DAYTON, Ohio — San Diego erased an 18-point deficit and went ahead with 1:32 to play on
Adam Criter's third touchdown run and a two-point conversion, but Dayton answered with 57 seconds left for a 37-32 Pioneer Football League win Saturday at Welcome Stadium.
The Toreros (3-5, 2-3 PFL) outgained Dayton (6-1, 3-1 PFL) 531-397, their most total yards this season.
Dom Nankil threw for a season-high 471 yards, completing 37 of 56 passes without an interception, and
Elijah Taylor caught 15 of them for 204 yards, also season highs for a Torero.
Nankil converted three third downs on the 14-play, 73-yard opening drive, twice to
Yosei Takahashi and once to Taylor, who caught a 37-yarder to the Dayton 16 on the next play.
Emiliano Salazar finished the drive with a 29-yard field goal. After a Dayton three-and-out, freshman
Luke Morgan caught a 43-yard pass to the Dayton 5, and Criter scored on the next play for a 10-0 lead with 5:36 left in the first quarter.
Dayton returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, the first of 28 straight points for the Flyers. They went ahead 14-10 early in the second quarter, and a 48-yard punt return set up a touchdown pass with 1:31 left in the half. A 56-yard touchdown run on the third play of the second half made it 28-10.
Nankil answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive that took 1:49. He found Taylor for 13 yards on third-and-4 and tight end
Carter Pruitt for 17, then hit Taylor down the middle for a 39-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 28-17 with 12:32 left in the third quarter.
On Dayton's next possession,
Shaun Aletor dropped the quarterback for a 7-yard loss on fourth-and-4 at the San Diego 26 and forced a fumble that
Jaden Williams recovered. The Flyers added a 34-yard field goal late in the quarter for a 31-17 lead.
Taylor's 23-yard catch on third-and-3 took the Toreros to the Dayton 12 midway through the fourth quarter, a pass interference penalty moved them to the 2, and Criter scored from a yard out on third down to make it 31-24 with 7:15 left.
Sadiq Henry forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and
Nolan Story recovered at the Dayton 22, but a 39-yard field goal try was blocked.
After a Dayton punt, San Diego took over at its own 6 with 2:56 to play. Nankil completed all seven of his passes on the drive, four straight to Taylor and three to
Cole Monach, whose 45-yard catch-and-run to the Dayton 10 was the longest reception by a Torero this season. Criter ran 7 yards for the touchdown with 1:32 left, and Nankil found Monach for the two-point conversion and a 32-31 lead.
Dayton needed three plays and 32 seconds to answer, using a 34-yard completion and a pass interference penalty to reach the San Diego 14 before scoring on a touchdown pass with 57 seconds left. The Toreros got to the Dayton 30 on their final drive, but Nankil's last pass, toward the end zone, was broken up on the game's final play.
Monach finished with eight catches for 101 yards, giving San Diego two 100-yard receivers for the second time this season after he and Taylor both did it against Davidson on Oct. 3. Nankil's 471 yards pushed him past 2,000 passing yards this season and 5,000 for his career, and Criter's three rushing touchdowns were the most by a Torero in a game this season. He finished with 57 yards on 20 carries and has eight rushing touchdowns this season.
San Diego converted 11 of 20 third downs, did not turn the ball over and held the ball longer than its opponent for the eighth straight game, 32:22 to 27:38.
Ruben Lopez made 11 tackles, the most by a Torero in a game this season, and moved into the team lead with 49 tackles this season.
Dylan Eads added seven, freshman
Joe Bolder had an 8-yard sack, and the Toreros forced three fumbles, recovering two. Salazar averaged 42.6 yards on seven punts with five inside the 20, and his three extra points ran his career total to 67 without a miss.
Dayton now leads the all-time series 17-14. San Diego had won the previous seven meetings, its longest winning streak against the Flyers, including its last three games in Dayton.
UP NEXT
San Diego returns to Torero Stadium for Halloween Fest and Kids Day, hosting Marist in a PFL game on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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