Pioneer League Week 11 Outlook
- Cael Nearhoof
- 4 days ago
- 10 min read
Saturday November, 8/2025
San Diego played up to their preseason expectations as they took down the Dayton Flyers 31-13. This win now makes the Toreros 5-4 overall with a conference standing of 6th at 3-2. The win still keeps their conference hopes alive with three games remaining on the schedule, but they will still need several things to fall their way for them to become conference champions. In taking a look at the game that kept their season alive we see a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. The Toreros defense held Dayton off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter and by then they had built up a 28-0 lead which was more than enough to get the victory. On the day San Diego held the Flyers to a total of 214 yards, and only 47 yards through the first three quarters. The defense was doing so well that Dayton ended the day with -6 rushing yards. The defense also managed to get two takeovers in the game as they had two interceptions. The cherry on top for San Diego’s defense was that Tre Moore, a linebacker, got the PFL Defensive Player of the Week. Moore earned the award by having six tackles (five solo), including two for loss and a sack, and had one of the interceptions. His interception came in the first half when the Toreros were only up 7-0, and after his interception the offense capitalized by getting a touchdown. For San Diego the defense was on fire and the other side of the ball was trying its best just to do as well. Their offense went for 322 total yards, with 215 coming from the pass while the other 107 came on the ground. San Diego not only dominated the scoreboard but also the time of possession as they held the ball for 35:19 compared to Dayton’s 24:41 in the game. Now the Toreros will try and repeat this performance as they go on the road to Valparaiso Indiana, to take on the Beacons. This game will start at 1:00 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN Plus.
Valparaiso walked into a buzzsaw in their most recent matchup as they faced an angry Presbyterian who took them down 43-14. The loss now makes the Beacons 1-8, and 0-5 on the season. It was a game in which the defense struggled to make stops as they gave up 446 yards on the day, while the offense also struggled to move the ball. The offense only managed a total of 223 yards. The passing game actually went for 225 yards, but the run game was stuffed behind the line having -2 yards on the day. The Beacons also turned the ball over two times in the game, and while they didn’t lose the turnover battle because they took it away two times as well, it didn’t help them in trying to get the win. Now Valparaiso hosts San Diego at home in Valparaiso, Indiana at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Beacons are hopeful that they can end the Toreros chances at winning the conference by stunning them in this game. Watch this one on ESPN Plus.
St. Thomas got their fourth win in a row and it was by another blowout as this time they took down Marist 45-0. Over this four game stretch St. Thomas is averaging 52.25 points a game while holding their opponent to 10 points a game. Showing that not only can their offense score but their defense is also keeping teams off the board. The Tommies currently sit at an overall of 6-3, with a conference record of 4-2 making them fourth overall showing they still have a real shot at the crown this season. For the Tommies when looking at their most recent game we see how much they were in control from the start. The Tommies were up 15-0 at the end of one, and then threw on an additional 20 giving them a 35-0 lead at the half. From there they went into cruise mode as they drained out the clock while still holding the Red Foxes off the scoreboard. It was a game in which the offense had a total of 406 yards with 297 coming from the pass and the other 109 coming from the run. When looking at the passing numbers you can tell that they were very efficient and this efficiency earned Andy Peters the quarterback the PFL offensive Player of the Week. This means he has earned the award two weeks in a row. This time he got the award by going 14-of-19 passes for 248 yards (17.7 yards per completion) and two touchdowns. Peters also ran for three touchdowns in a 13-carry, 28-yard effort. He also never turned the ball over as did the rest of the offense in the game. On the defensive side of the ball things went about as well as they could go as they held the Red Foxes under 200 yards in the game as they finished with 182. The defense did not hold Marist to negative rushing yards like some of the other teams did in week 10 but they still did an impressive job. The offense and defense were rolling in this one and so were their special teams as Elliot Huether, the kicker/punter brought home the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week. Huether earned the award by averaging 47.4 yards on his five punts, as well as making a 25-yard field goal. Now the Tommies go up against one of their toughest opponents this season when they go on the road to Des Moines, Iowa to take on the Drake Bulldogs who sit atop the conference. This game has huge implications for whoever wins the conference and earns a spot in the FCS playoffs. Catch all the action on radio at 1350 or 102.1 as well as ESPN Des Moines and ESPN Plus, with a kickoff time scheduled for 1:00 p.m ET.
Drake gets their fifth win in a row now making them 6-2, and 5-0 in conference. Their most recent win was over the Butler Bulldogs, showing that Drake is still the top dog in this conference. The game ended by a final score of 24-19 showing that every possession mattered, and that is one of the differences in the game as Drake took the ball away three times from Butler. Drake had two fumbles recovered and got an interception, all while not giving the ball away once. For Drake's offense besides not giving the ball away they put up 363 yards of total offense, having the passing game go for 244 yards, with the run game having 119 yards. A solid day for Drake’s as they now prepare for a conference showdown at home in Des Moines Iowa, when they take on the St. Thomas Tommies. This is a game where number one takes on number four in the conference so it is one you don’t want to miss. All the action can be seen and heard on Radio: 1350 and 102.1 as well as ESPN Des Moines, and ESPN Plus. This game will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Butler will not be the better Bulldog this season in the PFL as they took a 24-19 loss against the Drake Bulldogs. The loss makes them 5-4 overall and puts them at fifth in the conference at 3-2.
