SAN DIEGO – San Diego opens its spring 2021 season when it travels to face Drake on Saturday at 11 a.m. (PT) at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Toreros return to action for the first time since December of 2019 after the Pioneer Football League President's Council announced in August that the 2020 season would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. USD will play a six-game PFL schedule from March 13 to April 17.

A free live stream, live audio and live statistics will be available via USDToreros.com.
 
2021 SPRING FOOTBALL
• USD begins its 58th season of play this spring, and 28th season as a member of the Pioneer Football League during the 2020-21 academic year. The Toreros own the second-most PFL titles with 11 (Dayton leads with 12) and have won eight of the last nine PFL championships (2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015c, 2014, 2012c, 2011c) and 11 overall when adding in titles from 2007c, 2006 and 2005.
 
• USD has made four consecutive trips to the FCS Playoffs and twice advanced to the second round. The Toreros are the only non-scholarship program in FCS history to earn wins in the postseason tournament.
 
COACH LINDSEY BEGINS EIGHTH SEASON
• Head coach Dale Lindsey enters his eighth season at the helm of USD. The three-time PFL Coach of the Year and four-time national coach of the year finalist has 63 wins in his head coaching career as well as a 53-3 record in conference play.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS
DJ Wright (OL) and Kyle Bilchik (LB) were selected as the team captains for 2020-21.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST DRAKE
• Saturday will be the ­­­­28th all-time meeting between San Diego and Drake, with the Toreros holding the series advantage at 18-9.

• The Toreros have won the last seven meetings, including last year's 49-7 result in San Diego. The last meeting in Des Moines was Nov. 3, 2018, which resulted in the Toreros topping the Bulldogs, 27-10.

LOOKING AHEAD
• San Diego will play its first home contest of the spring season when the Toreros play host to Butler on Saturday, March 20. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (PT) and a free live stream and live statistics will be available on USDToreros.com.
 
EIGHT TOREROS EARN PRESEASON PFL HONORS
• Eight scholar-athletes were named to the Spring 2021 Preseason All-PFL Watch List. Kyle Bilchik, Cassius Johnson, Kama Kamaka and Hunter Nichols represented the Toreros on the defensive side of the ball, Luke LaCilento, Terrence Smith and DJ Wright on the offensive side and Brandon Eickert represented USD on special teams.
 
TOREROS UNANIMOUS PRESEASON FAVORITE
• San Diego was selected to finish first in the Pioneer Football League Preseason Coaches Poll for the tenth consecutive season.
 
• USD was selected to finish first with all six possible first-place votes and a maximum of 36 points. Davidson was picked to finish second with 28 points and Drake was given a third-place nod with 25 points. Stetson (22 points), Valparaiso (13), Butler (12) and Morehead State (11) rounded out the seven-team spring poll.
 
2019 ALL-PFL SELECTIONS
• The Toreros had 24 players earn All-PFL honors in 2019. Fourteen earned first or second team recognition while an additional 10 were tabbed as honorable mentions.
 
• All-PFL returners include first-team selections Kama Kamaka (LB) and DJ Wright (OL) . Luke Lacilento (OL) and Cassius Johnson (CB) were second-team selections while Kyle Bilchik (LB), Brandon Eickert (K), Hunter Nichols (DB) and Terrence Smith (RB) all earned honorable mention accolades.
 
WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM
• USD had 51 players named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll in 2019. The academic honor roll consists of student-athletes who participated in football at member institutions during the fall 2019 semester and posted a 3.0 grade-point average or higher during the semester.
 
• The Toreros also had three scholar-athletes named to the 2020 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, recognizing college football players from all divisions who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers. Alex Farina, Reid Sinnett and Marcus Vaivao all earned the Society's membership for 2020.
 
COACHING STAFF RELOADS
• San Diego had some shuffling among its coaching staff during the offseason as four coaches departed. USD offensive coordinator, Christian Taylor, took a position at William & Mary, defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire joined the Buffalo Bills staff, offensive line coach Cory White went to New Mexico State and nickelbacks coach Joe Staab took a position at Michigan.
 
• Special teams coordinator and running backs coach, Tyler Sutton has been elevated to offensive coordinator, while recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach, Ben Barton, will take over as special teams coordinator.
 
• The Toreros added three new assistants, including Ray Clark (nickelbacks), Steve Oliver (tight ends) and Steve Irvin (linebackers). Irvin previously served on the USD coaching staff for seven seasons, most recently as defensive coordinator from 2013-17.

