SAN DIEGO — The University of San Diego football team (4-5, 3-3 PFL) plays its final road game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 7, visiting Drake (3-6, 3-3 PFL) at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, at 10 a.m. PT. The Toreros are coming off a 41-40 win over Marist on Halloween, and the Bulldogs, the three-time defending Pioneer Football League champions, have won the last three meetings in the series by a combined 10 points. San Diego closes the regular season at home against Stetson on Saturday, Nov. 21.
The game streams on ESPN+, and the Toreros' radio broadcast and live stats are available on USDToreros.com.
LAST TIME OUT: SAN DIEGO 41, MARIST 40
• Dom Nankil threw four touchdown passes and ran 4 yards for the go-ahead score with 2:48 left, and San Diego held off Marist 41-40 on Halloween at Torero Stadium, one week after losing at Dayton on a touchdown with 57 seconds to go. The Toreros scored touchdowns on all five trips inside the Marist 20, converted 8 of 11 third downs and piled up a season-high 31 first downs.
• Nankil completed 34 of 41 passes for 364 yards, matching his season high with four scoring throws — 9 yards to Elijah Taylor, 10 to Christopher Hall, 4 to Cole Monach and 38 to Luke Morgan — and accounted for 377 of San Diego's 524 yards. Taylor caught nine passes for 138 yards, his fifth 100-yard game of the season, and Monach had 11 catches for 70 yards.
• Marist turned San Diego's two turnovers into touchdowns and led 19-7 with 8:47 left in the second quarter before the Toreros scored 21 straight points: Hall's 10-yard touchdown catch, Monach's 4-yard score on third-and-goal with 1:45 left in the half — set up by Adam Criter's 23-yard run on third-and-1 — and Criter's 1-yard run after the defense forced a turnover on downs at the Marist 47 to open the second half.
• Marist pulled within 28-26, Nankil answered with a 38-yard touchdown to Morgan with 5 seconds left in the third quarter, and the Red Foxes scored on consecutive possessions, the second on a 51-yard run, to lead 40-35 with 6:17 to play. San Diego then went 65 yards in nine plays — Hall caught two passes on the drive, the second a 13-yarder to the 6 — and Nankil scored on second-and-goal from the 4. A two-point pass failed.
• Marist drove inside the San Diego 20 in the final two minutes, but Ruben Lopez made three straight tackles — one a 3-yard loss he shared with Nick Felago on second-and-2 — and a 30-yard field goal try with 43 seconds left was no good. After a San Diego punt, Dillon Kellner broke up a pass in the end zone on the game's final play.
• Jaden Williams blocked an extra point with 38 seconds left in the first quarter, San Diego's first blocked kick of the season and the point that decided the game. Marist also failed on a two-point try after its third touchdown. The Toreros, without a takeaway for the first time since Oct. 10 at Butler, allowed 12 points off their two turnovers.
• Criter ran 25 times for 117 yards and his ninth touchdown of the season, Lopez led the defense with eight tackles, freshmen Thomas Bailey and Joe Bolder had six and five, and Shaun Aletor hurried the quarterback three times. Emiliano Salazar made all five extra points and put three of his seven kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. The Toreros held the ball for 31:15 and won time of possession for the ninth straight game.
2026 PFL WEEKLY HONORS
• Sept. 20 — Emiliano Salazar, Special Teams Player of the Week, after his 38-yard field goal with 2 seconds left won at Cal Poly, 38-35
• Oct. 4 — CJ Castille, Defensive Player of the Week, after two interceptions, including a 42-yard return for a touchdown, in a 63-14 win over Davidson
• Nov. 1 — Dom Nankil, Offensive Player of the Week, after completing 34 of 41 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns and running for the go-ahead score in a 41-40 win over Marist
• Nov. 1 — Jaden Williams, Special Teams Player of the Week, after blocking an extra point in the first quarter of the one-point win over Marist
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. DRAKE
• Saturday is the 34th meeting between the programs. San Diego leads the all-time series 19-14 and is 8-8 in Des Moines, but Drake has won the last three meetings, all by five points or fewer, after the Toreros had won 10 straight from 2013 to 2022.
