Nov. 8, 2006

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The University of Dayton Flyer football team will have the sun set on the 2006 football season Saturday when the Flyers head to California to take on the San Diego Toreros. Dayton comes into the game 4-5 on the year, and 1-5 in the Pioneer Football League. The Flyers need a win to avoid their first sub-.500 season in 30 years. Standing in the way of that will be the host Toreros, who are 9-0 this season (6-0 in the PFL) and have won their last 17 games.

San Diego has already clinched at least a share of the league championship, is ranked #1 in both mid-major rankings and is currently ranked 15th in the Sports Network's I-AA College Top 25 Football Poll. USD quarterback Josh Johnson is first in I-AA in points responsible for (24.89) and total offense (334.2 ypg), second in passing efficiency (176.3), and third in total passing (2,480) and passing yards per game (275.56).

Saturday's game will be the last in the college careers of 17 Dayton seniors, including wide receiver Carlton McFadgen, who is nine receptions away from the single-season receptions record at UD, and nickel John Hoppe, only the second two-time team captain in Flyer football history.

SERIES STUFF Dayton leads the series 10-3, but San Diego has won the last three contests, including a 48-24 game last year at Welcome Stadium on October 15.

MAKING HISTORY The 2006 campaign is UD coach Mike Kelly's 26th season as Dayton's head coach, the longest tenure of any UD head coach in any sport.

NO ONE'S DOING IT BETTER The Flyers entered the season with the best winning percentage in I-AA football since 2000 (.831) AND has produced the most football Academic All-Americans at any level of competition in the (12) in the same time frame. BAD NEWS BARED Last week's win over Valparaiso snapped a UD five-game losing streak, its longest since 1974. No player on the team was born the last time the Flyers lost even four straight games (1982).

29 AND HOLDING With a .500 record the best the Flyers can do, UD has had its streak of 29 straight winning seasons, the best active streak among NCAA Division I teams entering the season, come to an end. Florida State has also played 29 straight winning seasons, and ironically the Seminoles are also in jeopardy of seeing their streak end. FSU is 5-4, with games against #18 Wake Forest, Western Michigan and #6 Florida yet to be played. Over the last ten years, UD has averaged 8.6 wins a season. The Flyers have won outright or shared the Pioneer Football League Championship eight times in the 13-year history of the league.

STREAKING UD has not been shut out in 339 straight games, the best such active string in all of college football. The last team to shut out the Flyers was Marshall, 9-0, on October 16, 1976.

QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY Dayton has just two captains for the first time in ten years, but there's no question they are the two most accomplished football players on the team. John Hoppe, a preseason All-American, and Kevin Hoyng, the 2005 White-Allen Flyer Football MVP, are team captains this year.

HOYNG REPORT Kevin Hoyng has broken two UD career records in the last three weeks (and technically speaking, will continue to break his own records in every game for the rest of his career). After missing the Jacksonville game with a knee injury, he returned for the Davidson game, where he became the UD career passing yardage record holder, breaking Steve Keller's old mark of 3,768. The following week at home against Drake, he moved past Kelly Spiker's 5,138 yards in total offense for first place in that category. Hoyng now has 4,423 yards passing and 5,440 yards in total offense. He is second in the PFL in passing efficiency (149.8), and third in total offense (229.7) and passing yards a game (214.4). Through the air, he is 123 of 203 (.613) for 1,930 yards and eight TD's. Last week against Valparaiso, he was 11 of 13 for 262 yards and two TD's.

NOW THAT'S A BULLPEN Junior quarterback Rob Florian made his first start at Jacksonville in place of Kevin Hoyng, who injured his knee against Morehead State. Not only was Florian's first start, but the first pass he threw in the game (16-yard completion to Carlton McFadgen) was the first of his college career. All Florian did was throw for the second-highest single-game passing total in UD history. His 411 yards (308 in the second half) were second only to Kevin Johns' 414 against San Diego in 1996.

AERIAL CIRCUS The Flyers have already broken the UD single-season team record for passing in a season. Dayton's current total of 2,350 yards in nine games tops last year's ten-game total of 2,113 yards. The Flyers are the only team with two receivers in the NCAA I-AA Top Ten in receiving yards per game (Nick Ruhe is fourth, Carlton McFadgen is ninth).

THE GOOD HANDS PEOPLE Nick Ruhe is nine yards away from breaking Ryan Wrobleski's Flyer record for receiving yards in a season (919) that was set last year. Starting receivers Ruhe, Carlton McFadgen and Matt Champa have caught 118 of UD's 144 passes so far this season (82%). Flanker McFadgen leads with 46 catches, and split end Ruhe is right behind with 45. Both are within spitting distance of the UD record for receptions in a season (55 by Bill Franks in 1989). McFadgen's 46 grabs are for 833 yards (18.1) and five TD's. Ruhe has 45 for 911 yards (20.2) and three TD's. He leads the PFL in yards per catch and receiving yards a game (101.2). McFadgen is third in the PFL. Ruhe had nine receptions (one short of the UD record) for 136 yards at Davidson. Tight end Champa has 27 for 365 yards (13.5) and has three TD's.

CENTURY MARK UD has had nine receiving games over 100 yards this season. Nick Ruhe had six catches for 124 yards against Austin Peay, Carlton McFadgen had four for 130 at Butler, and both did it against Morehead (Ruhe 5 for 144 and McFadgen 8 for 107) and Jacksonville (Ruhe 6 for 159 and McFadgen 7 for 136). At Davidson, Ruhe had nine for 136. In the Valparaiso win, McFadgen had five for 130.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS Senior wideout Nick Ruhe is also the PFL's top punt returner. His 11.3 average leads the PFL. He was all-league as a punt returner in 2005.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE NAME, AND BEING A LEADER Senior linebacker Brian Kelly (no relation) leads the PFL in tackles per game (9.9). He had 14 hits (seven solo, two in the backfield) at Wittenberg, and followed that with 16 (five solo) and a forced fumble in the Austin Peay win.

SCRAMBLE THE INTERCEPTORS UD has intercepted 13 passes this season. Junior safety Brandon Cramer's and freshman corner Scott Horcher's three interceptions are fifth in the PFL. Three have been returned for touchdowns. At Butler, nickel John Hoppe returned a pick 12 yards for a TD. Safety Brandon Cramer returned the second of his two against Austin Peay 84 yards for what proved to be the game-winning points with 2:27 left in the game. Against Valparaiso, Matt Smyth took one back 21 yards on the game's second play.

CRAMER EARNS PFL, NATIONAL HONORS Junior safety Brandon Cramer was the September 25 PFL Defensive Player of the Week and one of I-AA.org's four I-AA Weekly All-Stars after his performance in UD's 28-23 win over APSU. The I-AA.org selection covers all of NCAA Division I-AA, not just the mid-major level. He collected three of APSU's four turnovers, and returned his last pick 84 yards for the game-clinching TD. He is third on the team in tackles (42).

ON THE HOP Senior John Hoppe has moved from linebacker to "nickel" for the 2006 season, and for Hoppe, it's been business as ususal. He is second on the team and fifth in the PFL in tackles per game (7.2). He also leads UD in tackles in the backfield (6.5, tied), passes broken up (4, tied), fumbles recovered (2) fumbles forced (2) and kicks blocked (1). Hoppe had nine hits, a forced fumble and pass deflected against RMU, and had eight hits (one in the backfield) and a blocked punt at Wittenberg. He had seven hits (five solo) a pass break up and returned an interception 12 yards for UD's first TD at Butler. Hoppe had ten hits (six solo) against Morehead State. At Jacksonville, he had eight hits (six solo). He led UD with nine tackles against Drake.

INVENTING THE WEALE Linebacker Pat Weale is third on the team in tackles (43). He is third on the team in tackles in the backfield (4.5), and is tied for team honors in sacks (2.0).

BIG HOLE TO FILL Cornerback Casey Klaus suffered a career-ending injury just five plays into the Austin Peay game. He fractured the fibula and tibia of his left leg, and after successful surgery to place a rod in the leg, is now recuperating and attending classes back on campus. Freshman Scott Horcher has started into the starting corner spot, and has three interceptions and 21 tackles in the last five games.

GAINING GROUND BY COMMITTEE UD has five players who have gained at least 100 yards this season. Tailback Brandon Godsey has 314 yards on 86 carries (3.7 avg.) to lead the team. Fellow tailback Greg Wimberly is second (224 yards), followed by fullbacks Matt Marshall (165 yards) and Ben Shappie (142) and quarterback Kevin Hoyng (137).

CARLTON YOUR SCORE MAN Flanker Carlton McFadgen leads the Flyers in scoring (38 points, five receiving TD's, one rushing TD, one two-point PAT). Fullback Ben Shappie is next with 30 points, followed by tailback Brandon Godsey with 28 points.

THE SWARTZ Sophomore Matt Swartz is the first Flyer to punt and kick in the same game since 1992. Against Morehead State, he saw his first college action and punted five times for a 40.2 yard average, and left one inside the 20. He is seven-for-nine in PAT's, two-for-two in FG's and has 25 punts for a 38.8 average.

TOPS IN I-AA NON-SCHOLARSHIP In the 13 years I-AA Non-Scholarship has been an option, UD has the best winning percentage (.791, 125-33) of the 21 schools playing at this level. Duquesne's .738 (110-39) is second, followed by Drake (.674, 100-48-1), Robert Morris (.619, 80-49-1) and Albany (.587, 81-57).

PFL POWER The Flyers' 49-13 PFL record is the best in the 13-year history of the league. UD's eight league championships equal those won by the rest of the PFL combined.

NCAA NUMBERS In the latest NCAA Division I-AA statistics, UD is eighth in passing offense (261.1). Nick Ruhe is third in all-purpose yards a game (169.22) and fourth in receiving yards a game (101.22).

WELCOME MAT The UD Flyers moved to Welcome Stadium in 1974. The word "Welcome" implies hospitality, but Dayton has been anything but hospitable to its opponents at home. UD is 181-37-2 (.827) at home. The "Welcome" in Welcome Stadium is not a greeting, but honors the late Percival Welcome, longtime Director of Athletics for the Dayton Public Schools. UD has won 38 of its last 47 home games, and 20 of its last 24 road games.

GRAB A PAINT BRUSH The University of Dayton, Dayton Public Schools and the Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority have signed a letter of agreement to work together to renovate Welcome Stadium. Thanks to the agreement, the Port Authority was able to acquire $1 million from the State of Ohio in this fiscal year. Safety improvements, painting and new seating occurred in the program's first phase, with a new FieldTurf playing surface and a new press box to follow.

GREAT GRAD RATES UD'S 96 score in the latest GSR (Graduation Success Rate) is the eighth-best in NCAA Division I football. Central Connecticut and Davidson were atop the rankings with 100, followed by Navy, William & Mary, and Georgetown (98), Furman and Richmond (97) and Boston College, The Citadel and UD were next at 96.

GOTTA PLAY SMART The University of Dayton placed a league-best 11 players on the 2005 Academic All-Pioneer Football League team. Since the league's origin in 1993, over a quarter (124 of 460) of the PFL All-Academic selections have been Dayton Flyers. UD also had 60 players on the PFL Academic Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or better). That was 26 better than the next-best school.

HITTING THE BOOKS The Dayton football program has produced 12 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans since the 2000 season. That's most at any level of college football. Safety Brandon Cramer was named a Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America in 2005. In the history of the Academic All-America program, UD has had 44 football Academic All-Americans. Among schools currently playing Division I football, only Nebraska (80) and Notre Dame (45) have had more. UD has had at least one football player named Academic All-American in 14 of the last 15 years. UD had five players named to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team, the most of any school in the district for the fifth straight year. Twelve Flyers were nominated for Academic All-America in each of the last four years.

ARTHUR ASHE SCHOLAR Fullback Matt Marshall was one of three Arthur Ashe Scholars from the University of Dayton in 2005-06, the most in UD history.

GODSEY A DRADDY SEMIFINALIST Senior tailback Brandon Godsey was one of 148 semifinalists for the Draddy Trophy, the National Football Foundation's top award that is considered the "Academic Heisman." The senior Pre-Med major was one of four semifinalists from the PFL.

THE CREAM DOES RISE TO THE TOP UD's 2006 roster includes a number of what some might call "over-achievers." Forty-three current Flyers were in the National Honor Society, and 100 were team captains in some sport. Twenty-four captained two different teams, and 13 were three-sport captains.

SUPER STAT When Jon Gruden coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl championship in 2003, he became the second UD grad to coach a Super Bowl winner. Former UD co-captain and 1993 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XII & XIV) as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Noll started at center and linebacker for the Flyers and graduated from the University in 1953. Gruden played quarterback at Dayton and earned his degree in 1986. UD became only the third school to have two alumni coach Super Bowl winners. The others San Jose State, with grads Bill Walsh (XIV, XIX, XXIII) and Dick Vermeil (XXXIV), and Arkansas with grads Jimmy Johnson (XXVII, XXVIII) and Barry Switzer (XXX). Gruden is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl, and Noll is the fourth youngest. As a matter of fact, UD has ties to 18 Super Bowl rings. In addition to Noll's four and Gruden's one, five former members of Dayton coaching staff own a total of 13 Super Bowl rings between them. They are the late Len Fontes (New York Giants, Super Bowl XXI), Jon's father Jim Gruden (San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowls XXII & XXIV), John McVay (49ers, XVI, XIX, XXII, & XXIV), Tom Moore (Pittsburgh Steelers, XIII & XIV) and George Perles (Steelers, IX, X, XII & XIV). McVay was the Flyers' head coach from 1965-72. The other four were assistants.

GAME #9 -- DAYTON 51, VALPARAISO 7 The Dayton Flyers snapped a five-game losing streak the old-fashioned way with a balanced offensive attack and an opportunistic defense. Junior quarterback Kevin Hoyng was 11 for 13 with two touchdown passes and 236 yards as the Flyers cruised past the Valparaiso Crusaders 51-7 on Senior Day before a crowd of 3,924 at Welcome Stadium. Hoyng had plenty of help as senior wide receivers Carlton McFadgen and Nick Ruhe combined for nine catches for 211 yards and a touchdown. McFadgen finished with a touchdown, 130 yards and five receptions, while Ruhe added four grabs for 81 yards. The Flyers defense recorded four sacks and two interceptions with sophomore defensive back Matt Smyth running one back for the first touchdown of the day. Senior linebacker Brian Kelly led the Flyers with seven tackles, two passes broken up and a sack. Senior John Hoppe picked off a pass and had six tackles as the Flyers held Valparaiso to 154 total yards on offense. Capitalizing on the strong defensive effort, four different Flyers rushed for a touchdown. As a team, the Flyers rushed for 278 yards helping the UD offense hold on to the ball for more than 35 minutes. With the 245 yards in the air, the Flyers set a team record for passing yards in a season eclipsing the old mark of 2,113 which was set in 2005. The record was broken when Hoyng found Ruhe to the right side for a 30-yard gain. The Flyers jumped out to a 12-0 first quarter lead capitalizing on the Crusaders' mistakes. On Valparaiso's opening drive, Smyth picked off a Ryan Doerffler pass down the sidelines and returned the interception 21 yards to put the Flyers up 6-0. The Crusaders blocked the extra point. Aided by a third-down facemask penalty by Valparaiso in the red zone, the Flyers tacked onto the lead when junior fullback Kris Brownlee took a pitch from Hoyng and scampered four yards for his first career touchdown to the end zone corner. On the first play of the second quarter, Hoyng found McFadgen for a 61-yard pass play to set up a 37-yard field goal from sophomore Matt Swartz to extend the UD lead to 15-0. Valparaiso responded 1:42 later on the ensuing drive when junior wide receiver Steve Ogden caught a 24-yard pass to cut the UD lead to 15-7. But senior tailback Greg Wimberly capped a 10-play, 66-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run to give the Flyers a 22-7 lead with 6:08 remaining in the first half. After the Flyers stopped the Crusaders on the following drive, Ruhe returned a punt 16 yards down to the Valparaiso 34. McFadgen finished the job with a 28-yard touchdown reception from Hoyng to put Dayton up 28-7. Dayton extended the lead to 35-7 on the opening drive of the second half. The Flyers marched down the field with an eight-play, 84-yard scoring drive as tight end Matt Champa caught a touchdown pass from 15 yards out. Swartz added a 28-yard field goal with 2:29 in the third quarter to extend the UD lead to 38-7. The fourth quarter featured more of the Dayton offense as junior quarterback Rob Florian ran six yards on an option play to cap an 11-play, 65-yard drive that lasted 6:34 to extend the lead to 38 points. Senior Joe Krieger connected on his first extra point of his career. Sophomore Josh Menendez plowed in from one-yard out to cap another long scoring drive for the Flyers. Wimberly finished the day with 67 yards on 16 carries, while junior James Wade added 63 yards rushing on nine carries as the win snaps the Flyers' longest losing streak in 32 years. Hoyng enjoyed his most accurate first half of the season going 8-for-9 with 171 yards and a touchdown. McFadgen accounted for 112 of the yards on four receptions. Ruhe needs nine yards to break the Flyers single-season record for receiving. Before the contest, UD honored the careers of 17 seniors.

KLAUS NAMED 2006 ZULLI AWARD WINNER At halftime of the Valparaiso game, senior Casey Klaus was presented with the Lt. Andy Zulli Memorial Trophy at halftime. The Zulli award is a character-driven honor that is among the most prestigious in the program. Klaus suffered fractures of both his tibia and fibula that required surgery in the Austin Peay game, and ironically was presented the award very near the spot where his college career came to an end.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK vs. DRAKE OFFENSE-Matt Marshall, Senior FB from Cincinnati, OH DEFENSE--Matt Smyth, Sophomore CB from Highland Ranch, CO SPECIAL TEAMS--Steve McDonald, Junior DB from Newark, OH SCOUT-Chris Martriano, Sophomore WR from Ridgefield, CT SCOUT--Ryan Zerante, Junior DT from Elmhurst, IL SCOUT-Ted Watt, Freshman TB from St. Louis, MO