Drake clinched a share of its second straight and eighth overall Pioneer Football League Championship with its win against St. Thomas and Morehead State’s loss at Davidson. The Tommies and Eagles drop into a group of four teams with two losses behind the unbeaten Bulldogs with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Elsewhere Marist’s Mike Willis claimed his first win as head coach on the road at Stetson and Butler claimed the “Hoosier Helmet” trophy with a win at Valparaiso, while San Diego held on to win at Dayton.
PFL Scoreboard: Week 11
Saturday, Nov. 9
San Diego 16, Dayton 10
Marist 40, Stetson 31
Davidson 31, Morehead State 14
Butler 24, Valparaiso 17
Drake 22, St. Thomas 19
PFL Recaps
San Diego 16, Dayton 10
DAYTON, Ohio – San Diego jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead and hung on for a 16-10 victory against Dayton on Saturday at Welcome Stadium. Logan Gingg ran for a career-high 175 yards and had the Toreros’ lone touchdown, staking San Diego to a 10-0 lead after one quarter. Aidan Lehman hit three field goals – a 22-yarder in the first quarter, a 34-yarder in the second, and a 45-yarder in the third to help secure the win. Dayton charged back in the second half and closed within six points on Drew VanVleet’s touchdown pass to Donovan Weatherly but turned the ball over on downs on their final possession. Dayton running back Luke Hansen ran for 121 yards on 23 carries to power the Flyers offense.
Marist 40, Stetson 31
DeLAND, Fla. – Mike Willis notched his first win as Marist’s head coach as quarterback Sonny Mannino ran for four touchdowns in a 40-31 victory against Stetson on Saturday at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium. Manino ran for three of his four scores in the second half, with his third touchdown on the day giving Marist the lead for good at 33-28 with 3:28 left in the third quarter. The Red Foxes defense held Stetson to a field goal in the fourth quarter before Mannino sealed the win with a 23-yard run at the 3:51 mark. Mannino had 15 carries for 68 yards and completed 21-of-39 passes for 275 yards to pace the Red Foxes. Stetson quarterback Brady Meitz became his program’s all-time passing leader with 323 yards on 25-of-44 passing with two touchdowns. .
Davidson 31, Morehead State 14
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Mari Adams and Mason Sheron ran for more than 120 yards and had a touchdown each as Davidson downed Morehead State 31-14 on Saturday at Davidson College Stadium. Davidson used Adam Zouagui’s 43-yard field goal as the first half ended to take a 17-14 lead into the break. After the second half kickoff saw Morehead State pinned in at its four-yard line, Davidson’s Cam’ron Willis got a strip-sack and Dixon Hudson recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown and a 24-14 lead. The Wildcats defense did not allow a Morehead State score over the final 35 minutes and Mason Sheron sealed the win with a 15-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Adams ran for 129 yards on 23 carries, and Sheron added 123 yards on 27 carries to pace Davidson’s 314-yard rushing performance. Carter Cravens passed for 205 yards to lead Morehead State, but the Eagles run game was held to minus-13 yards.
Butler 24, Valparaiso 17
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Butler scored the game’s first 10 points, then made the early lead hold up and claimed the Hoosier Helmet with a 24-17 victory against Valparaiso on Saturday at Brown Field. Nick Howard had the first quarter’s only score with a one-yard touchdown run. Ryan Short then provided a 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter and Butler had a 10-0 lead. The Beacons would break through on Caron Tyler’s 33-yard pass to Gary Givens III, but Butler matched that with Reagan Andrew’s one-yard run on the following possession. Butler gained a two-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter on Joey Suchy’s 36-yard run. Valparaiso would get back within a touchdown on Michael Mansaray’s five-yard run midway through the fourth, but fumbled the ball on their final possession as Butler’s defense sealed the win. Andrew’s 15-of-22 passing, 232-yard outing led the Butler offense as its ground game provided the three touchdowns. Tyler led Valparaiso with 158 yards on 8-of-17 passing.
Drake 22, St. Thomas 19
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Drake used a Luke Bailey touchdown, a safety, and a Shane Dunning field goal in the second half to hold off St. Thomas for its 17th consecutive PFL win, 22-19, on Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. The Bulldogs clinched at least a share of the 2024 PFL Championship with two games remaining in the regular season.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs and Tommies battled to a 10-10 tie at halftime, with Drake building a 10-0 lead only to see St. Thomas erase that lead in the final 5:07 of the half. Drake took the lead for good in the third quarter, with Luke Bailey finding Taj Hughes for a five-yard touchdown six minutes into the half. St. Thomas would get a field goal before the quarter ended, narrowing the deficit to 17-13. But on their next possession, the Tommies saw a wild pass from center sail over the punter's head, who recovered the ball in the end zone but was called for intentional grounding when his pass failed to find a St. Thomas eligible receiver. Drake would build a nine-point lead, 22-13, seven minutes later when Shane Dunning hammered home a 52-yard field goal. St. Thomas would close within that field goal with Tak Tateoka’s 44-yard touchdown pass with 1:54 left, but Drake successfully recovered the ensuing on-side kick, sealing the win. Bailey completed 20-of-26 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Bulldogs offense. Adebayo ran for 99 yards on 23 carries while Tateoka completed 16-of-29 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown.