Oct. 4, 2006

Complete Game Notes in PDF Format

FLYER FACTS... The University of Dayton Flyers return home Saturday seeking their first Pioneer Football League win of the season when the Morehead State Eagles visit Welcome Stadium. Game time is 1:00 p.m. EDT. Dayton brings a 3-1 overall record to the game, while MSU is 0-5 and 0-2 in the PFL. The Flyers had a six-game winning streak snapped 23-20 at Butler last week.

SERIES STUFF Dayton leads the series 9-2, and has won the last seven meetings. Last season, UD won 42-7 at Morehead.

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 Since 2000, UD has the best winning percentage in I-AA football (.829, 58-12) AND has produced the most football Academic All-Americans at any level of competition (12).

SPECIAL GUESTS ARE WELCOME AT WELCOME The University of Dayton is celebrating the 50th anniversary of soccer on campus this weekend, and former Flyer soccer players in town this weekend are attending today's game. After an alumni game Saturday morning, the Flyer booters will attend a reception in the time Warner Cable Flight Deck overlooking Welcome Stadium before coming over for the game. In addition, Saturday is UD's annual Faculty/Staff Picnic. The event, which will be held behind the University of Dayton Arena next to Welcome Stadium, is expected to draw 3,000 members of the UD faculty, staff and their families.

UP NEXT Dayton is on the road the next two weeks, playing at Jacksonville on October 14 and at Davidson on October 21. UD is back home on Saturday, October 28 at 1:00 p.m. EDT to host Drake.

FOR TICKET INFORMATION Contact the UD Ticket Office at 937-229-4433. Football prices are $10 (adults), $5 (youth) and group rates are available. UD students are admitted free with ID.

SELECT COMPANY The University of Dayton was one of six football teams who finished the 2005 season with only one loss. The other teams were Brown, Grambling, Hampton, New Hampshire and San Diego.

KELLY'S HEROES The 2005 Dayton Flyers were just the 18th team in UD history to finish a season with no more than one loss. It is worth noting that 12 of those 18 one-loss-or-better UD teams were also coached by current Dayton head coach Mike Kelly.

DAYTON D UD finished third in NCAA I-AA in scoring defense in 2005, allowing 14.1 points a game. It was the sixth straight year Dayton was ranked in the top ten in points allowed.

KEEPING IT GOING UD has had 29 straight winning seasons, which is the best active streak among NCAA Division I teams. Florida State has also played 29 straight winning seasons. 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 334 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, will serve as captains this year. Hoppe is only the second two-time captain in school history.

TOTALLY Quarterback Kevin Hoyng set the Dayton single-season record for total offense in a season in 2005 (his first year as a starter). He gained 2,547 yards in ten games, breaking Steve Keller's record of 2,460 yards in 14 games in 1991. Hoyng's 4,413 career yards in total offense is second at UD. He needs 725 yards to catch Flyer record holder Kelly Spiker, who had 5,138 yards. Hoyng is also fourth in career passing at UD with 3,425 yards. Steve Keller is first (3,768), B. J. Dailey is second (3,678) and Kevin Johns is third (3,572).

HOYNG REPORT Kevin Hoyng has accounted for more than half of UD's offense this season. He is averaging 260.0 yards a game in total offense, while the team is averaging 382.2. Hoyng is second in the PFL in passing efficiency (158.7) and total offense per game. Through the air, he is 61 of 99 (.616) for 932 yards and six touchdowns. At Wittenberg, he was 20 of 26 passing for 288 yards.

THE GOOD HANDS PEOPLE Starting receivers Nick Ruhe, Matt Champa and Carlton McFadgen have caught 50 of UD's 61 passes so far this season. Split end Ruhe leads with 19 catches for 348 yards (18.3) and three TD's. He is also third in the PFL in receiving yards a game (87.0). He caught six passes for 124 yards in the APSU win. Flanker McFadgen has 18 receptions for 332 yards (18.4) with two scores. He had six for 118 yards at Wittenberg, and four for 130 yards at Butler. Tight end Champa has 13 for 123 yards (9.5) and has a TD. McFadgen also has also run the ball six times for 59 yards (9.8 average) and had a 21-yard rushing touchdown.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS Senior wideout Nick Ruhe is also UD's top punt returner. His 13.1 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 (10.8). 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.

