WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
| SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 | Kickoff (ET) | Current Streak | Last Meeting |
| Dayton at Marist • | Noon | DAY, 2 wins | Dayton 35, Marist 6 (11/11/23 at Dayton) |
| San Diego at Drake • | 1 PM | DRA, 1 win | Drake 25, San Diego 20 (10/21/23 at San Diego) |
| Virginia Lynchburg at Butler | 1 PM | — | First Meeting |
| Valparaiso at Morehead State • | 1 PM | MOR, 1 win | Morehead St. 24, Valparaiso 21 (10/14/23 at Valparaiso) |
| Davidson at Presbyterian • | 7 PM | DAV, 3 wins | Davidson 45, Presbyterian 28 (10/28/23 at Davidson) |
League play takes center stage in Week 5 with four PFL contests on the slate. Drake opens defense of its title when San Diego travels to Des Moines. Dayton looks to build on its two-game PFL win streak to end 2023 when it travels to the Hudson River Valley to meet Marist. Valparaiso looks for its first road win when it faces a Morehead State team that hasn’t lost at home in 2023. Meanwhile, Butler takes on one last nonconference foe while seeking to remain unbeaten in 2023. The week’s action concludes when Davidson and Presbyterian meet in the Carolina Border Bash, hosted this year in Clinton, South Carolina. Stetson and St. Thomas have the week off before starting league play next weekend.
PFL Notes
- 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 of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
- Davidson senior 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 PerformPerform’sson 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.
PFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offensive Player of the Week
Mike Mansaray, Valparaiso | Senior (RS), Running Back, Columbus, Ohio
Mansaray’s 18-yard touchdown dash in double overtime helped lift Valparaiso to a 31-23 victory against Division II Roosevelt on Saturday. He finished with 16 carries for a season-best 132 yards with two touchdowns and added three receptions for four yards. Mansaray also had a 51-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give Valparaiso its first lead, 17-10.
OTHER NOTABLES
Dayton quarterback Drew VanVleet completed 16-of-20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns in threequarters of action while leading Dayton to a 49-7 victory against Ave Maria.
Presbyterian quarterback Collin Hurst came off the bench to complete 14-of-22 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns against Gardner-Webb, engineering both the Blue Hose scoring drives before halftime.
San Diego wide receiver Ja’seem Reed caught 11 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in San Diego’s loss at nationally-ranked North Dakota
Defensive Player of the Week
Malachi Cooper, San Diego | Senior, Defensive Lineman, San Diego, California
Cooper had three tackles for loss and two sacks to lead a San Diego defense that helped keep No. 10 North Dakota’s offense in check for a half before the host Fighting Hawks pulled away in the second half. Cooper finished the game with a team-best six tackles (all solo). His first sack came on third down to force a punt after San Diego took a 7-3 lead, and his second on the final drive of the first half.
OTHER NOTABLES
Dayton safety Ca’ron Coleman recorded seven tackles (five solo), one for loss, and a pass breakup in the Flyers win against Ave Maria.
Drake defensive back Tyler Radocha finished with 11 tackles (five solo) in a loss at nationally-ranked South Dakota.
Presbyterian linebacker Alex Herriott posted 11 tackles (six solo) in a loss to Gardner-Webb.
Valparaiso linebacker Jake Birmingham finished with seven tackles, including a strip-sack and fumble recovery that helped force overtime in a 31-23 win against Roosevelt.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Ryan Hawk, Valparaiso | Junior (RS), Kicker, Columbus, Ohio
Hawk was responsible for 11 points in Valparaiso’s 31-23 double overtime victory against Division II Roosevelt. He made three of his four field goals, including a career-long 51-yard boot that was the longest by a Valparaiso kicker since 2003. Hawk also connected on a 39-yard field goal in the first overtime to help extend the game to a second extra period. He added two PATs and saw four of his five kickoffs go for touchbacks.
OTHER NOTABLES
Dayton punter Logan Forcum averaged 45.0 yards on his two punts in a 49-7 win against Ave Maria.
