SAN DIEGO — USD Football seeks vengeance in Pioneer League play, hosting defending conference champs Drake on Saturday afternoon for Homecoming on America's Most Beautiful Campus. 

The Bulldogs narrowly edged the Toreros in a 2024 contest that determined the PFL title and an auto-bid in the FCS Playoffs. San Diego likely needs a win to stay in the hunt for the 2025 PFL Championship title. 

Kick-off for the PFL matchup at Torero Stadium is set for 2 p.m. while the game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Voice of the Toreros Jack Cronin calling the action and former USD quarterback turned NFL pro Reid Sinnett providing color commentary.  

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST THE BULLDOGS

• The Toreros are 20-12 against the Bulldogs all-time ... in the two teams' meeting last season, San Diego fell by a slim 30-28 score at Drake Stadium on Sept. 28

• USD last hosted Drake at Torero Stadium two seasons ago on Oct. 21, 2023 when the Toreros dropped a 25-20 contest, breaking a a then 10-game winning streak for the Toreros over the Bulldogs, dating back to the 2013 season

LAST TIME OUT

- USD attempted a late comeback more feasible than a few it had already completed earlier in the year but ultimately fell shy 14-19, dropping a PFL contest 2,400 miles from home at Marist on Saturday, Oct. 4

 - Neither team could get much going offensively, but Marist was able to best the Toreros via big plays. While San Diego totaled 92 rushing yards to the Red Foxes' 38, the hosts had the edge through the air.

- In a defensive start to the competition, it was the Toreros who broke through first. Junior quarterback Dom Nankil dropped one in the bucket in the endzone from 31 yards out for grad wideout Josh Heverly's fourth straight game with the team's first touchdown.

- After the USD defense allowed just 19 yards in the first 14 minutes of the game, Marist broke through with a couple of big plays, scoring on a 67-yard pass just before the break, however missing the point after attempt.

-The game reverted to a defensive duel in the second quarter, as neither team could develop the run game or score. San Diego brought its sack total for the half up to four ... It was also a punter duel as both teams' specialists exchanged punts pinned inside 15 yards and Salazar had two of 59-plus yards. 

- The hosts were threatening to break the deadlock as they entered the red zone for the first time, late in the third quarter ... The Torero defense stepped up again, however, as Nate Fischer tipped a a pass, which fellow sophomore linebacker Cayden Gibson intercepted in the back of the end zone.

- On the next offensive series, the Red Foxes did finally burst through right before the break on a 35-yard pass to take their first lead of the game but failed the 2-point conversion.

- Both teams continued to exchange punts deep into the fourth quarter before Marist added on to it's lead with 4:43 remaining ... Despite surrendering just 38 rushing yards all game, another big play, a 32-yard rush, was a critical blow that set up a 1-yard tush push for the score. 

- The Toreros, comeback kids in each of their three wins, would not go down without a fight, however. A 30-yard pass from Nankil to a wide-open senior receiver Cole Monach in the end zone pushed the score to 14-19. 

- USD got a much-need 3-and-out on the ensuing drive and would get the football back just outside the two-minute warning ... They'd drive down the field, setting up a second and two on the opponent's 28-yard line ... The Red Foxes, who entered the ultimate drive with one sack all game, would take down Nankil in the backfield on three consecutive plays, putting them into victory formation.

NOTABLE

- Third string running back, senior James Scott, led the USD run game with 53 yards on 14 attempts … Star senior backer Adam Criter had 50 yards on 10 rushes but did not log a carry past the second quarter

- Defensively, San Diego was led by Fischer's nine total tackles and two pass break-ups, one of which led to an interception

- Grad lineman Malachi Cooper notched two sacks while senior Tre Moore, son of head coach Brandon Moore, added on another for his team-leading 4.5th of the season, each in the last three games

- The defending national kicker and FCS special teams player of the week Emiliano Salazar had booming consecutive 59 and 61-yard punts in the second quarter without wind aid … The NFL's top punters average around 50 yards per punt and the 61-yarder would rank 19th in the NFL in 2025

- Heverly has scored USD first touchdown in four straight games in the Toreros' four-game win streak, moving his season total to a team-leading five touchdown receptions … he finished with six catches for 71 yards in addition to the score

- The Toreros had four first-half sacks, finishing the game with six

- The two teams combined for 24 punts

- Gibson notched his first career interception, the lone turnover in the contest

FCS' LONGEST ROAD TRIP

• USD traveled over 2,432 air miles from America's Finest City to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the longest in-conference away day in all of FCS in 2025 to face Marist on Saturday, Oct. 4

• The conference long haul is bested in all of DI college football only by a few FBS Atlantic Coast Conference matchups: Stanford at Miami (2,571 mi.), Cal at Boston College (2,678 mi.) and Boston College at Stanford (2,684 mi.)

