SAN DIEGO — After grabbing two heavyweight non-conference wins and receiving their first FCS poll votes in the Brandon Moore era, the Toreros will look to carry the momentum into it's Pioneer Football League opener, hosting St. Thomas Saturday.
The 2025 PFL campaign kick off at Torero Stadium is set for 1 p.m. while the game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Voice of the Toreros Jack Cronin calling the action and George Whitfield Jr. providing color commentary.
FCS POLLING
• The Toreros received a vote in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll for the first time since head coach Brandon Moore took over at the helm before the 2023 season ... The Toreros were 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, coming in at No. 25 this week
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST THE TOMMIES
• The Toreros are 1-3 against the Tommies all-time ... in the two teams' meeting last season, San Diego fell by a 34-14 margin at O'Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul, on Oct. 26
• San Diego and St. Thomas last met at Torero Stadium on Nov. 11, 2023 when St. Thomas squeaked out a 20-14 win over the Toreros ... San Diego's lone win over St. Thomas came on Oct. 2, 2021, a 27-24 showing in Torero Stadium
LAST TIME OUT
- San Diego Football came back from a 21-point deficit and scored 28 unanswered on the road to take down its second FCS power in non-conference play with a 42-35 win at Princeton on Saturday, Sept. 20
- After surrendering 338 yards and 35 points in the first half, the San Diego defense rebounded in the second half, only allowing 64 total yards and no points with four timely sacks
- USD's first turnover of the year on the first drive of the Toreros fourth game and punts on the subsequent two offensive drives were turned into touchdowns by an efficient Princeton offense, seeing USD quickly go down 21-0, 10 minutes into the game
- The Torero offense, with Voss fresh into the game under center, would respond with three passing touchdowns in the second quarter
- After the hosts answered both of USD's first two touchdowns with touchdowns of their own, the Toreros fell behind by 21 again, trailing 14-35 late in the first half. That was until Heverly snagged his second, highlight-reel contested reception in the left corner of the end zone of the quarter, a 17-yard TD with 15 seconds remaining in the half
- After 56 points in the first two quarters, neither team scored in the third frame. The quarter was highlighted by senior linebacker Tre Moore – son of head coach Brandon Moore – logging quarterback sacks on back-to-back plays ... Moore also forced a crucial fumble later on in the fourth quarter
- The defensive duel lasted until inside 10 minutes remaining in the game when the Toreros established the ground game through Criter, scoring three touchdowns on the last three offensive drives of the game after the Downers Grove, Ill. native had just 29 total rushing yards in the three prior quarters
- The first saw him dance into the end zone from four yards out, untouched, to make it a one-score game
- On the next play, Moore forced the fumble which was upheld upon review as the Toreros took over again deep in enemy territory, the only turnover the team would need on the day. Three plays after that, Criter rushed into the end zone from 24 yards out, again untouched, to tie the ballgame
- The San Diego defense held the Tigers without a first down for a sixth straight drive since the first half, regaining possession with seven minutes to go. The Toreros drove down the field in a span inside six minutes, as Criter, again untouched, gave USD it's first lead of the game from eight yards out with 1:04 remaining
- In the ultimate drive of the game, while Princeton did move the chains for the first time in over 32 minutes of play, a 44-yard Hail Mary attempt as time expired was broken up to see through the historic Torero victory
SECOND USD RUNNING BACK GARNERS PFL OPOTW, FCS NATIONAL OPOTW HONORABLE MENTION
• 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 and helping oversee and coordinate roster management and player personnel activities ... He also assisted with the launch of the Cowboys' Name, Image and Likeness program before serving as the football program's liaison to Wyoming's NIL collective.
• Prior to his time in Laramie, Fulton served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo. for the COVID-shortened 2020 season ... Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, for the 2019 season.
• Fulton enjoyed a successful four-year run at Colorado School of Mines alongside Brandon Moore from 2015-18 ... The Orediggers advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2016 and 2018 and captured the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championship both seasons. During that four-year span in Golden, Colorado, Mines posted records of 8-3 (2015), 10-3 (2016), 7-4 (2017) and 10-2 (2018).
• 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.
• A native of Laramie, Wyoming, Fulton played his college football at Sioux Falls following his graduation from Laramie High School. He was a standout offensive lineman during his college career (1999-2003), earning All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-America honors as a senior in addition to playing on three consecutive conference championship teams ... The 2001 Sioux Falls squad competed in the NAIA National Championship Game in 2001, finishing the season as the national runner-up.
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 has been 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 will feature 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 defensive back Eric Haney and wide receiver Ja'Seem Reed were pinned as the conference's best ... Linebacker 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.
KEY SAN DIEGO RETURNERS
Quarterback Dom Nankil: Appeared in eight games (seven starts) in 2023 as a true freshman, completing 109 of 183 pass attempts (58.6%) for 1158 total yards and five touchdowns ... Averaged 144.75 yards per game, posted a 115.47 quarterback rating and threw four interceptions ... Won the summer camp quarterback battle to earn the starting role
Safety Ruben Lopez: Returns for fourth straight season in the USD secondary racking up a tied-for-team-high three interceptions, one sack, four tackles-for-losses, 34 total tackles, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble in 2024 ... Co-captains the 2025 team
Wide Receiver Josh Heverly: Started all 11 games in 2024, tallying 412 receiving yards (37.45 yards per game), and six receiving touchdowns
Wide Receiver Cole Monach: Hauled in 29 receptions for 362 yards in 2024 with three touchdown receptions and an average of 32.91 yards per game
Running Back Matt Colombo: Tallied 152 rushing yards on 36 carries across only four games in 2024, as he battled injury throughout the season
Defensive Line Malachi Cooper: Co-led the Toreros with 4.5 sacks for 16 yards, totaling nine tackles-for-loss (25 yards), and 36 total tackles
Defensive Line Brian Coburn: Co-led the Toreros with 4.5 sacks for 31 yards, totaling six tackles-for-loss (34 yards), 25 total tackles, and a forced fumble ... Co-captains the 2025 team
Safety Trey Sena-Ortega: Tallied a tied-for-team-high three interceptions in 2024 with a trio of tackle-for-losses, 37 total tackles, two pass break-ups, and a forced fumble