• Two of those three Drake wins ended on walk-off field goals. On Sept. 28, 2024, Peyton Smith's 5-yard touchdown catch put San Diego ahead 28-27 with 1:55 left at Drake Stadium, and the Bulldogs answered with a 48-yarder as time expired. On Oct. 11, 2025, Emiliano Salazar's 41-yard field goal tied the game at 16 with 1:09 to go at Torero Stadium, and Drake won 19-16 on a 55-yarder as the clock hit zero. The 2024 game decided the PFL title.
• In last season's meeting, Salazar made three field goals, including a career-long 47-yarder, Yosei Takahashi threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Cole Monach on a double pass — the first pass attempt of his career — for a 13-7 halftime lead, and Adam Criter ran 28 times for 108 yards.
• The series dates to 1993, when Drake won the first of four straight meetings. San Diego's 49-7 win on Nov. 2, 2019, is the largest margin in the series, and the Toreros won five straight in Des Moines — 17-14 in 2014, 38-7 in 2016, 27-10 in 2018, 13-10 in March 2021 and 22-10 in 2022 — before the 30-28 loss in 2024.
• Drake, the three-time defending PFL champion, is 3-6 (3-3 PFL) in its first season under head coach Matt Walker, who led Wisconsin-River Falls to the 2025 NCAA Division III national championship. The Bulldogs won 45-35 at Morehead State last week behind freshman quarterback Braylon Wilson, who made his first career start in place of the injured Riley Warzynski and was named PFL Freshman of the Week.
FINAL ROAD TRIP
• Saturday is San Diego's sixth and final road game of 2026. The Toreros have an open date on Nov. 14 and close the regular season at home against Stetson on Senior Day, Saturday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m. PT.
• San Diego is 1-4 away from Torero Stadium this season and 0-3 in PFL road games, with losses at St. Thomas, Butler and Dayton, and 3-1 at home, including 3-0 in league play. Its road win was the 38-35 decision at Cal Poly on Sept. 19, when Emiliano Salazar kicked a 38-yard field goal with 2 seconds left.
• The Toreros are 8-8 all-time at Drake Stadium and had won five straight visits to Des Moines, from 2014 to 2022, before the 30-28 loss in 2024. Kickoff is at noon Central, 10 a.m. in San Diego.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
• San Diego's five losses have come against teams that are a combined 32-12: UC Davis (5-4), Idaho State (6-3), St. Thomas (7-2), Butler (7-2) and Dayton (7-1). UC Davis was No. 6 in the AFCA coaches poll and Idaho State No. 24 when the Toreros played them.
• The Toreros' first nine opponents are a combined 47-33. Three of them — Butler, Dayton and St. Thomas — have seven wins, and Dayton, at 7-1, has the best record of any team on the schedule.
• Last week, Idaho State beat Utah Tech 34-27, UC Davis lost 38-14 at Weber State and Cal Poly fell to 4-6 with a 61-7 loss to Montana State.
BALL CONTROL
• San Diego has won time of possession in all nine games, averaging 32:42, and has run 674 offensive plays to its opponents' 538. The Toreros held the ball for 31:15 against Marist and converted 8 of 11 third downs.
• The Toreros are averaging 155.2 rushing yards on 4.2 per carry, and five players have combined for 19 rushing touchdowns: Adam Criter nine, Omar Mbakwe four, Dom Nankil four, and CJ Ceron and Zamar Reese one each. Criter's 63-yarder against Valparaiso is the longest run by a Torero this season, ahead of his 55-yarder at Cal Poly and Ceron's 53-yarder at Idaho State.
• Criter leads San Diego with 746 rushing yards (82.9 per game) after running for 117 against Marist, Mbakwe has 304, Reese has 126 at 5.5 per carry and Ceron has 114 on just nine carries — a 12.7-yard average.
THROUGH THE AIR
• Dom Nankil has thrown for 300 or more yards four times this season — 354 at St. Thomas, 321 against Davidson, a season-high 471 at Dayton and 364 against Marist — and San Diego is averaging 278.1 passing yards per game. Nankil has thrown four touchdown passes in a game twice, against Davidson and Marist.
• Elijah Taylor and Cole Monach have combined for 119 of the Toreros' 222 receptions and 1,509 of their 2,503 receiving yards. Taylor has five 100-yard games this season and Monach has two.
