“Adversity is part of the game,” coach Trevor Andrews said Wednesday. “Football can be exhilarating, and it can be humbling. We’ve had a couple of tough opponents we’ve gone against who have played really well against us and had some heartbreakers. I’ve been pleased with our team’s resolve. Coming out to work yesterday, we had a tough physical practice, and the guys showed up with great attitudes, great energy and worked like we won the game or lost the game. It was the same thing.”
Dayton lost 40-25 at San Diego (1-4, 1-1) in its PFL opener and then lost 20-14 to St. Thomas (3-2, 2-0) at Welcome Stadium last weekend.
Dayton trailed San Diego 33-10 at halftime and got as close as 33-25 in the fourth quarter. It trailed St. Thomas 20-0 in the second quarter and had ta chance to win the game in the final seconds of the game, but Dante Casciola’s last pass was broken up at the goal line.
Turnovers were the big early issue at San Diego and also played a part in the deficit against St. Thomas. St. Thomas went three-and-out on its first possession, but Jeremy Jonozzo fumbled a punt after losing the ball in the sun. St. Thomas took over on the Dayton 32-yard line and turned that into the game’s first touchdown.
In the second quarter, St. Thomas extended a drive with a fake field goal on 4th-and-3 at the Dayton 25 and scored a touchdown to take a 20-0 lead.
“They took advantage of our miscues,” Andrews said. “We’ve got to eliminate unforced errors. That’s the biggest thing.”
Dayton leads the series against Morehead State 20-7. The Flyers won 49-27 last season at Welcome Stadium and lost 45-38 in overtime in their last visit to Jayne Stadium in Morehead.
Morehead has lost three games in a row since beating West Virginia State 37-35 in its opener. It fell 48-22 at then 20th-ranked Mercer, 35-28 in its PFL opener at St. Thomas and 16-9 at home to Drake (1-3, 1-0) last week.
Morehead quarterback Carter Cravens, who started three games last season as a redshirt freshman, ranks second in the PFL in passing yards per game (234.8) and is tied for the league lead with eight touchdown passes.
Dayton will try to avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2017 when it lost to Duquesne, Morehead State and San Diego. It has not lost three PFL games in a row since 2006 when it started 0-5 in league play.
“I think this is a must-win for us,” defensive tackle Jack Wardzala said. “We’ve got to come out and play lights out against Morehead.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Dayton at Morehead State, 1 p.m., 1290, 95.7
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