Dayton football set to open season against St. Francis

“They’re actually not bad once you’re up and running around and hitting,” linebacker Aiden McKinley said, “but it feels like you’re waking up at 4 a.m. and going to the airport.”

“I’m used to the morning practices,” Andrews said. “I’ve done it for a number of years. I would love to do it here.”

Classes get in the way of that. There aren’t as many options in the afternoon as there are in the morning. That’s why the Flyers likely will soon return to their normal practice schedule.

Dayton should catch a break with the weather Saturday when it plays St. Francis University (Pa.) at noon at Welcome Stadium. The predicted high temperature is 82 degrees, which is 16 degrees cooler than the forecast for Friday, though there’s a chance of rain.

The second season of Andrews’ tenure starts with a game against a team picked to finish second in the Northeast Conference. St. Francis was 4-6 overall last season and 4-3 in the NEC. Two years ago, St. Francis finished 9-3 overall and won the NEC championship outright for the first time with a 7-0 mark.

The St. Francis head coach is Chris Villarrial. He spent 11 seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman with the Chicago Bears (1996-2004) and Buffalo Bills (2004-06).

Dayton won the only two matchups in the series in 2001 and 2002 and by a 109-0 margin. Those two St. Francis teams finished 0-10 and 2-8.

“I haven’t ever had the privilege of going against (St. Francis) anywhere I’ve been,” Andrews said, “but it’s a program on the rise. The last few years, they’ve put some good teams together. It’s a program I’ve really developed a lot of respect for since they’ve had the this coaching staff in place and really had some consistency there. They’re physical up front defensively. I think most of their experience is on the defensive side. They have some transfers to fill some holes they had offensively.”

Dayton lost its season opener 41-0 at Illinois State last season. It won its next two games at home only to lose six games in a row. It was the program’s longest losing streak since 1974 when it lost eight in a row in a 3-8 season.

Dayton found some optimism by winning its final two games against Marist and Davidson but still finished 4-7 and 2-6 in the Pioneer Football League. It was the first losing season since a 5-6 finish in 2017.

The first two-deep of the 2024 season shows many familiar names, including Drew Van Vleet, who started four games last season as a freshman quarterback, and Luke Hansen, who ranked second on the team in rushing yards (550) as a freshman running back. The team’s top two receivers also return: sophomore Gavin Lochow (35 receptions for 376 yards); and redshirt senior Jake Coleman (27 for 302).

A new starter on the offensive line is tackle Jack Plattner, a junior who played the last two seasons at Thomas More. Andrews said Plattner is competing for playing time with sophomore Zachary McDowell, who started seven games last season.

There was also competition for the No. 2 running back spot. Andrews said as many as three players could see action alongside Hansen. Redshirt junior Ty Stylski and sophomore Mason Hackett are listed as the backups on the depth chart.

In the secondary, Andrews said he doesn’t know who will start at cornerback because “those guys are all neck and neck.” Redshirt junior Jeremy Jonozzo and redshirt freshman Cam Cope are listed as the starters with the backups being junior Tehron Spencer and redshirt freshmen Josh Anderson and Josh Williams.

The backup quarterbacks are redshirt freshman Liam Poronsky, a Tippecanoe High School graduate, and Jadyn Nirschl, a graduate student who played the last four seasons at Northwest Missouri State.

Poronsky led Tippecanoe to the state semifinals in 2022 and holds 11 school records, including passing touchdowns (43).

“It’s interesting because we had spring break right in the middle of spring ball,” Andrews said, “and the strides he made from the first half to the second half were night and day. He’s been competing and working his way up the depth chart ever since.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

St. Francis (Pa.) at Dayton, Noon, 1290, 95.7