Oct. 20, 2005

GAME #8: The USD Toreros (6-1; 2-0 PFL) will look to continue their winning ways when they host the Drake Bulldogs (3-3; 0-1 PFL) on Saturday, October 22nd, at 7:00 pm. Jack Murray (play-by-play) and Rick Hill (color analyst) call the action that can be heard via the internet at www.usdtoreros.com. San Diego owns a 9-game Torero Stadium winning streak

SERIES RECORD: The Drake Bulldogs lead the overall series 8-4, including last year' s 41-38 win on Oct. 9th in Des Moines. It was both teams PFL opener and Drake went on to finish 4-0 for the PFL title while the Toreros finished 3-1 for 2nd place. Prior to last year's loss the Toreros had won three straight over Drake.

HEAD COACH Jim Harbaugh: Harbaugh is his 2nd season after a 7-4 mark in his rookie year. Off to a 6-1 start, he heads into the Drake game with a 13-5 record (11-1 last 12 games). Prior to being named USD's 11th head coach, he spent two seasons in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders. He spent 15 years in the NFL with five different teams - Chicago (1987-1993), Indianapolis (1994-97), Baltimore (1998), San Diego (1999-00) and Carolina (2001). A 1987 first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears, Jim played in 117 NFL games with 140 starts. For his career he completed 2,305 of 3,918 passes for 26,288 yards with 129 touchdowns. In 1995 he led Indianapolis to the AFC Championship game; was voted to the Pro Bowl; was named the 1995 Comeback Player of the Year and the AFC Player of the Year; and was runner-up in the NFL MVP voting. A 1986 graduate of Michigan, Jim was a 3-year starter for legendary coach Bo Schembechler. In his senior year in '86, Jim guided Michigan to a No. 2 national ranking while earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and finishing 3rd in the Heisman race. Jim and his wife, Miah, have three kids - Jay, James, and Grace.

PFL NORTH STANDINGS/SCHEDULE: SAN DIEGO (2-0 PFL; 6-1), Valparaiso (1-0; 2-5), Dayton (1-1; 6-1), Drake (0-1; 3-3), Butler (0-2; 0-7). OCT. 22nd SCHEDULE: USD vs. Drake (7 pm), Valparaiso at Dayton (1 pm), St. Joseph's-Ind. at Butler (1 pm).

TOREROS CLAIM NO. 1 RANKING IN THE SPORTS NETWORK MID-MAJOR POLL: After holding down the No. 2 spot the past four weeks, USD jumped to No. 1 with their impressive 48-24 road win over previously undefeated and former No. 1 Dayton. It marks the first time USD has held the No. 1 position in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top-10 poll, and USD did it by receiving all 28 1st place votes. Rounding out the Top-10 is Dayton (6-1), Morehead State (6-1), Marist (4-2), Monmouth (4-2), Wagner (5-2), Drake (3-3), Duquesne (3-3), Central Conn. State (4-3), and Stony Brook (3-3).The poll includes I-AA mid-major teams from the PFL, MAAC, and NEC.