• Nankil spread his 34 completions against Marist among eight receivers, and his 14 touchdown passes have gone to five different targets: Monach seven, Taylor three, Christopher Hall two, and Omar Mbakwe and Luke Morgan one each. San Diego has thrown one interception in its last 122 pass attempts.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
• San Diego's two turnovers against Marist were its first since Oct. 10 at Butler, and both led to Red Fox touchdowns. The Toreros are plus-2 in turnover margin for the season, with 13 takeaways and 11 giveaways: plus-7 in their four wins and minus-5 in their five losses.
• All 35 of San Diego's points off turnovers have come at home: 28 against Davidson and seven on Thomas Bailey's pick-six against Valparaiso. Opponents have scored 55 points off the Toreros' 11 turnovers, including 12 by Marist.
• Ezekiel Swayne has had a hand in four of the 13 takeaways, recovering three fumbles and intercepting a pass, and Ruben Lopez and CJ Castille have two interceptions apiece. Jaden Williams and Nolan Story each recovered a fumble at Dayton.
SALAZAR'S PAT STREAK REACHES 72
• Emiliano Salazar has made all 72 extra points he has attempted in his career — 40-for-40 in 2025 and 32-for-32 this season — including five against Marist in a game decided by a blocked extra point at the other end.
• He leads San Diego with 59 points and is 9-for-14 on field goals this season, 3-for-3 from 40 to 49 yards, and 24-for-32 for his career. His lone attempt from beyond 50 yards this season, a 53-yarder against Marist, was no good.
• The junior also handles punts and kickoffs: he is averaging 40.9 yards on 41 punts with 16 inside the 20, eight of 50 yards or longer and one touchback, and his kickoffs average 56.2 yards with 11 touchbacks, three of them against Marist.
• A Preseason All-PFL pick at both placekicker and punter — the only player in the league selected twice — Salazar owns two game-winning field goals in the final seconds as a Torero, including this season's 38-yarder at Cal Poly that made him PFL Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 20.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
• Five freshmen are on this week's two-deep: Joe Bolder, the first-team STAR, and second-teamers Thomas Bailey (STAR), Cade Smith (WILL), Maximus Tufugafale (NT) and Nikolai Procopio (TE).
• Bolder leads San Diego with three sacks and had five tackles and a third-down pass breakup against Marist, and Bailey's six tackles against the Red Foxes were second on the team. Bailey returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown against Valparaiso, and Glenn Baranoski has a sack and two quarterback hurries.
• On offense, Luke Morgan's 38-yard touchdown catch with 5 seconds left in the third quarter against Marist was the first of his career. He is averaging 18.3 yards on six catches, and Zamar Reese has 126 rushing yards at 5.5 per carry, including a 26-yard touchdown run against Davidson.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
#9 DOM NANKIL | SENIOR | 6-0 | 175 | QB | CHULA VISTA, CALIF. | MATER DEI CATHOLIC HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Has completed 218 of 330 passes (66.1%) for 2,480 yards and 14 touchdowns, has run for four scores, and his 2,572 yards of total offense (285.8 per game) lead San Diego by more than 1,800.
• PFL Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 1 after completing 34 of 41 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns against Marist, then running 4 yards for the go-ahead score with 2:48 left. Has thrown for 300 or more yards four times, including a season-high 471 at Dayton, and has two four-touchdown games.
#4 ADAM CRITER | GRADUATE | 6-3 | 205 | RB | DOWNERS GROVE, ILL. | ST. FRANCIS HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Leads San Diego with 159 carries, 746 rushing yards (82.9 per game) and nine rushing touchdowns, and ranks second on the team with 821 all-purpose yards and 54 points.
• Ran 25 times for 117 yards against Marist, with a 23-yard burst on third-and-1 that set up a touchdown before halftime and a 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter. Scored three times at Dayton, ran 28 times for a season-high 179 yards at Cal Poly and had a 63-yard run against Valparaiso, the longest by a Torero this season.
#17 COLE MONACH | GRADUATE | 6-1 | 185 | WR | SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIF. | SAN JUAN HILLS HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Leads San Diego with seven touchdown catches, of the team's 14, ranks second with 54 receptions and 633 receiving yards, and is third with 44 points.
