Pioneer League Week 8 Outlook

Butler Bulldog’s Athletics

Butler could not pull off the upset when they took on the Presbyterian Blue Hose as they fell in that game 31-25. This loss moves the Bulldogs to a 4-3 overall record with a conference record of 2-1.They sit fourth currently in conference standing. For the game it was one that the Bulldogs were in all the way to the end but they could not get possession of the ball after making it a one score game. In the game the Bulldogs managed to outgain the Blue Hose as they had 388 yards to their opponents 385. For the Bulldogs they got 195 of those yards from the pass and the remaining 193 on the ground. The Bulldogs also never turned the ball over giving them a solid day offensively, but they just couldn’t do enough to get the win. Now Butler goes on the road to play the Dayton Flyers in Dayton Ohio. That game will kickoff at 12:00p.m. ET, and can be watched on ESPN Plus.

Dayton Flyers Athletics

The Dayton Flyers had a good day in their week 7 match-up as they got a dominant victory in which they won 41-10. That win gives them their fifth win in a row to give them a 5-1 record with their conference record sitting at 3-0. While conference play still has several weeks to go before we know who has a shot at winning the conference, sitting in first place coming into week eight has to be a good feeling for the Flyers. And that good feeling is even higher with the way they got the win over Valparaiso in week seven. In that game they held the Beacons scoreless until the fourth quarter in that game. While holding the Beacons scoreless for so long they also put up all their points in the first half. While they would have wanted to get a couple of scores in the second half the 41 points were more than enough to get the win. For Dayton they had 371 yards of total offense, with the passing game going for 210 and the run game having 161. The passing performance also earned Bryce Schondelmyer, their quarterback the PFL Offensive Player of the Week. Schondelmyer went 15-22 for 202, and had three passing touchdowns all to a different receiver.  Their defense also had a good game as they had a shutout going into the fourth and a large part in making that happen were the four turnovers that they created. In that game they got two turnovers from interceptions, one that was a pick six, and their other two from fumbles. One of those fumbles was recovered by Brandon Martin who brought home the PFL Defensive Player of the Week. Besides his recovered fumble he recorded six tackles with four of them being solo. Three of those tackles were for a loss and the other three were for no gain. The Flyers had an impressive day on the field with two of their players bringing home PFL awards. The Flyers will be flying while preparing for their week eight matchup against the Butler Bulldogs who they host at home in Dayton Ohio. That game can be seen on ESPN Plus and will have a kickoff time of 12:00 p.m. ET. 

Stetson Hatters Athletics

 Stetson gets back into the win column for their second week in a row as they took down Morehead St. by a score of 21-14. While the score shows that it was a seven point difference in the end for a majority of the game the Hatters held the Eagles off the board as they didn’t score until the fourth quarter. When the Hatters suddenly found themselves in a seven point game late they then went on a six minute drive of only 36 yards to put the game away. A true testament to their strength in what they will do to win. In the game the Hatters had 335 yards of total offense with a majority of those yards not coming from the pass but from the run. As the passing game only had 93 yards. But the run game had 242 yards on 56 attempts. With all those runs a fumble did occur in which they did lose the ball but their defense did their job to help them win the turnover battle as they got two interceptions. Now the 3-4 Hatters will look to get another conference win with them currently having a 2-1 conference record, when they take on the Presbyterian Blue Hose on the road in Clinton South Carolina. That game will be available to watch on ESPN Plus with kickoff happening at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Presbyterian Blue Hose Athletics 

The Blue Hose march on as they get the 31-25 victory over the Butler Bulldogs. That win moves them to 6-0 on the season and now 2-0 in conference play. Presbyterian at the halfway point in the season looks like the team to beat in the Pioneer League. In a game that they didn’t play their best they still managed to get the win. In this game they were outgained in total yards as they had 385 yards to Butler's 388 yards. In the game they also lost the turnover battle as they gave the ball away once from a fumble while never getting a turnover themselves, and they were dominated in time of possession as Butler had 40:23 in time of possession as compared to Presbyterian’s 19:37. With so many things not being in their favor the Blue Hose showed true grit in getting this win. For Presbyterian their offense did just enough with the passing game going for 175 yards, while the run game put up 210 yards. While Presbyterian has played several tough games that were close to the end, this game comes as a reminder that their conference won’t be a cake walk for them and they need to be prepared for all of them. Now they will host the Stetson Hatters at 1 p.m. ET, in Clinton South Carolina. This game can be watched on ESPN Plus.

