Valparaiso erased a six-point halftime deficit to beat Drake, while Presbyterian recovered from a 14-point deficit against Davidson. St. Thomas, Butler and Dayton also earned Pioneer Football League victories Saturday.

PFL Scoreboard: Week 7

Columbia 41, Marist 28 
Presbyterian 38, Davidson 21
Dayton 56, Morehead State 28
Valparaiso 21, Drake 13
Butler 41, San Diego 10
St. Thomas 64, Stetson 21

PFL Recaps: Saturday, Oct. 10

Presbyterian 38, Davidson 21

CLINTON, S.C. — Presbyterian overcame a 14-point first-quarter deficit and scored 32 consecutive points to defeat Davidson 38-21 Saturday at Bailey Memorial Stadium, marking the Blue Hose’s 12th straight home win.

Davidson struck first on Casey Bullock’s 14-yard touchdown run and his 31-yard scoring pass to AJ Adams, giving the Wildcats a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Presbyterian answered with Jackson Burleson’s 25-yard touchdown run and Landon Sharpe’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Sean McNamara, trimming the deficit to 14-12.

Damion Moate’s 2-yard run put Presbyterian ahead early in the second quarter. Burleson added 18 and 4-yard runs to send the Blue Hose into halftime leading 32-14. Davidson closed to 32-21 on Bullock’s 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but Sharpe’s 17-yard touchdown run with 4:41 remaining secured the win.

Burleson rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns, Moate added 109 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Sharpe ran for 90 yards and passed for 149. Presbyterian gained 345 rushing yards. Bullock passed for 124 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 74 yards and two scores for Davidson, while Andrew Frazier caught five passes for 77 yards.

Dayton 56, Morehead State 28

DAYTON, Ohio — Dayton broke a third-quarter tie with 28 unanswered points to defeat Morehead State 56-28 Saturday at Welcome Stadium.
Bryce Schondelmyer opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Luke Hansen, but Jackson Lanier tied it for Morehead State with a 1-yard run. Schondelmyer found Gavin Lochow for a 21-yard score before Bryce Patterson’s 1-yard run made it 14-14. A 32-yard Schondelmyer-to-Lochow touchdown restored Dayton’s lead, and Patterson’s second 1-yard scoring run sent the teams to halftime tied at 21.

Lochow scored on a 10-yard run in the third quarter, but Patterson connected with Cannon Dinger for a 20-yard touchdown to tie it at 28. Schondelmyer’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mussari put Dayton ahead for good. Mason Hackett added a 3-yard rushing score, Paul Kelly returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown, and Dillon Fitzpatrick finished the scoring with a 19-yard run.

Schondelmyer completed 22 of 29 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns, while Mussari caught seven passes for 79 yards and Lochow totaled three touchdowns. Patterson threw for 350 yards and a touchdown for Morehead State, with Dinger catching seven passes for 159 yards and a score.

Valparaíso 21, Drake 13

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Valparaiso rallied from a six-point halftime deficit and held Drake scoreless after intermission for a 21-13 victory Saturday at Brown Field, for the Beacons' first home win against the Bulldogs since 2003.  

Keefe scored on a 2-yard run to put Valparaiso ahead in the first quarter before Cody Blicharz answered with a 1-yard touchdown run for Drake. Griffin Kollhoff kicked 24- and 48-yard field goals in the second quarter, the latter as time expired, to give the Bulldogs a 13-7 halftime lead.

Valparaiso moved ahead 14-13 when Keefe found White for an 8-yard touchdown with 10:26 remaining in the third quarter. The Beacons then extended their lead on an 11-play, 74-yard fourth-quarter drive capped by Keefe’s 27-yard touchdown pass to White with 4:05 left. Valparaiso’s defense intercepted four Riley Warzynski passes, with Mark Johnson and Nic Lendino recording two apiece, to lead the Beacons to the victory.

Keefe completed 13 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, while White caught four passes for 54 yards and two scores, and Michael Rumoro rushed for 50 yards. Warzynski passed for 264 yards for Drake, while Willis Nofsinger caught four passes for 105 yards and Lincoln DeLaere added 50 receiving yards.

Butler 41, San Diego 10

INDIANAPOLIS — Sam Mann’s 73-yard touchdown run was part of Butler’s five-rushing-touchdown outing in a 41-10 win over San Diego Saturday at the Sellick Bowl. It was the Bulldogs' first win against San Diego since 2022.

Manna broke free for his 73-yard score, which accounted for Butler’s entire second offensive possession. Emiliano Salazar answered with a 44-yard field goal for San Diego, but Beck Janki made a 34-yard field goal to restore Butler’s seven-point advantage. Desmin Jackson scored on a 22-yard run in the second quarter, and Janki added another 34-yard field goal as the half ended with the Bulldogs leading 20-3.

Gabe Passini scored on runs of 10 and 4 yards in the third quarter, the latter following a San Diego interception that gave Butler possession at the Toreros’ 15-yard line. Dom Nankil connected with Omar Mbakwe for a 30-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but Passini answered with a 9-yard scoring run to complete his three-touchdown rushing performance.

Manna rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown, while Passini ran for 56 yards and three scores and passed for 217 yards. Michael Nix caught three passes for 113 yards. Nankil completed 28 of 42 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown for San Diego, while Elijah Taylor caught six passes for 100 yards and Cole Monach added 79 receiving yards.

St. Thomas 64, Stetson 21

ST. PAUL, Minn. — St. Thomas scored 43 consecutive points and quarterback Nicholas Peipert passed for four touchdowns, and defeated Stetson 64-21 Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

Peipert opened the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Koch, and Stetson answered on Thomas von Grote’s 3-yard scoring pass to Wyatt Rogers. Peipert’s 2-yard touchdown run restored the lead, and Gabriel Abel’s 2-yard run extended it early in the second quarter. Peipert then connected with Quentin Cobb-Butler for a 30-yard touchdown and Stefano Giovannelli for a 38-yard score as time expired in the half, giving St. Thomas a 36-7 advantage.

Peipert scored on a 1-yard run to start the third quarter before Owen Lyons returned a blocked punt 6 yards for a touchdown. Peipert’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Cobb-Butler made it 57-7. Stetson answered in the fourth quarter with von Grote’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Shawne Jones and Chris Stephenson’s 48-yard touchdown run, sandwiching Javaris Morgan’s 3-yard scoring run for St. Thomas.

Peipert passed for 247 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 146 yards and two scores. Cobb-Butler caught five passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Von Grote passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns for Stetson, while Rogers caught nine passes for 94 yards and Stephenson rushed for 74 yards.