CRAMER EARNS PFL, NATIONAL HONORS Junior safety Brandon Cramer was last week's 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 Austin Peay. The I-AA.org selection covers all of NCAA Division I-AA, not just the mid-major level. Cramer collected three of APSU's four turnovers, and returned his last interception 84 yards for the game-clinching TD.

SCRAMBLE THE INTERCEPTORS Junior safety Brandon Cramer leads the PFL and is tied for second nationally in interceptions per game (1.0). Defensive end David Walbright pulled in the first pass of his career in the RMU win, and returned it 23 yards. Backup nickel Steve McDonald sealed UD's win with an interception with 49 seconds left. At Wittenberg, cornerback Casey Klaus intercepted a pass in the first half, and Cramer clinched that win with a pick on the game's last play. Cramer had two against Austin Peay, including one returned 84 yards for what proved to be the game-winning points with 2:27 left in the game.

ON THE HOP Senior John Hoppe has moved from linebacker to "nickel" for the 2006 season, and early returns appear to be business as ususal. 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. He is second on the team and tied for fifth in the PFL in tackles per game (7.2).

INVENTING THE WEALE Linebacker Pat Weale led the Flyers with ten tackles and a fumble recovery in the RMU win.

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 succesful surgery to place a rod in the leg, is now recuperating at home.

GAINING GROUND BY COMMITTEE UD has four players who have gained at least 80 yards this season. Tailback Brandon Godsey has 192 yards on 53 carries (3.6 avg.) to lead the team. Tailback Greg Wimberly is second (125 yards, 3.4 avg.), followed quarterback Kevin Hoyng (108 yards) and fullback Matt Marshall (86 yards). The next two rushers, Carlton McFadgen (9.8) and Ben Shappie (8.0) have the two best per-carry averages on the team.

GODSEY TO THE GOAL LINE Tailback Brandon Godsey leads the Flyers in scoring (20 points). Wideouts Nick Ruhe and Carlton McFadgen are next with 18 points.

TOPS IN I-AA NON-SCHOLARSHIP In the 13 years I-AA Non-Scholarship has been an option, UD has the best winning percentage (.810, 124-29) of the 21 schools playing at this level. Duquesne's .743 (107-37) is second, followed by Drake (.670, 96-47-1), Robert Morris (.620, 77-47-1) and Albany (.579, 77-56).

BEST OF THE DECADE UD has the best winning percentage in I-AA since the new century began (maybe we should have hyped this note as "Best of the Century"). UD's .826 percentage (57-12) leads Montana (.798, 71-18), Penn (.790, 49-13), Duquesne (.771, 54-16), and Grambling (.763, 58-18) and Lehigh (.750, 57-19).

PFL POWER The Flyers' 48-9 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.

PFL NUMBERS UD leads the Pioneer Football League in turnover margin (+1.75), punt returns (15.6) and kickoff coverage (40.2), is second in pass efficiency (157.1) and opponent first downs (65), and is third in scoring defense (22.0), rushing defense (128.0), pass offense (233.0), total offense (382.2). Brian Kelly leads the PFL in tackles per game (10.8). Brandon Cramer is first in interceptions (1.0), and Cramer and Casey Klaus are tied for second in passes defended (1.33). Kevin Hoyng is second in the league in passing efficiency (158.7) and total offense (260.0). Nick Ruhe is first in punt return average (13.1), and third in receiving yardage per game (87.0). Carlton McFadgen is fourth in receiving yardage per game (83.0).

RANKING RUN UD is ranked #6 in the latest Sports Network poll and #11 in the Football Gazette ranking. Dayton finished the 2005 season ranked #2 in both the Sports Network and Football Gazette NCAA I-AA Mid-Major rankings. The Flyers have been ranked first in the Sports Network poll at least once in every year since the poll began in 2001. UD has been ranked either first or second in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major poll for 60 of a possible 73 weeks the Sports Network poll has been in existence (including #1 32 times).

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 180-35-2 (.834) 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 37 of its last 44 home games, and 20 of its last 22 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.

CAN'T SPELL DAYTON WITHOUT THE D UD finished the 2006 season ranked fifth in NCAA Division I-AA in scoring defense (14.1 points a game). It was the sixth straight season the Flyers have been ranked in the top ten of scoring defense. Dayton was also ranked in scoring offense (3rd, 40.30), total offense (4th, 470.70), rushing offense (6th, 259.40) and passing efficiency (8th, 163.13).

