Oct. 25, 2008

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DAYTON, Ohio - Senior Rob Florian threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score as the Dayton Flyers picked up a 43-7 win over the Valparaiso Crusaders on Saturday afternoon at Welcome Stadium.

Florian finished the afternoon 21-of-28 for 270 yards passing and 20 yards rushing to help Dayton win its fourth in a row. Redshirt sophomore Nick Collins had three receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns while senior Ben Shappie rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown.

UD improved to 7-1 overall, 4-0 in conference play, and has now won 10 consecutive Pioneer Football League contests.

The Flyer defense played stellar once again holding an opponent to under 100-yards in the first half for the fourth consecutive game. Senior Kalen Hemmelgarn had a sack and six tackles while senior Scott Vossler forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble and made three stops.

The Flyers opened up the scoring when Florian rushed in from one-yard out to give Dayton a 7-0 lead on the opening possession of the game. UD scored again thanks to a 36-yard touchdown reception by Collins after Valentino tipped the ball in midair. Collins beat the safety by scampering down the sideline to put the Flyers ahead 14-0.

Valparaiso responded quickly, however, with a six-play, 57 yard drive culminating with a 28-yard touchdown pass to cut the Flyer lead in half at 14-7.

But Dayton would score 20 unanswered points to cruise into halftime. The scoring barrage began toward the end of the first quarter thanks to a Ben Shappie nine-yard touchdown run, which put the Flyers ahead 21-7.

Dayton then capitalized on a Scott Vossler forced fumble deep in Valpo territory. On the ensuing Flyer possession, Bart Bergfeld caught a 5-yard touchdown reception to give the Flyers a 27-7 advantage.

Collins then caught his second touchdown of the game, this time from 20-yards out, to put UD ahead 34-7 at the half.

Coming out of the locker room, UD methodically marched down the field with a 17-play, nine-minute, 70-yard drive that led to a Nick Glavin field goal giving Dayton a 37-7 advantage. Quarterback Jeff Pechan added a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter on a 1-yard rush to cap the scoring for the Flyers.

Other contributors for UD included redshirt freshman Justin Millio had eight catches for 51 yards and redshirt sophomore J.J. Vercammen, who led the Flyers in tackles with six.

With the loss, Valparaiso dropped to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the PFL. The Crusaders were outgained 441 to 109 in a game that took two hours and 17 minutes to play.

The Flyers' next game will be a road contest against the San Diego Toreros on Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. ET.