TOREROS DEAL DAYTON 48-24 LOSS TO MOVE TO 2-0 IN PFL: - In what was billed as a potential defensive showdown between No. 1 Dayton and No. 2 USD, the Toreros came away with an impressive 48-24 victory. Down 24-20 at halftime, the Torero defense shutout the Flyers over the final two quarters while scoring 28 unanswered points. The win extends USD's undefeated PFL record to 2-0 and moves them to 6-1 overall. It was the 1-2 punch of QB Josh Johnson and RB JT Rogan that did the Flyers in. Johnson passed for 3 scores and rushed for one more, and Rogan rushed for 3 touchdowns and was on the receiving end of another. In the air, senior WR Nick Garton had 5 catches for 102 yards and 1 TD. On the ground, freshman back JT Rogan totaled 30 attempts for 180 yards and 3 TDs. The defense had allowed only one TD in the 2nd half all season against its first six opponents, and continued that streak shutting out the Flyers offense in the 2nd half of play. In a back-and-forth 1st quarter, Dayton scored first when Flyers quarterback Kevin Hoyng broke free for a 50-yard run with 11:16 remaining. The Toreros quickly responded as Johnson found Nick Garton from 19 yards out to cap a 6-play, 51-yard drive. The Flyers marched 80 yards back down the field in 12 plays where from the 1-yard line senior fullback Matt Mong punched in their 2nd TD. With 2:34 left in the first quarter, the Toreros countered and went 75-yards in 4-plays with Rogan rushing in from 7 yards to knot the game at the end of the first quarter 14-14. USD took a quick lead in the 2nd quarter when Johnson found freshman WR John Matthews from 17 yards to end an 11-play, 84-yard drive with 11:00 left for a 20-14 score. Dayton attempted to respond but the Torero defense held them at the 41-yard line where UD converted a 48-yard FG to get within 17-20 with 8:29 on the clock. USD was forced to punt for the first time late in the second quarter and the Flyers capitalized on the opportunity by going 84 yards in 9 plays to score. QB Kevin Hoyng found TE Matt Campa in the end zone from 20-yards away. Dayton regained the lead 24-20 to end the first half. The Toreros made the necessary adjustments at half time. QB Josh Johnson found Rogan in the end zone to regain the lead 27-24 on a 3-yard pass after going 94 yards in 12 plays with 7:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter. After forcing Dayton to punt, Rogan found a hole in the Dayton defense racing 35 yards into the end zone for another score. USD extended their lead 34-24 going 61 yards in 5 plays in just under two minutes. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, Johnson capped off a 7-play, 42-yard drive rushing in for a TD from 11 yards out lifting their lead to 40-24. Then with 9:30 left in the game, Rogan got his 3rd TD from 4 yards out to end a 48-yard, 8-play drive. Johnson connected with receiver Wes Doyle for the 2-point conversion sealing the victory, 48-24. USD had 551 yards in total offense and 294 rushing yards. Johnson was 21-29 attempts with no interceptions. Senior WR Adam Hannula had 5 receptions for 39 yards. On defense, sophomore DL Eric Stern recovered a Flyers fumble and junior LB Kyson Hawkins had 1 sack and 12 tackles (7 solo) with 4 going for losses. Josh Brisco, Philip Bretsch and Eric Bakhtiari each chipped in with 7 tackles.

TRIO OF TOREROS HONORED BY PFL: Three Toreros were honored as PFL Players of the Week following USD's convincing 48-24 road win over previously unbeaten Dayton... redshirt freshman running back JT Rogan (Coronado, CA) and sophomore QB Josh Johnson (Oakland, CA) were named co-PFL Offensive Players of the Week, while junior LB Kyson Hawkins (Fallbrook, CA) was tabbed the defensive player of the week... the 1-2 offensive punch of Johnson and Rogan was too much for the UD Flyers... Rogan rushed 30 times for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns; he also added a 3-yard TD reception... Johnson went 21-29 in passing for 257 yards and 3 TDs, and also rushed for 84 yards on 10 carries with an 11-yard TD run... Hawkins led a Toreros defense which held Dayton scoreless in the 2nd half... Hawkins recorded a team-best 12 tackles (7 solo) with 4 being for a loss... the 4 tackles for loss is a PFL single-game best this season.

TOREROS' RANK IN I-AA TOP-25 STATISTICS - DEFENSE LEADS THE WAY: USD Toreros find themselves ranked in 20 Top-25 categories for all I-AA schools... the Torero defense finds itself ranked in eleven areas, and in the Top-5 in four categories... the Torero defense is 3rd in scoring defense (10.1 ppg), 4th in 4th down defense efficiency (18.2%) and pass efficiency defense (90.48 rating), 5th in total defense (240.1 ypg), 6th in rushing defense (80.3 ypg), 9th in 3rd down defense efficiency (28.6%; 26x91), 12th in turnover margin (+1.0), 16th in kickoff return defense (16.58 yards per return), 17th in passes intercepted (9), 21st in pass defense (159.86), and 24th in turnovers gained (15). The USD offense ranks 2nd in 4th down efficiency (83.3%; 10x12), 4th in 3rd down efficiency (51.8%; 57x110), 5th in total offense (466.9 ypg), 8th in fumbles lost (3), 7th in scoring offense (38.29), 10th in pass efficiency (154.4), 12th in turnovers lost (8), and 17th in kickoff returns (22.46 yards per return) and passing offense (280.4). Individually, QB Josh Johnson is 5th in points responsible for (17.43), 9th in pass efficiency (155.1),13th in completions per game (21.14), and 14th in total offense (278.0).