Davidson Wildcats Athletics

Davidson takes another rough loss on the season with their most recent loss coming against St. Thomas in a game with the final score ending 57-13. The loss puts the Wildcats at an overall of 1-5, with the conference record sitting at 0-2. In the game Davidson got 374 yards of total offense, with the passing having 277 yards, with the run game having 97 yards. But they turned the ball over four times. Three of those turnovers were from fumbles and the final one was an interception. The Wildcats now go on the road to Des Moines, Iowa to take on the Drake Bulldogs. Watch this game at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN Plus. 

Drake Bulldogs Athletics

 The Drake Bulldogs got their second win in a row to put them over .500 on the season. They now have an overall of 3-2 with their conference play sitting at 2-0. Their most recent win was over conference opponent San Diego in which they won the game 19-16. It was a game that the Bulldogs trailed at half but come the end of the third quarter everything changed. At the end of the third San Diego missed a field goal and Drake took advantage of it as they chipped away at their deficit with a field goal of their own. Before eventually taking the lead, then hitting a game winning field goal as time expired. This walk-off winner earned Harry Balke the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week. His winning kick was from 55-yards out, as well hitting a 43-yarder earlier in fourth.In this game the Bulldogs put up 341 yards as the passing game went for 161 yards, and the run game put up 180 yards. The Bulldogs never turned the ball over in this game as well to help them get the victory. Now they get to play at home in Des Moines, Iowa, as they host the Davidson Wildcats with a kickoff time of 1:00 p.m. ET. This game can be watched on ESPN Plus. 

Marist Red Foxes Athletics

The Red Foxes continue to remain at the .500 level as they took a 28-9 loss against the Penn Quakers. The game against Penn saw Marist struggle to score as they only had three points in the first three quarters and then in the fourth they managed to get six. In the game the Red Foxes had a total of 250 yards. The passing game got 152 yards and the run game got 98 yards in the affair. For the Red Foxes though luck may be on their side as they go on the road to take on Morehead St. Why luck may be on their side is because after every loss so far in the season they have turned around and gotten a win right after. So the Red Foxes are going to try and get their second conference win as they sit at 1-1 conference record wise. This game can be watched on ESPN Plus with the kickoff at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Morehead State Eagles Athletics

 Morehead State took another loss on the season putting them at 2-5 on the season with a conference record of 0-3. In their most recent game they took on the Stetson Hatters in which they lost by a score of 21-14. It was a game in which the offense struggled for much of the game as they had zero points in the first three quarters. Then in the fourth they had two touchdowns to make it a seven point game, but they could not stop the Hatters final drive in which they ran out the final six minutes of the game. In the game the Eagles had 282 yards of total offense, with the run game falling one yard short of 100 as they had 99 yards. The passing game had 183 yards, with two interceptions in the game as well. Morehead State will now host the Marist Red Foxes. A game that can be found on ESPN Plus with the game beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Valparaiso Beacons Athletics

Valparaiso continues to spiral down this season as they lost 41-10 to the Dayton Flyers. This loss is their fifth in a row putting them at a 1-5 record with a conference record of 0-2. They need to turn things around now if they still want to salvage the season as their last game was one to learn from. In that game they got a total of 311 yards with 207 coming from the pass while the run game just barely got over the century mark with 104. The big problem was turnovers. They turned the ball over four times, twice from interceptions and the other two times from fumbles. These costly turnovers helped their opponent hold them off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter and by then the game was well out of hand. Now the Beacons prepare to take on the St. Thomas Tommies, a home game for the Tommies as the game takes place in St. Paul Minnesota. This game begins at 2:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on MidcoSP.

St. Thomas Tommies Athletics

St. Thomas got back to their winning ways after a two-game losing streak. This puts them at an overall of 3-3 with a conference record of 1-2. The Tommies ended the streak by getting a win over Davidson by a score of 57-13. The game was all but over by half time as it was 29-0 for the Tommies. Then in the second half they did give up 13 points but put up another 28 points in their route. It was a game in which both sides of the ball were clicking as the offense had 551 yards of total offense. The passing game put up 367 of those yards and the run game got the other 184. Then for the defense they managed to get four turnovers. The defense put multiple balls on the ground as they recovered three fumbles, and got an interception in there as well. It was a game with lots of positives for the Tommies and they will try and use those positives when they take on Valparaiso at home in St. Paul Minnesota. The Tommies game can be found at MidcoSP with a kickoff time of 2:00 p.m. ET.