ST. LOUIS – The Pioneer Football League went 3-1 on Saturday, with Dayton, Butler and Valparaiso earning season-opening victories while Stetson fell to third-ranked South Dakota State..
PFL Scoreboard: Week 1
South Dakota Mines def. Drake, 38-35
Ohio Dominican def. Morehead State, 42-40 (3OT)
Concord def. Davidson, 41-35
Presbyterian def. UVA Wise, 47-37
St. Thomas def. Winona State, 15-9
New Haven 22, Marist 21
Dayton 43,Fairmont State 20
Butler 27, Georgetown (Ky.) 20
Valparaiso 59, Lawrence Tech 13
South Dakota State 70, Stetson 7
Recaps
Dayton 43, Fairmont State 20
DAYTON, Ohio – Dayton defeated Fairmont State 43-20 at Welcome Stadium on Saturday, scoring 31 points in the second quarter and forcing four turnovers in its season opener.
The Flyers opened the scoring on Bryce Schondelmyer's 8-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Weatherly, then broke the game open in the second quarter. Luke Hansen scored twice on runs of 33 and 2 yards, Mason Hackett added a 27-yard touchdown run and Schondelmyer connected with Weatherly for a 39-yard score. David Maurer's 32-yard field goal with two seconds left in the half gave Dayton a 38-0 lead.
Fairmont State scored on its opening drive of the third quarter, but Maurer answered with a 33-yard field goal. The Falcons added two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but Dayton also scored two points when Pat McLaughlin returned a blocked extra point. Dayton finished with 437 total yards, including 251 rushing, and held Fairmont State to 344 yards.
Schondelmyer completed 15 of 22 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, while Hansen rushed for 53 yards and two scores. Weatherly caught four passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Dayton also had 10 different players record a rushing attempt and nine different receivers catch a pass.
Butler 27, Georgetown (Ky.) 23
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler defeated Georgetown (Ky.) 27-23 at Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl on Saturday, rallying from a 20-17 halftime deficit to win its season opener.
Georgetown took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before Butler answered with a field goal. The Tigers restored their 14-point advantage in the second quarter when Javyn Martin returned a blocked field goal 66 yards for a touchdown. Butler responded with Chet Yardley's 20-yard touchdown reception and Desmin Jackson's 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 17-17, but Georgetown kicked a field goal with three seconds left in the half.
After Georgetown extended its lead to 23-17 with a third-quarter field goal, Gabe Passini put Butler ahead for the first time with a touchdown run with 1:30 remaining in the period. Will Beesley intercepted Justice Burnam early in the fourth, and Beck Janki converted a 27-yard field goal to make it 27-23. Georgetown missed a 35-yard field goal with just under seven minutes left, and Butler held on.
Passini completed 15 of 26 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a career-high 176 yards and a touchdown. Chet Yardley caught a touchdown pass and had 59 receiving yards, while Nick Munson added 56 receiving yards. Justice Burnam threw for 336 yards and a touchdown for Georgetown, which turned the ball over twice to Butler's none.
Valparaiso 59, Lawrence Tech 13
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Valparaiso defeated Lawrence Tech 59-13 at Brown Field on Saturday, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and tying an NCAA FCS record with three touchdowns on punt returns to open the season with a victory.
The Beacons quickly built a 21-0 lead. Marty O'Keeffe caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rowan Keefe, Cedric Benning III scored on a 1-yard run and Betrand Berry II returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. Chris Gundy added a 59-yard punt return early in the second quarter, and Valparaiso led 28-0 before Lawrence Tech answered with touchdown passes from Ryan Schuster to Tyler Garrett and a 33-yard touchdown run by Buddy Banks-Williams.
Valparaiso restored control before halftime with Michael Rumoro's 3-yard touchdown run and a 27-yard field goal from Luke Scoma. Keefe then hit Bryson Winbush for a 56-yard touchdown in the third quarter before Gundy returned another punt 41 yards for a score. Noah Ehrlich's 2-yard touchdown run completed the scoring in the fourth. Valparaiso finished with 362 total yards and held Lawrence Tech to 230.
Keefe completed 10 of 16 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns, while Ashton Allen rushed for 56 yards. Winbush caught the 56-yard touchdown, and Gundy scored twice on punt returns. Jaylen Flowers rushed for 91 yards for Lawrence Tech, while Schuster completed 7 of 26 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
South Dakota State 70, Stetson 7
BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State defeated Stetson 70-7 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Saturday, scoring 42 points in the first half.
The third-ranked Jackrabbits scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, including Chase Mason's 73-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Smith and rushing scores by C.J. Blair Jr. and Jadon Johnson. South Dakota State added three more touchdowns in the second quarter, including Austin Uchtman's 65-yard punt return, to take a 42-0 halftime lead.
South Dakota State continued the onslaught in the third quarter, with Blair scoring on a 52-yard run, Landon Dulaney catching a 78-yard touchdown pass and Jaxon Basinger adding a 6-yard touchdown run. Stetson finally got on the board when Cam Stephenson scored on a 3-yard run with 3:37 remaining in the period, but Jaxon Myers answered with a 27-yard touchdown run 3:18 later.
South Dakota State finished with 623 total yards to Stetson's 265 and had 25 first downs to the Hatters' 15. Chase Mason passed for 157 yards and a touchdown, while Jaxon Basinger rushed for 110 yards and a score. Landon Dulaney caught two passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Tyler von Grote completed 17 of 26 passes for 95 yards for Stetson, while Cam Stephenson rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown.