Sept. 11, 2004

DAYTON - No matter who was throwing the ball, Ryan Wrobleski was catching it. The University of Dayton junior wide receiver caught seven passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading the Flyers to a 28-0 win over Morehead State Saturday night at Welcome Stadium. The No. 2 Flyers (2-0), who have now shutout the No. 7 Eagles for 14 consecutive quarters, racked up 572 yards in total offense and held MSU (0-2) to just 132.

UD put up 21 of its points in the second half, following a more-than-forgettable first half. Although gaining 257 total yards (just 80 in the first quarter), UD came up empty handed on five drives, lost a fumble and was penalized six times for 45 yards.

Wrobleski's first touchdown catch extended the Flyers' lead to 14-0 with 6:30 in the third quarter. Senior QB Brandon Staley found Wrobleski for a 19-yard reception to cap a 9-play, 66-yard drive. The career night for the junior wasn't complete until 12:58 in the fourth when QB Kevin Hoyng connected with Wrobleski on a 32-yard TD reception, making the score 28-0.

In all, Wrobleski caught three passes from Staley for 117 yards (including a career-long 71-yard reception in the first quarter) and four from Hoyng for 86. He was both three catches and 20 yards from setting two UD single-game records. Wrobleski had just 279 yards receiving all last season.

For the second consecutive week, Staley and Hoyng alternated drives for the Flyers' at quarterback. Staley finished the game 8-of-15 for 174 yards and a TD. He also rushed three times for 23 yards. Hoyng was 6-of-13 for 116 yards and was UD's leader on the ground with 9 carries for 69 yards and a TD. The Hoyng touchdown on a 20-yard run finally put the Flyers on the board just 1:48 before the half.

Steve Verhoff accounted for UD's other score on a 25-yard TD run with 4:08 in the third quarter. His run ended a 5-play, 65-yard drive, putting UD up 21-0. The senior tailback carried the ball a game-high 11 times for 41 yards.

Defensively, junior linebacker Pat Weale came up big with seven tackles and two for a loss. More importantly, he recovered a fumble on MSU's opening kickoff of the second half, helping give UD momentum to score 14 third-quarter points. He also had one pass deflection and a sack on MSU's opening drive of the game, forcing them to the first of 10 punts. John Hoppe led UD with 11 tackles, while Casey Klaus, Doug Jones and Chris Dearth were in on five.

Extending an NCAA-leading (all levels) streak, the Flyers have not been shutout in 313 consecutive games. The last time UD was blanked was Oct. 16, 1976, a 9-0 loss to at Marshall.

Dayton, which could be the new Mid-Major No. 1 following the loss by top-ranked Duquesne, faces a "major" opponent next Saturday at Welcome Stadium. The Flyers will entertain Yale at 1:00 p.m. in the first-ever visit to Dayton by an Ivy League team in football.