• Caught a season-high 11 passes for 70 yards against Marist, including a 4-yard touchdown on third-and-goal with 1:45 left in the first half that gave San Diego a 21-19 halftime lead. Had eight catches for 101 yards at Dayton, his second 100-yard game of the season, and caught the two-point conversion there.
• Also the holder on Emiliano Salazar's placekicks, including the game-winner at Cal Poly and all three field goals against Valparaiso.
#81 CHRISTOPHER HALL | JUNIOR | 5-11 | 175 | WR | REDDING, CALIF. | FOOTHILL HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• A starter at wide receiver and the first-team kickoff returner on this week's two-deep, he has 22 catches for 316 yards (14.4 per catch) and two touchdowns, both at Torero Stadium: a score against Davidson and a 10-yard catch against Marist.
• Caught four passes for 31 yards against Marist. His touchdown with 5:27 left in the first half started a 21-0 run, and on the winning drive he drew a face-mask penalty on a 3-yard catch, then caught a 13-yarder to the Marist 6.
#3 ELIJAH TAYLOR | GRADUATE | 6-0 | 190 | WR | PHOENIX, ARIZ. | HIGLEY HS | NORTHERN ARIZONA
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Started his Torero debut at wide receiver against No. 6 UC Davis and leads San Diego with 65 catches, 876 receiving yards (97.3 per game) and 876 all-purpose yards, with three touchdowns.
• Caught nine passes for 138 yards and a 9-yard touchdown against Marist, his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season and second in a row, after 15 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown at Dayton, both season highs for a Torero. Also went over 100 yards at St. Thomas (144), against Davidson (114) and at Butler (100).
#41 EMILIANO SALAZAR | JUNIOR | 6-1 | 170 | K/P | ORANGE, CALIF. | VILLA PARK HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• PFL Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 20 after his 38-yard field goal with 2 seconds left won at Cal Poly, 38-35.
• Is 9-for-14 on field goals, with makes from 29, 30, 31, 34, 37, 38, 40, 44 and 47 yards, and 32-for-32 on extra points, including 5-for-5 against Marist. His 59 points lead the team.
• Averaging 40.9 yards on 41 punts with 16 inside the 20, eight of 50 yards or longer and one touchback, including a season-long 55-yarder at No. 24 Idaho State. Also handling kickoffs at 56.2 yards per boot, with 11 touchbacks.
#22 YOSEI TAKAHASHI | SENIOR | 5-7 | 170 | WR | OSAKA, JAPAN | SAINT LOUIS HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• The first-team punt returner on this week's two-deep is averaging 10.6 yards on 10 punt returns and 19.2 yards on 10 kickoff returns, and has 25 catches for 211 yards.
• Caught four passes for 47 yards against Marist, including a 23-yarder on third-and-1 that keyed the touchdown drive that started San Diego's 21-point run. His 48-yard punt return against Valparaiso, the longest by a Torero this season, set up Emiliano Salazar's 31-yard field goal in the second quarter.
#6 RUBEN LOPEZ | GRADUATE | 6-0 | 180 | FS | MISSION VIEJO, CALIF. | MISSION VIEJO HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Leads San Diego with 57 tackles, including a team-high 41 solo, and has 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and four pass breakups.
• Made a team-high eight tackles against Marist, including three straight inside the San Diego 20 — one a 3-yard loss shared with Nick Felago — before the Red Foxes' missed field goal with 43 seconds left, and has led San Diego in tackles in five of the last six games. Made a season-high 11 tackles at Dayton, intercepted a pass in the end zone against No. 6 UC Davis and stopped Cal Poly quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr. on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to protect a 35-28 fourth-quarter lead.
#42 TIM HAYS | GRADUATE | 6-1 | 227 | OLB | CONCORD, MASS. | CARLISLE HS | BOSTON COLLEGE
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Started at WILL in his Torero debut, is the first-team MIKE on this week's two-deep and ranks second on the team with 48 tackles, including team highs of eight against No. 6 UC Davis and seven at No. 24 Idaho State. Has forced two fumbles, against Valparaiso and at Dayton, and broke up a third-down pass at the San Diego 12 on Marist's first possession.
#20 CJ CASTILLE | SOPHOMORE | 5-11 | 180 | CB | EASTVALE, CALIF. | CENTENNIAL HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• PFL Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 4 after intercepting two passes against Davidson — the first two of his career — and returning the second 42 yards for a touchdown, San Diego's first defensive score of the season.
