CFB-FCS: Pioneer Football League Week 9 Release & Preview

PFL leader Drake (4-0) takes Week 9 off and will watch what happens behind it in the standings as 3-0 squads Dayton and St. Thomas look to join them with home games this week while one-loss squads Davidson, Morehead State, and San Diego look to keep the pressure applied.

WEEK 9 SCHEDULE

PFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player of the Week

Mari Adams, Davidson Junior, Running Back, Shelby, North Carolina

Adams rushed for three touchdowns to lead Davidson’s 10-touchdown performance in a 70-48 shootout victory against Stetson on Saturday. He ran for 135 yards on 13 carries – 10.4 yards per game – his fifth 100-yard rushing performance this season. Adams scored the Wildcats first touchdown with a 16-yard carry. He tacked on his second TD run late in the second quarter – a 20-yard run that gave Davidson a 28-14 lead. Adams’ third touchdown was a 54-yard burst in the third quarter for a 56-28 Davidson advantage.

OTHER NOTABLES

• Dayton quarterback Drew VanVleet’s touchdown pass as part of a flea-flicker with 11 seconds remaining lifted Dayton to a 21-14 win at Butler. He completed 11-of-17 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns. • San Diego wide receiver Ja’seen Reed caught eight passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in San Diego’s 34-6 victory against Marist. • St. Thomas wide receiver Chase Colin caught three passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in St. Thomas’ 42-14 win at Valparaiso. • Stetson wide receiver Fabian Baez had four receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns in a loss at Davidson.

Defensive Player of the Week

Eric Haney, San Diego Graduate, Defensive Back, Peoria, Arizona

Haney’s 46-yard pick-six on the game’s opening drive set the tone for a defense that allowed only one touchdown and 226 yards in a 34-6 victory against Marist. Just four plays into the game, he intercepted the game’s first pass attempt to put the Toreros ahead. Haney also had a pass breakup and added a sack to his four-tackle outing (two solo). He also handled punt return duties for the Toreros, with three returns for nine yards. Haney’s pick-six was San Diego’s FCS-leading fourth interception returned for a touchdown this season.

OTHER NOTABLES

• Davidson linebacker John Tessman had six tackles and a 21-yard pick-six in Davidson’s 70-48 victory against Stetson. • Dayton safety Ca’ron Coleman recorded seven tackles (six solo), one for loss, and recovered a fumble in a win at Butler. • Drake linebacker Sean Allison posted 14 tackles (10 solo) and a half tackle for loss in a 19-16 overtime win at Presbyterian. • Presbyterian defensive back Caleb Francis had a hand in three Blue Hose takeaways and recorded four tackles in an overtime loss to Drake. He intercepted a pass in the end zone in the third quarter, then in the fourth quarter, he forced a fumble to end one drive and had a pass breakup that resulted in an interception on another.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Sam Johnson, Valparaiso Senior (RS), Punter, Birmingham, Alabama

Johnson, the PFL’s punting average leader padded his lead, averaging 50.5 yards on eight punts in a loss to St. Thomas. He notched another five punts of 50-plus yards, including a 57-yarder, had two downed inside the 20-yard line, three fair catches, and only one went for a touchback – his first touchback surrendered in 2024. It was the second straight Saturday that Johnson had averaged 50-plus yards in punting. This season, Johnson has boomed 17 punts of 50-plus yards and seen 13 downed inside the 20-yard line, while the Beacons lead the PFL with 43.0 net punting yards.

Tyler Radocha, Drake Graduate, Defensive Back, Austin, Texas

Radocha blocked a potential game-winning field goal in regulation to help Drake escape with a 19-16 overtime victory at Presbyterian. After Drake tied the game, Presbyterian went the length of the field and needed only to convert the 22-yard field goal attempt to end the Bulldogs’ 14-game PFL win streak, but Radocha broke through the middle of the line to stop the kick and helped force overtime. It capped a 10-tackle (eight solo) outing by the defensive back, which included a tackle for loss.

OTHER NOTABLES

Davidson slot receiver Henry Dolan recovered a Wildcats on-side kick and a fumble on a muffed punt return as part of Davidson’s 70-48 victory. • Dayton punter Logan Forcum averaged 36.8 yards on his four punts, including a long of 41 yards, in a 21-14 win at Butler. • Drake defensive back Tyler Radocha blocked a potential game-winning field goal in regulation to help Drake escape with a 19-16 overtime win at Presbyterian. He also had 10 tackles (eight solo) and a tackle for loss on defense.

NOTE: All individuals recognized on this page were nominated by the athletics communications staff at their respective schools.

PFL Notes

• Dayton is 3-0 to start PFL play for the first time since the 2015 season. The Flyers ultimately went on to win the 2015 PFL Championship that season, the last of their PFL record 12 championships.
• Drake brings a 15-game PFL win streak into its off week after escaping at Presbyterian last week to extend the streak. After a slew of upsets in Week 8 it is now the longest conference win streak in the FCS. The Bulldogs’ last conference loss was on Oct. 22, 2022, when they dropped a 48-14 decision to Davidson as part of a then-season-opening eight-game losing streak. Since snapping that streak, Drake is 16-5 overall.
• In addition to Drake’s streak, St. Thomas is one of three FCS teams with a seven-game conference win streak – now the second longest such streak in the FCS. Dayton’s five-game PFL win streak is next in line, tied for fifth in the FCS.
• The PFL leads all FCS conference with 27 kicks blocked in 74 league games played during 2024. Dayton leads the league and all FCS squads with six blocked kicks this season while Presbyterian has three blocks to its credit, ninth-most in the FCS.
• The PFL is third among FCS conferences with seven pick-sixes in 2024, trailing the Southern Conference and the OVC/Big South (8). San Diego has four of those pick-sixes this season, leading all FCS teams, with Davidson (2) and St. Thomas (1) claiming the others.
• Phil Steele Magazine released its 2024 FCS Mid-Season All-American Team in October. Butler junior offensive lineman Adam Doland and Drake junior defensive lineman Finn Claypool were fourth-team honorees at the halfway point.
• Three Pioneer Football League student-athletes were among a record 203 semifinalists for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, presented by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame: Dayton redshirt senior center Dylan DeMaison, Marist graduate student and defensive lineman Gannon McCorkle, and Valparaiso senior defensive lineman Sam Hafner.
• Davidson defensive end Julian Rawlins was one of 22 student-athletes named to the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, announced Sept. 17.
• PFL teams claimed four wins against their scholarship FCS brethren. Butler (at Murray State), Dayton (vs. Saint Francis), Drake (at Eastern Washington), and San Diego (vs. Cal Poly) victories helped the league post its most wins against FCS nonconference teams since 2019.
• The PFL’s coaches picked Drake to win the 2024 PFL title after winning the 2023 title, their seventh PFL championship and first since 2012. The Bulldogs received eight of the 11 first-place votes from the league’s coaches. St. Thomas was second in the preseason poll, followed by Butler and San Diego.
• Drake defensive end Finn Claypool, the reigning PFL Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List Presented by Stats Perform. He also was named to the Stats Perform’s All-America Team.
• Davidson running back Mari Adams and Drake quarterback Luke Bailey were named to the 35-player Walter Payton Watch Award Watch List, also presented by Stats Perform.
• Seven PFL alumni are currently on active NFL and CFL rosters. A complete list of PFL alumni in professional football is on page 11 of the PDF.