VALPARAISO (2-5, 1-0 PFL North) at DAYTON (6-1, 1-1 PFL North)

WHEN: Saturday, October 22, 2005, 12 p.m. CDT.

WHERE: Welcome Stadium (11,000), Dayton, Ohio.

RADIO: Valpo Sports Radio Network (WVUR, 95.1-FM, Valparaiso; WAKE, 1500-AM, Valparaiso; Relevant Radio 1270-AM, Gary; and WE-FM, 95.9-FM, Michigan City). Also available on the web at www.valpo.edu/athletics. Todd Ickow will handle the play-by-play with Brent Whitlock providing the color commentary.

TV: None.

THE COACHES: Valparaiso is led by Stacy Adams, who is in his 1st season as the Crusader head coach. He is 2-5 overall and at Valpo. Dayton is led by Mike Kelly, who is 232-46-1 in his 25th season overall and with the Flyers.

SERIES RECORD: Dayton leads the all-time series with the Crusaders 12-2. The Flyers hold a 6-1 advantage at Welcome Stadium, with Valpo's lone win coming during the 2003 season.

LAST MEETING: Dayton jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead on the way to defeating Valpo 38-7 on October 9, 2004. Dayton rushed for 363 yards led by Steve Verhoff's 111 yards on 24 carries. Marques Warner and Ryan Wrobleski rushed for two scores each for the Flyers. Rob Giancola caught four passes for 93 yards to lead Valpo's offense, including the Brown and Gold's lone touchdown.

Fresh off of a 34-21 victory over Butler last weekend, Valparaiso will look for its second straight victory on Saturday as the Crusaders face PFL North Division foe Dayton on the road.

CARRYING THE LOAD: Jeff Horton was a busy man last Saturday against the Bulldogs. The junior running back carried the ball a school record 41 times for 212 total yards, the second time this season he has rushed for more than 200 yards. Horton broke Dave Newman's 1977 record for carries in a game. Newman rushed 35 times against Evansville.

GETTING IN THE BACKFIELD: Valparaiso's defense was constantly in the Butler backfield last weekend. The Crusaders registered seven tackles for loss, including four sacks of the quarterback.

FINDING THE END ZONE: Jeff Horton has scored ten touchdowns on the season and leads the Pioneer Football League in scoring. He also ranks 18th in 1-AA averaging 106.0 yards per game rushing.

FROM LONG RANGE: Andrew McCawley made a pair of 40+ yard field goals last Saturday against Butler. The Crusader kicker was successful from 46 and 40 yards out. He has now made 6-of-8 three-point tries, with one of the misses being blocked. McCawley is also a perfect 12-of-12 on PAT attempts.

TIME IS ON VALPO'S SIDE: The Crusaders own a nearly three-minute edge in time of possession through six games. Valpo has averaged 31:22 with the ball this year.

FILLING IN NICELY: Sal Washington deserves a great deal of credit for the running game's success last weekend. The senior had to fill in at fullback and helped open up holes for the ball carriers after Rob Clark left the game on the first play.

RIKER SACKS THEM: James Riker has registered four sacks this season, including two against Butler, and now has 11 for his career.

DOWN THE ROAD: Valparaiso returns to Brown Field for its final two home contests of the season beginning next Saturday. The Crusaders will entertain San Diego in a 12 p.m. kickoff on Parent's Weekend. Valpo will then conclude PFL North Division play on November 5 when the Brown and Gold hosts Drake. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.

TEAM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK...
Offensive:
9/3 - Jeff Horton
9/10 - Joe Blahowicz
9/17 - Ryan Palonka
9/24 - Steve Ogden
10/1 - Mike Schilling
10/8 - Wade Overton
10/15 - Sal Washington
Defensive:
9/3 - Mike Jones
9/10 - Brandon Sturman
9/17 - Brandon Sturman
9/24 - Andrew Akinpelu
10/1 - Matt Mancl
10/8 - Xavier Freeman
10/15 - James Riker
Special Teams:
9/3 - Sal Washington
9/10 - Andrew McCawley
9/17 - Andrew Akinpelu
9/24 - Joe Blahowicz
10/1 - Joe Blahowicz
10/8 - John Schaekel
10/15 - Andrew McCawley
Offensive Scout:
9/3 - Rob Clark
9/10 - Daniel Engelhardt
9/17 - John Coffey
9/24 - James Stokes
10/1 - Erik Lindamood
10/8 - Trevor Jaskiw
10/15 - Ben Faulkner
Defensive Scout:
9/3 - Steve Lyons
9/10 - Brett Maynard
9/17 - Josh Bintzler
9/24 - Dave Daniels
10/1 - Jordan Allodi
10/8 - Andy Jackson
10/15 - Pat Ryan

DAYTON NOTES: Dayton had its six-game winning streak snapped last Saturday as the Flyers dropped a 48-24 decision to San Diego. The Flyers are making their final home appearance of the season against Valpo before venturing out on the road for their final two games.

Quarterback Kevin Hoyng has thrown for 1,423 yards in seven games this season, completing 57.7% of his passing attempts. He has completed 11 touchdown strikes while throwing just four interceptions.

Receiver Ryan Wrobleski has averaged 95.0 yards per game catching the football this season, hauling in 38 passes.

Defensively, John Hoppe leads the way with 63 tackles, including six for loss. He has forced a fumble, picked off two passes and blocked a kick as well.