FLYER FOOTBALL'S GOLDEN ERA It might seem a reach to say that the present state of Flyer football should be referred as its "Golden Era," but it's also hard to argue with the numbers. Since going to non-scholarship football in 1977, Dayton is 271-55-3, the most successful period in school history. In fact, UD's .828 winning percentage during that time is second in all of college football, behind only Mt. Union's .853.

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 three years (2003, 2004 and 2005).

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.

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 #4 -- BUTLER 23, DAYTON 20 UD out-gained, out-first-downed, and out-turnovered Butler, but the Flyers could not out-score them, giving the Bulldogs a hard-earned 23-20 upset win. UD gained 360 yards in total offense (to Butler's 293), had 18 first downs (compared to 12) and came up with three turnovers (1). But the `Dogs made the big plays when they needed to. BU scored on one big play early in the game, and capitalized on great field position to score 14 points on drives of 13 and 33 yards in the third quarter. Of the six third-down conversions they made, the Bulldogs made three on scoring drives, and another three in a clock-killing five-minute and four-second drive that essentially clinched their first win in the last 12 meetings with UD. Butler also won the special teams battle, by blocking a 42-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, and a potential game-tying PAT in the fourth, and out-punting UD 34.8 to 25.7 yards per punt. That said, it was a great special teams play that set up Dayton's first TD. Dayton punter Derek Hall's punt was downed at the one-yard-line. John Hoppe intercepted T.J. Brown's pass at the 12 and took it in unmolested to give Dayton a quick 7-0 lead. But on the next possession, in a third-and 17 situation at his own 20, Brown hit Dan Bohrer on a post pattern. The completed pass was enough for the first down, and Bohrer out-ran the Flyer secondary for the tying score. After an exchange of punts, UD regained the lead when quarterback Kevin Hoyng hit Carlton McFadgen 54 yards for a score to make it 14-7 after one quarter. In the second quarter, Dayton did everything but score. The Flyers out-gained the Bulldogs 121 to 55, and kept the ball for 10:31 of the period. But, UD had its field goal attempt blocked after keeping the ball for 14 plays, and then fumbled at the goal line with 35 seconds left after going 77 yards in eight plays. Neither team moved the ball much in the third quarter, but thanks to an average starting field position of the Dayton 37-yard line, Butler did not have to move very far. Every Flyer series in the third ended in a punt, while BU threw an interception, punted the ball to the one, and then drove 13 yards for the tying score (another post to Bohrer for 11 yards) and drove 37 yards for the go-ahead TD (Brown to Nate Miller for 13). Dayton took the kickoff and kept it for the first 4:16 of the fourth quarter, but was stopped on a 4th-and-2 at the Butler 29. BU was able to get two first downs before punting the ball back to UD. The Flyers went 69 yards in six plays mostly on the right arm of Hoyng. The junior QB completed three of four passes in the drive, including the scoring pass to Nick Ruhe of 11 yards. But Butler's Richard Alcala came up the middle and blocked Josh Heyne's PAT to keep Butler in front 21-20. Then the Bulldog offense played keep-away from the Flyers, burning up more than twice the clock of any other drive they had all game. Butler started on its own 23, and drove to the Dayton eight, surviving converting three third downs, each of which was longer than five yards. After turning the ball over on downs, with 1:12 left in the game, BU's Chris Marzotto came up with the Bulldogs' only sack of the day, getting Hoyng in the end zone for a safety to put Butler ahead 23-20. Butler cleanly fielded the ensuing free kick, and the Bulldogs only had to snap the ball twice to finish the game. Hoyng led the Flyers offensively, completing 15 of 27 passes for 289 yards and the two TD's. McFadgen and Ruhe each caught four balls, McFadgen for 130 yards and Ruhe for 68. Defensively, Hoppe was the standout, with seven hits (five solo), one tackle in the backfield, one pass broken up and the interception for TD. Scott Wintering led UD with eight tackles. Freshman cornerback Scott Horcher had two interceptions in his first college start, along with three tackles.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK vs. BUTLER OFFENSE-Blake Bikowski, Senior C from South Bend, IN DEFENSE--John Hoppe, Senior $ from Northbrook, IL SCOUT-Tom Bush, Sophomore DE from Bettendorf, IA SCOUT-Eric Studt, Freshman OT from Bethel Park, PA