Jeske added another touchdown run and Willy Will banged a 38-yard field goal to give the Flyers a 17-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Marist got into the endzone early in the second , but UD responded with a 40-yard Jeske touchdown pass to Jack Euritt.
Marist grabbed the momentum momentarily on a 78-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mike White, but Jeske completed a 75-yard drive with his third touchdown run, Abdul the Flyers had a 31-17 halftime lead.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, with Dayton leading 38-24 heading into the final period . Luke Welsh intercepted White to set up Jared Ruffing’s 11 yard touchdown run. Marist cut into the lead again on a trick play, White catching a TD pass from receiver Lawrence Dickens. Then came the biggest play of the game. Cameron Stubbs caught the kickoff on the 11 yard line and raced the distance for his first kickoff return for a touchdown in his final game as a Flyer. “”I was upset when I was stopped on the 5 yard line on the first one,”. Stubbs said. “I was surprised they kicked to me. The blocking was there and once I got to the fifty I knew I was gone.”
Jeske then put the game on ice, eating up clock a on a 53 yard drive after a Chris Hagan interception, scoring his ,fourth touchdown to make the final 59-31. Jeske rushed for 179 yards and threw fir 198 in his best football game ever. ” I had a couple of big games in youth football, but nothing like this, ” said Jeske. “. I was just glad to send the seniors off with a victory.
Coach Rick Chamberlin said he was proud of how his team responded to a loss to San Diego in the first PFL game, that realistically eliminated Dayton from a second straight trip to the FCS playoffs.
“I told the guys I admired them. A lot of teams would have taken a step back,” Chamberlin said.”
Instead the Flyers ran off 7 straight wins to end the season, a run that already has given next year’s team high expectations.
“I congratulated the seniors and told the guys coming back we have a standard to live up to,” Chamberlin said.
Dayton finished the season 9-2, 7-1 in the PFL. If San Diego loses its last game at Campbell the Flyers would share the league title, but San Diego would get the playoff berth by virtue of the head to head win.
NOTES: Willy Will missed a field goal and finished three points behind Mike Duvic for the career scoring record at UD. Dayton intercepted three passes in the game to raise their league leading total to 20.
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