POLLING 

• On back-to-back weeks (9/21, 9/28) the Toreros received votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll ... The Sept. 21 vote was the Toreros' first time in the poll since head coach Brandon Moore took over at the helm before the 2023 season ...  USD was last ranked in both the FCS coaches and Opta Stats poll on Nov. 19, 2018

• While USD holds the record in the FCS' non-scholarship league, the PFL, for highest ranking at No. 18 in the coaches poll and No. 19 in the stats poll (both Nov. 19, 2018), conference foe Presbyterian broke the league's seven-year drought from the Opta Stats poll, ranking as high as No. 24

FCS NATIONAL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

•  A perfect field goal as time expired to see through a 30-27 come-from-behind victory encapsulated a perfect day for USD sophomore kicker/punter Emiliano Salazar on September 27, whose performance was recognized nationally as the Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 29

• In addition to the three clutch field goals, the Orange, Calif. native also went 3-for-3 on extra points on the day and punted twice for 99 yards, an average of 49.5 yards and long of 57 ... Salazar was named the Pioneer Football League's Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 28, and Fred Mitchell Award Kicker of the Week on Sept. 29 

• It's the third times a charm for the first year starter as he's the first Torero to earn a national honor this season after running back teammates Matt Colombo and Adam Criter finished as Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week honorable mentions in weeks two and four respectively after their performances on the ground against FCS heavyweights that merited PFL Offensive Player of the Week

SECOND USD RUNNING BACK GARNERS PFL OPOTW

• Senior running back Adam Criter was named Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Sunday, Sept. 21, also being one of five players nationally to be named Opta Stats FCS National OPOTW honorable mention

• In his first career start, Criter totaled 173 yards with three touchdowns in the Toreros' last three series of the game to complete USD's 21-point comeback on the road at Princeton Saturday ... Criter was untouched on all three fourth quarter touchdowns, from four yards, 24 yards and eight yards respectively ... After the Toreros went through the air in the first half, Criter logged 76 of his 105 rushing yards in the fourth quarter comeback alone ... He also totaled 68 receiving yards on 10 catches 

•  Not only is Criter the second Torero to win PFL Offensive Player of the Week this season, but the second USD running back to win the honor and earn FCS national OPOTW HM after grad captain Matt Colombo also did so week two (Sept. 7) following San Diego's win over No. 24 Southern Utah

•  Colombo had a 202-yard rushing day and two touchdowns, including the walk off winner in overtime ... The El Segundo, Calif. native posted the PFL's first 200-yard rushing performance of 2025 and just the second in all of FCS ... Colombo was responsible for 10 of San Diego's 18 first downs ... He was one of two players nationally named Opta Stats Perform FCS Offensive National Player of the Week Honorable Mention

NEW COACHES ON OFFENSE

•  Head Coach Brandon Moore added two new faces to his staff on the offensive side of the ball, bringing on Nick Fulton as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach while Ryan Diedrick joins the program as Wide Receivers Coach and Passing Game Coordinator

About Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Nick Fulton:

•  Fulton has more than 20 years of college football coaching and administrative experience, as he joins USD from the University of Wyoming, where he had served as the Cowboys' Associate Athletics Director for Football Operations since January, 2022.

•  He was responsible for a variety of administrative duties at UW, including planning team travel, monitoring the football budget, serving as a liaison with the athletics academic counseling staff, helping oversee and coordinate roster management and player personnel activities and assisting with the launch of the Cowboys' Name, Image and Likeness program before serving as the football program's liaison to Wyoming's NIL collective.

•  Fulton served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Colorado Mesa University in 2020 and served in the same role at Northern Colorado in 2019.   

•  He enjoyed a successful four-year run at Colorado School of Mines alongside Brandon Moore from 2015-18 ... The Orediggers advanced to the NCAA DII Playoffs in 2016 and 2018 and captured the RMAC Conference Championship both seasons, aiding in team records of 8-3 ('15), 10-3 ('16), 7-4 ('17) & 10-2 ('18).