This was a game that Butler wishes they could play again as they lost by only 5 points all while giving the ball away three times. For Butler the turnovers happened from two lost fumbles as well as a thrown interception. Aside from the turnovers the offense produced 353 total yards, from a well balanced offense. The passing game had 191 yards, and the run game had 162 yards. A solid day for the Bulldogs that was spoiled by giving the ball away. Now they head over to Morehead, KY to take on the Eagles. This game will start at 1:00 p.m. ET, and can be seen on ESPN Plus.
Morehead State got their third win in a row after a rough start to the season, as they are now 5-5 and 3-3 in the conference. The Eagles most recent victory was over the Davidson Wildcats as they took them down 28-24. It was a game that did not come easy as they trailed 17-13 at the half, then after getting shutout in the third they put up 15 points in the fourth to make their comeback. The comeback was complete when the Eagles threw the winning touchdown with 1:06 remaining. The Eagles in this game put up 412 yards, with the passing attack working well by producing 278 yards. The run game did enough to help get the win by having 134 yards. One thing that really helped in making the comeback was not turning the ball over once while they took the ball away from the Wildcats twice. Both turnovers the Eagles generated came from interceptions that they caught. Now Morehead State looks to get above .500 for the first time since week one, as they will take on Butler for their second to last game of the season. This game will take place in Morehead, KY with a start time of 1:00 p.m. ET. This game can be viewed on ESPN Plus.
Stetson took another tough loss as the St. Thomas Tommies took them down in week nine 52-10. That loss bumped them down to an overall of 3-6, and 2-3 in conference play. For the Hatters the loss was a tough one to take because of how badly they were outclassed in the game. Stetson struggled just to break the century mark in total yardage of the game, as they got 120 yards in total. The passing game had 88 yards, and the run game had 32. It wasn’t just because they were turning the ball away either, as they only turned the ball over once from an interception thrown. The main problem was the offense not being able to do anything. Five times in the game they went three and out as well as there being a four and out as they turned the ball over on downs. This led to the Hatters having minimal yardage throughout the game. Now they head into week 11 fresh and ready to face the Marist Red Foxes. To catch all the action of this game located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. tune into ESPN Plus at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Marist took their fourth straight loss as they had no answer for the St. Thomas Tommies who took them down 45-0. The loss now makes the Red Foxes 3-6 and 1-4 conference wise on the season. It also means that the best they can do on the season is finish .500 in both overall and conference play with just three games remaining. In this loss Marist was held to 182 yards in total. The passing game had just barely broken the century mark with 101 yards, and the run game had 81 yards in the game. They struggled to move the ball and that led to an easy loss as you can’t win without scoring. Now the Red Foxes will try to end their losing streak when they take on the Stetson Hatters at home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. with the game starting at 1:00 p.m ET. This game can be seen on ESPN Plus.
Presbyterian has a perfect bounce back game after taking their first loss on the season a week prior. Their win was a 43-14 victory over Valparaiso, and helped move the Blue Hose to an impressive 8-1, and 4-1 on the season. For the Blue Hose it was a game in which they dominated right from the start as they opened the game up with a touchdown. From there they never looked back as they held a 23-0 lead at the half. While they may have given up two touchdowns in the second half they did still keep their foot down as they added 20 more points of their own en route to the win. This win was one in which the offense produced yards and a lot of them as they had 446 on the day. It was the passing game that produced a large majority of their yards with 297, with the run game having 149 yards. While the offense was able to put up points they did slip a couple of times as they gave the ball away two times. One time they threw an interception and the other time was from a lost fumble. The defense though wouldn’t let those turnovers be an issue though as they also took the ball away twice with both of theirs coming from interceptions. The defense not only took the ball away they didn’t allow the Beacons to move the ball all that well either. The Blue Hose held the Beacons to a total of 223 yards with the run game being held to -2 yards on the day. The Blue Hose might not have brought home any PFL awards this week but they are more than happy to be back in the win column. Now they head to Davidson, N.C. to take on the Wildcats who have struggled mightily this season. This is a trap game that the Blue Hose will need to be careful of but if they get out to a good start this one may be over by halftime. This game will start at 5:00 p.m. ET, and can be seen on ESPN Plus.
Davidson was so close to ending their four game losing streak but couldn’t stop the comeback as they fell to Morehead St. 28-24. The loss now makes the Wildcats 1-8 overall and 0-5 in the conference. For the Wildcats it was a game in which they led 17-13 at the half and even had an 11 point lead in the fourth. But alas it was not meant to be as they are still on the search for a conference win and an end to their losing streak. In this game Davidson had 316 total yards, with the run game going strong with 235 yards. The passing game put up the remaining 81 yards on the day. One reason the passing game wasn’t used so much is because they struggled to complete passes going 9/24 with two interceptions being thrown. Those interceptions might not have led to points being scored but giving the ball away makes it harder to score and might have been the Wildcats' downfall in this one. Now they host the Presbyterian Blue Hose in Davidson, N.C. at 5:00 p.m. ET. This game will be one in which the Wildcats will try and spring a trap on the Blue Hose as they look to spoil their run for PFL supremacy. Catch this one on ESPN Plus.
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