TOREROS IN THE PROS
• USD quarterback Reid Sinnett signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in May of 2020. After spending camp with the Bucs, Sinnett served on the practice squad for the Miami Dolphins and was called up to the active roster in week 12 against the New York Jets and week 17 against the Buffalo Bills.
 
• Detroit Lions running back/wide receiver Jamal Agnew (USD, '17) finished third in the NFL with 961 total return yards and produced his first season with 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2020. Since entering the League in 2017, he leads the NFL in punt return average (11.6), punt return touchdowns (4) and total return touchdowns (5).
 
• Tight end Ross Dwelley completed his third year with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, starting 10 games as the No. 1 tight end and five additional games when the 49ers opened with two tight-end formations. Dwelley recently signed a one-year contract extension with the 49ers through the 2021 season.
 
• Veteran quarterback Josh Johnson spent time on the 49ers practice squad this past fall and signed a reserve/future contract with the team in January.

TOREROS IN THE PAST DECADE (2010s)
• The Toreros are one of the best teams in the FCS in the past decade as they hold the third-best winning percentage (.741; 86-30) in the 2010s.

Best FCS Records in the 2010s (By Percentage)
1.North Dakota St. 137-13 (.913)
2.Kennesaw St. 48-15 (.762) 
3.San Diego 86-30 (.741)
4.Harvard 74-26 (.740) 
5.Eastern Wash. 97-35 (.735) 
6.James Madison 96-35 (.733)
7.Jacksonville St. 91-34 (.728)
8.Sam Houston St. 99-37 (.728) 
9.Dartmouth 70-30 (.700)
10.Bethune-Cookman 80-35 (.696)

• The 86 wins in the decade, meanwhile, are the sixth-most in the FCS.

• In the 2010s, the Toreros won eight out of 10 conference titles, including six outright, and made five trips to the FCS playoffs. There are only two teams in the country in the past decade with that many conference titles and trips to the FCS playoffs: San Diego and North Dakota State.

• Also in the decade, the Toreros have 26 All-America honors, 13 Academic All-Americans, 144 All-PFL selections and 30 PFL All-Academic awards.

• In the 2000s, San Diego had the 11th-best winning percentage among FCS schools (.692; 74-33).

THE STREAK
• The Toreros have won 37 consecutive conference games, the longest active streak in all of Division I (FCS and FBS).

• The 37-game conference winning streak is the second-longest in FCS history and fourth-longest in Division I. 

• On Saturday, it will have been 1,981 days since USD lost a conference game. The last time USD fell in a PFL game was at Dayton on October 10, 2015.

• Since 2014, USD has won 45 of its last 46 PFL games (.978 winning pct. over that stretch).

Longest Conference Winning Streaks in Division I History (FBS and FCS)
Oklahoma, 44 games (1952-59)
Nebraska, 40 games (1992-98)
Duquesne, 39 games (1999-06)
San Diego, 37 games (2015-current) 
Jacksonville State, 36 games (2013-18)
Oklahoma, 31 games (1984-88) & Boise State, 31 games (2001-05)

Longest Conference Winning Streaks in FCS History
Duquesne, 39 games (1999-06) - MAAC
San Diego, 37 games (2015-current) - PFL 
Jacksonville State, 36 games (2013-18) - OVC
Grambling State, 26 games (2005-17) - SWAC; Eastern Kentucky, 26 games (1992-95) - OVC; Appalachian State, 26 games (2007-10) - Southern
Montana, 25 games (1999-02) - Big Sky
South Carolina State, 21 games (2007-10) - MEAC
James Madison, 20 games (2014-18) - CAA & Penn, 20 games (2001-04) - Ivy

Longest Active Conference Winning Streaks in Division I (FBS and FCS)
San Diego, 37 games (2015-current) – PFL
Ohio State, 19 games (2018-current) – Big Ten

UNIQUE SPRING
• The spring 2021 season marks the 28th year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation's only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature seven league members and Presbyterian, which joins the PFL as part of a scheduling agreement for the spring 2021 schedule, each playing three home and three away contests. Individual members may schedule nonconference games prior to the league's March 13-April 17 window.
 
• The Division I Football Championship will feature 16 teams, with the bracket announced Sunday, April 18, and the championship game, May 16 in Frisco, Texas. The spring 2021 field includes automatic bids from 11 FCS conferences, including the PFL, and five at-large selections.

FANS IN TORERO STADIUM
Due to current state and county guidelines, fans will not be permitted inside Torero Stadium. Fans can tune into live game coverage via USDToreros.com where live video, audio and statistics will be available.