• His first pick, on the opening play of the second quarter, set up Cole Monach's 28-yard touchdown catch two plays later. Has nine tackles in seven games, three of them against Valparaiso, where he also had half a tackle for loss, and started at right cornerback against Marist.
#23 DILLON KELLNER | JUNIOR | 5-11 | 170 | SS | HONOLULU, HAWAII | PUNAHOU SCHOOL
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Leads San Diego with five pass breakups and has 25 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and three quarterback hurries in nine games. Is the second-team strong safety on this week's two-deep.
• Broke up Marist's final pass in the end zone as time expired to preserve the 41-40 win, and finished with four tackles, the pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
#50 JOE BOLDER | FRESHMAN | 6-0 | 200 | OLB | GARDENA, CALIF. | JUNIPERO SERRA HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Leads San Diego with three sacks — all three of his tackles for loss — and has 15 tackles in eight games. Is the first-team STAR on this week's two-deep.
• Started against Marist and made five tackles with a third-down pass breakup. Had two sacks against Davidson, when the Toreros had a season-high five, and sacked Bryce Schondelmyer for an 8-yard loss at Dayton to help force a punt.
#28 THOMAS BAILEY | FRESHMAN | 6-2 | 200 | OLB | ROCHESTER, N.Y. | MCQUAID JESUIT HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Returned his first career interception 52 yards for a touchdown against Valparaiso, one play after sharing a sack with Jaden Williams, for San Diego's second defensive touchdown of the season.
• Made a career-high six tackles against Marist, second on the team, and has 10 tackles, half a sack and the interception in seven games. Is the second-team STAR on this week's two-deep.
#53 JADEN WILLIAMS | JUNIOR | 6-3 | 225 | OLB | MISSION VIEJO, CALIF. | SAN JUAN HILLS HS | SADDLEBACK COLLEGE
Through 9 Games (2026)
• PFL Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 1 after blocking an extra point with 38 seconds left in the first quarter against Marist — San Diego's first blocked kick of the season and the difference in a 41-40 win.
• The second-team LEO has nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in eight games. Shared a sack with Thomas Bailey one play before Bailey's pick-six against Valparaiso and recovered Shaun Aletor's forced fumble at Dayton.
#49 CAYDEN GIBSON | JUNIOR | 6-2 | 220 | OLB | CHANDLER, ARIZ. | ARIZONA COLLEGE PREP
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Has played in eight of San Diego's nine games, with starts at LEO in six of the last seven, and has 23 tackles. Made five against Marist, with a quarterback hurry, five at Butler, four against Valparaiso and four at Dayton, with half a tackle for loss against both Butler and Valparaiso.
#93 SHAUN ALETOR | JUNIOR | 6-2 | 235 | DE | GOODYEAR, ARIZ. | DESERT EDGE HS
Through 9 Games (2026)
• The first-team DT on this week's two-deep leads San Diego with six quarterback hurries, three of them against Marist, and has 13 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble in eight games.
• Has started the last two games. Stripped Bryce Schondelmyer on a fourth-and-4 scramble at Dayton, a 7-yard loss that Jaden Williams recovered at the San Diego 33, and had a sack among his 1.5 tackles for loss against Valparaiso.
#76 SEAN SCHECK | SENIOR | 6-3 | 260 | DT | BATAVIA, ILL. | MARMION ACADEMY
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Shares the team lead with 4.5 tackles for loss, with River Abenroth, and has 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks. His 2.5 tackles for loss at Butler, including a sack, are the most by a Torero in a game this season, and he and Glenn Baranoski pressured the quarterback on CJ Castille's pick-six against Davidson.
#95 JAE'VON REELS | SENIOR | 6-1 | 280 | NT | SAN JOSE, CALIF. | BELLARMINE COLLEGE PREP
Through 9 Games (2026)
• Has 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, including four tackles against Marist and four with 1.5 for loss at Butler. Broke up a third-down pass at the San Diego 19 against Valparaiso to force a field goal, and made five tackles at Cal Poly, where he stuffed Jaden Green for no gain on third-and-goal from the 1 a play before Ruben Lopez's fourth-down stop.
