together perhaps the team’s best drive of the season in the first half, going 65 yards on 18 plays while running 9:14 off the clock. The * - Pioneer Football League game team converted four fourth downs for the day, including three on that drive. Deuce All home games at Brown Field Larose had an eight-yard touchdown grab, while Chris Duncan and Cody Boxrucker both ran for scores. Following Valpo Football: Like all home games this season, Saturday’s contest Pioneer Football League will be broadcast on ESPN+, which is available on a subscription basis for $4.99 Standings per month. Dave Huseman (play-by-play) and Brian Jennings (color commentary) will have the call this week as they fill in for Todd Ickow, who will be handling PFL Overall basketball duties. Ben Ariano (play-by-play) and Danny Dalenberg (color com- Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct. mentary) will have the radio call on 95.1 FM Valparaiso – WVUR, which is also San Diego 5-0 1.000 6-2 .750 available online and via the TuneIn Radio app. Links to live video, audio and stats Drake 4-1 .800 4-4 .500 are available on ValpoAthletics.com. Dayton 3-2 .600 5-3 .625 Forcing Fumbles: The Valpo defense forced four fumbles on Nov. 2 at Davidson, Davidson 3-2 .600 6-3 .667 just the 12th time in the FCS nation this season that a team has forced four or more Marist 3-2 .600 3-5 .375 fumbles in a single game. The last time Valpo had even forced three in a contest Stetson 3-2 .600 6-2 .750 was Sept. 30, 2017 vs. Stetson, and the four forced fumbles marked the most since Morehead State 2-3 .400 4-5 .444 Sept. 12, 2015 at Sacred Heart. Butler 1-4 .200 2-7 .222 Valparaiso 1-4 .200 1-8 .111 Keeping Drives Alive: Valpo had four fourth-down conversions on Nov. 2 at Jacksonville 0-5 .000 2-7 .222 Davidson, becoming one of 21 teams nationally in FCS with four or more fourth- down conversions in a single game this season. Valpo went for it on fourth down six times in the game against the Wildcats, the second time they’ve done so this year (Central Connecticut). The four fourth down conversions were the most in a single game by Valpo since Oct. 8, 2016 vs. Drake (five). Close Calls: Valpo dropped a one-score game for the second time this season on Nov. 2 at Davidson. The 27-21 loss was the team’s second six-point defeat of the @ValpoUFootball year, with the first coming 19-13 on Sept. 28 vs. Charleston. Over the last two seasons, Valpo is 0-5 in games decided by seven points or fewer. Last year, Valpo had three losses by seven points or fewer in the same season for the first time since 2003. The 2018 squad incurred a three-point loss at Duquesne, a five-point defeat Valpo to Davidson and a seven-point setback to Morehead State. In addition, Valpo and Davidson continued a tradition of playing close contests this season. It was the fourth straight meeting decided by seven points or fewer, and seven of the last eight Football showdowns have been dictated by eight points or fewer. 2019 Football Game Notes Contact: BRANDON VICKREY Office: 219.464.5396 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] www.valpoathletics.com Athletics-Recreation Center 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 Booker ‘Bits - The standout performances from senior defensive back Jamari Booker continued Around the PFL to come on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Davidson, when he achieved a career-high 21 Saturday, Oct. 26 tackles while also forcing two fumbles, picking up one TFL and receiving a pair San Diego 50, Dayton 38 of QB hurries. - The 21 tackles eclipsed his previous career high set on Sept. 29, 2018 vs. Davidson Butler 24, Jacksonville 14 (20), which was Valpo’s first 20-tackle game since at least 2001. He became the Marist 27, Davidson 21 first PFL player with 21 tackles in a game since Donald Payne of Stetson on Nov. Valpo 19, Stetson 10 8, 2014 vs. Marist. In addition, Booker – who wears jersey No. 20 – became the Drake 36, Morehead State 17 second PFL player since 2002 with multiple career games of 20 tackles or more, joining Payne, who did so on three occasions, all during the 2014 campaign. Saturday, Nov. 2 - Entering the action on Nov. 2, just one player nationally in FCS had more than Marist 37, Butler 27 20 tackles in a game this season – Ja’Quay Pough of Northwestern State on Oct. Davidson 27, Valpo 21 26. However, Booker was one of three players with more than 20 tackles on Nov. Stetson 27, Jacksonville 24 2, joining John Staton (Samford, 22) and Sidney Otiwu (Mercer, 21), making him Dayton 49, Morehead State 35 one of four players in the nation with 21 or more tackles in a game this season. San Diego 49, Drake 7 - Booker is the only player in FCS who has a 20-tackle showing both this year and last year. He’s one of three players in the entire Division-I nation – FBS or FCS – with a 20-tackle accumulation in both 2018 and 2019. Saturday, Nov. 9 - The two forced fumbles in the Nov. 2 game against the Wildcats were also note- Davidson at Butler, 11 a.m. worthy as he is one of 29 players nationally in FCS with multiple forced fumbles Jacksonville at Drake, 11 a.m. in a single game this season. Marist at Dayton, noon - Booker was named the Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Week, San Diego at Stetson, Noon STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness Morehead State at Valpo, 1 p.m. FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after his 13-tackle, two-interception performance in a 19-10 victory over Stetson on Oct. 26. It was his second two-in- Saturday, Nov. 16 terception game of the year, making him the third player in the FCS nation with Valpo at Butler, 11 a.m. two multiple-pick showings in 2019. At that point in the year, there had been five Jacksonville at Marist, noon instances of a PFL player having two interceptions in a game in 2019, and Booker accounted for two of them. Davidson at Stetson, noon - He is up to 8.7 tackles per game and 78 total tackles, jumping all the way to second Dayton at Drake, 1 p.m. in the PFL in both areas after his performance against Davidson. Morehead State at San Diego, 4 p.m. Touchdown Tracker: Valpo running back Cody Boxrucker reached a commendable Saturday, Nov. 23 milestone on Nov. 2 at Davidson, as the senior scored the 20th rushing TD of his Drake at Davidson, noon career. He is one of 33 active players in the FCS nation with 20 or more. Speaking Butler at Dayton, noon of running for touchdowns with regularity, that’s what quarterback Chris Duncan San Diego at Jacksonville, noon has done over the last four weeks. He has five rushing scores in that span including Stetson at Morehead State, noon at least one in each of those weeks. The redshirt junior is up to nine career rushing Marist at Valpo, 1 p.m. TDs to go along with his 19 passing scores. Career Count: Nick Turner’s career tackle total is up to 239 as he has now eclipsed (all times Central) 50 tackles in a season for the third time in his career. His 101 during the 2017 cam- Media Relations Information paign marked a career high, while his current season total is the exact number he Requests to cover home football games should be made through had in 2016.