•  Prior to coaching at Colorado School of Mines, Fulton spent three seasons (2012-14) as the offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and football academic coordinator at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. ... While at Black Hills State, Fulton's offense set a school record for total offense in the 2014 season ... Fulton coached the Yellow Jackets offensive linemen in 2012 and '13 and coached the quarterbacks in 2014 ... Fulton was a graduate assistant coach at Wyoming for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, worked as an assistant coach at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska from 2006 to 2009 and began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Sioux Falls, in 2005.

About Wide Receivers Coach Passing Game Coordinator Ryan Diedrick:

•  A native of Sammamish, Wash., Diedrick came to San Diego from the Colorado School of Mines, where he worked as a wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator from 2017-24, including crossover under Head Coach Brandon Moore.

•  Diedrick first arrived at Mines from Indiana State, where he served as an offensive analyst, video coordinator and in an offensive quality control position in 2016 ... A 2016 graduate of Willamette University, Diedrick served as a student assistant as a senior after retiring during his junior year from playing as a quarterback and wide receiver.

USD PICKED TO WIN PFL IN PRESEASON POLL

•  For the first time since 2019, San Diego football was tabbed as the Pioneer Football League's preseason favorite in the league's 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll, released Monday, July 28

•  San Diego picked up five first-place votes and was not ranked lower than third by any of the league's head coaches to earn the poll's top spot with 94 points, 16 points ahead of 2024 PFL champs Drake.

•  The poll reflects the vastly different landscape in the PFL entering the 2025 season with five programs helmed by new head coaches: Kevin Lynch at Butler, Saj Thakkar at Davidson, Joe Woodley at Drake, Mike Jasper at Stetson and Andy Waddle at Valparaiso.

•  The 2025 season marks the 33rd year of the Pioneer Football League ... The league features 11 teams, each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship ... USD will not face Morehead State and Presbytarian in 2025.

FIVE TOREROS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE

•  Five Toreros were named to the Pioneer Football League Preseason All-Conference Team: Evans Bowling, Malachi Cooper, Aydan Corrales, Ruben Lopez and Maicah Talavou

• Two USD offensive linemen make the cut, grad Evans Bowling, who was Second Team All-PFL in 2024 and senior Maicah Talavou, who was an honorable mention last season

•  On the defensive line, grad Malachi Cooper is honored as one of the best at his position in the league after earning second team honors in 2024 ... Senior defensive back and team captain Ruben Lopez was also picked after being a second-teamer last season

•  The Toreros are also represented on the special teams all-PFL list by junior Ayden Corrales who is picked as the leagues top punter to start the season ... he was an All-PFL honorable mention in 2025

2024 IN REVIEW

• The Toreros returned to winning ways in Head Coach Brandon Moore's second year at the helm, finishing with an 8-3 overall record, 6-0 at home, and 6-2 in conference action.

• It was the first time with six home wins in the same season since going a perfect 6-0 across the 2015 season and the first time USD had won six straight at home since winning the last four at home in 2021 and first two of the 2022 season.

• USD finished alone in second in the Pioneer Football League, falling just behind Drake (7-1), who clinched the PFL outright title and a spot in the FCS playoffs ... The Bulldogs topped USD 30-28 on a walk-off field goal on Sept. 28 in Des Moines, Iowa, proving the difference for San Diego's postseason hopes. 

• Despite having two bye weeks and ten games played, the Toreros'  six total defensive touchdowns entered the season finale as the: 

          - Tied-most defensive touchdowns in FCS, and across all of DI (FCS/FBS)

          - Tied-most pick-sixes (4) in FCS

• In the Toreros' first 2-0 start in a non-shortened season in 13 years, Co-defensive coordinators Mike McGlinchey and Isaac Carter's unit has scored as many touchdowns as it had surrendered in the first two games in 2024; Two week one vs. Cal Poly and one week two vs. Central Washington

•   Toreros swept the PFL Offensive and Defensive player of the Year awards as DB Eric Haney and WR Ja'Seem Reed were pinned as the conference's best ... LB Giovanni Iovino was also picked as first team all-conference five Toreros on the second team and 11 USD players as All-PFL Honorable Mentions.