7-GAME STATISTICAL LEADERS: Through seven games the Toreros are being led by QB Josh Johnson (148-219 for 1,734 yards and 17 TDs; 278.0 yards of total offense per game), RB JT Rogan (677 yards rushing with 6 TDs; 123.6 all-purpose yards pg), WRs Adam Hannula (37catches for 462 yards and 3 TDs), Nick Garton (35 for 436 yards, 6 TDs) and Wes Doyle (23 catches for 259 yards and 1 TD), kicker Hutch Parker (7-11 FG; 31-33 PAT; 52 points), punter George Villa (39.9 ave.), LB Kyson Hawkins (57 tackles, 12 for loss), SS Philip Bretsch (39 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 TD return), DB Adam Burke (30 tackles, 7 pass breakups), LB Tyler Evans (27 tackles, 1 forced fumble), LB Ronnie Pentz (25 tackles), DE Eric Bakhtiari (25 tackles; 7 for loss; 3.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), FS Scott Cooper (20 tackles, 2 int.), DB Chase McBride (16 tackles, 7 pass breakups), & Josh Brisco (3 interceptions and 3 pass breakups).

HOW USD STACKS UP AGAINST PFL FOES: The Torero team and players also rank among the statistical leaders against their PFL counterparts - as a team USD ranks 1st in rushing defense (80.3), scoring defense (10.1 ppg), total defense (240.1 ypg), pass offense (280.4 ypg), scoring offense (38.3), total offense (466.9), first downs (171), opponent 3rd down conversion percentage (.286), pass defense efficiency (90.5 rating), red zone defense (61.5%), red zone offense (83.8%), sacks by (15), sacks against (31), possession time (34:26). USD players that rank among the top-5 in PFL statistics include JT Rogan (2nd in scoring TDs, 6.9 ppg; 3rd in rushing, 96.7 ypg; 3rd in all-purpose running, 123.6), Josh Johnson (1st in passing, 247.7 ypg; 1st in total offense, 278.0 ypg; 3rd in pass efficiency, 155.1), Adam Hannula (2nd in receptions per game, 5.29; 2nd in receiving yards, 66.0), Nick Garton (3rd in receptions per game, 5.0; 4th in receiving yards, 62.3; 4th in punt returns, 7.6), Hutch Parker (1st in scoring, 7.4 ppg; 2nd in field goals, 1.0 made pg; 2nd in PAT kicking percentage, .939), Eric Bakhtiari (3rd in sacks, 0.5 pg), Kyson Hawkins (1st in tackles for loss, 10), Philip Bretsch (t-2nd in fumbles forced, 0.29 pg), Chase McBride (t-1st in passes defended, 1.14 pg), Adam Burke (t-4th in passes defended, 1.0 pg), and Josh Brisco (t-5th in interceptions, 0.43 pg).

JOSH JOHNSON HONORED BY SAN DIEGO HALL OF CHAMPIONS: USD sophomore QB Josh Johnson (Oakland, CA) was recognized by the San Diego Hall of Champions as one of their Amateur Stars of the Month for September. The sophomore quarterback from Oakland Tech led the Toreros to a 3-1 start in September, including the program's first win over an Ivy League school with a 17-14 come-from-behind victory on Sept. 17 against Yale at Torero Stadium. Johnson was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the Pioneer Football League for his performance against Yale when he was 22-of-34 passing for 198 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He finished the month completing 90-of-143 passes (62.9 percent) for 959 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 11 yards and one touchdown in 39 attempts. USD also beat Azusa Pacific and Southern Oregon before defeating Yale and losing at Princeton, 20-17.

Adam Hannula CAREER WATCH: Senior receiver Adam Hannula became USD's all-time receptions leader in the Toreros' 17-14 win over Yale... with 3 catches for 51 yards and 1 TD in the team's win over Menlo, he also became the first Torero receiver to crack 200 career receptions... Adam's current 4-year totals are 211 receptions for 2,845 yards and 28 touchdowns... having already passed Dylan Ching's 189 receptions, Adam has his sights on Ching's other two career marks of 3,111 receiving yards and 32 TD receptions... during his Torero career (38 games) Adam has caught at least 1 pass in every game; caught at least 1 TD in 21 gamess; and caught 5 or more receptions in 26 games.

