League leaders Dayton and Drake narrowly escaped on the road but remained unbeaten in conference play to highlight Week 8 action in the Pioneer Football League on Saturday. St. Thomas also remained unbeaten in league play with a road win, while Davidson won on the road and San Diego won at home to stay at one loss in the PFL.
PFL Scoreboard: Week 8
Saturday, Oct. 19
Dayton 21, Butler 14
Drake 19, Presbyterian 16 (OT)
Davidson 70, Stetson 48
St. Thomas 42, Valparaiso 14
San Diego 34, Marist 6
PFL Recaps
Dayton 21, Butler 14
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Drew VanVleet and Luke Brenner connected for a 33-yard touchdown with 11 seconds remaining, lifting Dayton to a 21-14 victory against Butler on Saturday at the Sellick Bowl. Butler rallied to tie the game 14-14 with 5:38 remaining as Reagan Andrew capped a 12-play, 81-yar drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing Dayton drive, the Flyers faced a 4th-and-1 on the Butler 34-yard line, which Mason Hackett converted to set up the game-winning toss on the next play. VanVleet completed 11-of-14 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Andrew led Butler with 137 total offensive yards, passing for 50 yards on 10 completions and adding 87 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Drake 19, Presbyterian 16 (OT)
CLINTON, S.C. – Tyler Radocha blocked a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation, and Davion Cherwin helped Drake capitalize on the extra period with an 11-yard game-winning touchdown to seal a 19-16 overtime victory against Presbyterian on Saturday at Bailey Memorial Stadium. Drake amassed 435 offensive yards but was hampered by four turnovers, but the Bulldogs defense stood its ground and forced a three-and-out three times, and Presbyterian missed a field goal on the other. Drake rallied to tie the game in the fourth quarter, capping a 10-play, 71-yard drive with Shane Dunning’s 37-yard field goal with 4:17 left. Presbyterian responded by driving 61 yards in 12 plays but saw a 22-yard field goal attempt blocked by Radocha. The Blue Hose would convert a 42-yard field goal in overtime, but Drake scored on its third play to win. Drake quarterback Luke Bailey completed 30-of-41 passes for 375 yards and Radocha caught nine for 125 yards. Presbyterian’s Collin Hurst completed 26-of-35 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown.
Davidson 70, Stetson 48
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Mari Adams ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns, leading a Davidson offense that amassed 411 rushing yards in a 70-48 victory against Stetson on Saturday at Davidson College Stadium. Davidson jumped out to a 21-0 lead on touchdown runs by Adams (16 yards), quarterback Luke Durkin (17 yards), and Sam Valor (five yards). Stetson would battle back with three touchdowns in the first half, but surrendered two more Davidson touchdowns and the host Wildcats took a 35-21 lead into halftime. Stetson would close back within seven points with a touchdown on its first drive of the third quarter, but Davidson exploded for five third-quarter touchdowns to break the game open. Stetson saw quarterbacks Brady Meitz and Trip Maxwell throw for three touchdowns each while combining to complete 23-of-44 passes for 436 yards.
St. Thomas 42, Valparaiso 14
VALPARAISO, Ind. – St. Thomas used a three-touchdown second quarter to push past Valparaiso 42-14 on Saturday at Brown Field. With the game tied 7-7, St. Thomas running back ran for a one-yard touchdown to give the Tommies the lead for good. St. Thomas tacked on two more touchdowns in the second after its defense forced and recovered fumbles. Tak Tateoka converted the first turnover with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Wildermuth. Gabriel Abel converted the second with a one-yard run, giving the Tommies a 28-7 lead they took into halftime. Tateoka completed 12-of-21 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, while Adebayo ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Valparaiso was held to 244 offensive yards, with running back Ryan Mann rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
San Diego 34, Marist 6
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Eric Haney’s 47-yard pick-six on the game’s opening possession set the tone for San Diego as it secured a 34-6 victory against Marist on Saturday at Torero Stadium. Entering the game leading all FCS squads with three pick-sixes this season, San Diego tacked on its fourth with Haney’s return. Grant Sergent added three touchdown throws on a 202-yard passing day that saw him complete 11-of-22 passes – one each in the first, third, and fourth quarters to extend the Toreros lead. Marist broke through in the third quarter when Sonny Mannino found Mohamed Diwara for a 21-yard touchdown pass, but that only trimmed the deficit to 17-6.