SCOUTING THE DRAKE BULLDOGS: Drake, the 2004 PFL champions, were tabbed the 2005 preseason favorite by the PFL coaches... the Bulldogs, with an overall record of 3-3, are coming off a bye week... two weeks ago they opened PFL play by dropping a 25-17 home decision to Dayton... Dayton jumped out to a 12-0 halftime lead before seeing Drake score 17 unanswered points for a 17-12 lead with 11:31 left in the game... UD scored with 5:38 left for an 18-17 lead it would not relinquish... for Drake, soph. RB Scott Phaydavong totaled his 4th straight 100-yard plus rushing game with 151 yards on 29 carries... seasonal leaders include Phaydavong (796 yards, 2 TDs, 132.7 ypg), soph. RB Michael Bialas (243 yards, 6 TDs), QB Conor Jostes (82x139 for 1,109 yards and 12 TDs), WR Tyler Putnam (21 catches for 284 yards), junior LB James Adams (57 tackles, 5 for loss) and junor LB Nick Ross (48 stops, 7 tackles for loss)... head coach Rob Ash is in his 17th year.

LAST MEETING: In both teams PFL opener last year (Oct. 9th), Drake dealt USD a 41-38 loss despite Torero QB Todd Mortensen throwing for 347 yards and 3 TDs... USD outscored Drake 14-6 in the 2nd period to take a 21-20 halftime advantage... Drake held a 34-28 lead heading into the final period and behind a 32-yard Hutch Parker field goal and 33-yard Adam Hannula TD reception, USD held a 38-34 lead with 8:21 to go... Drake scored the game-winning TD with 3:38 left when Daniel Marx caught a 21-yard TD pass from QB Connor Jostes... USD's John Koker attempted a 44-yard field goal with :20 seconds remaining, but it sailed wide right.

WIN OVER YALE A FIRST FOR USD & PFL: USD's 17-14 come-from-behind win over the Yale Bulldogs on Sept. 17th was the Toreros' first win over an Ivy League opponent in six tries... it also marked the first time a PFL team has beaten an Ivy opponent... in the win USD overcame a 14-0 deficit to record the historic victory... redshirt freshman back JT Rogan hauled in a 2-yard TD pass from QB Josh Johnson with 6:37 to go for the game-winner.

TRI-CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Torero players picked three of their senior teammates to represent them as 2005 Team Captains - wide receiver Nick Garton, defensive back Philip Bretsch, and honorary captain Evan Harney. Harney, USD's two-time All-America running back, was lost for the season just prior to the start of football camp after suffering head injuries in a freak accident. Over the past two seasons, the 6-1, 215 lb. running back from Fallbrook, California, rewrote USD's record book for rushing by totaling 2,809 yards and 35 touchdowns on 588 attempts.

2005 PRESEASON PFL COACHES POLL: The Toreros are picked 3rd in the PFL Preseason Coaches Poll - 2004 champion Drake is the top pick for the North Division as they received 5 first place votes - the Bulldogs are followed by Dayton, San Diego, Butler & Valparaiso.

2005 PFL CHAMPIONSHIP SITE: The 2005 PFL Championship will be hosted by the PFL North Champion on November 19th. It is the 5th PFL Championship since the beginning of the divisional era in 2000. The PFL North is undefeated in the four previous championships.

PFL TO RETURN TO SINGLE-DIVISION FORMAT IN 2006: The Pioneer Football League will return to a single-division, round-robin format in 2006, the conference announced on Sept. 7th. The league voted this summer on the move back to a single-division format, which the league used in its first eight seasons. The change resulted from the league's reduction to eight members for the 2006 campaign - Austin Peay leaves the conference at the conclusion of the 2005 season. The final round-robin schedule will provide seven league games annually for all teams with alternating seasons of four home/three road games and three home/four road.

UP NEXT: USD closes out their PFL slate with a road game at Valparaiso (Oct. 29th, 12 noon).