Sept. 2, 2005

The University of Dayton football team opens the 2005 season Saturday when the Flyers travel to Tiffin to meet the Tiffin Dragons. Game time is at Frost -Kalnow Stadium is 1:00 p.m. EDT. While Saturday's game is the first of the season for the Flyers, Tiffin already has game under its belt. TU lost to a strong Findlay team 31-10 at Findlay last Saturday.

The University of Dayton will celebrate three significant milestones in the 2005 football season. Mike Kelly will be coaching his 25th season as the Flyers' head coach, the 50th presentation of the Lt. Andy Zulli Memorial Trophy will occur on Senior Day, and the entire season will mark 100 years of varsity football at the University of Dayton.

Last year, Dayton finished the 2003 football season 7-3. UD was ranked fifth in the nation in the final Football Gazette ranking, and sixth in the Sports Network NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major poll. The Flyers' three losses were to two of the five teams ranked ahead of them (#2 Drake and #3 San Diego) and to Ivy League powerhouse Yale. All three losses were by a touchdown or less, and two ended with UD getting the ball into the red zone as time expired.

Dayton's 28 straight winning seasons is the best active streak among NCAA Division I teams. The Flyers share that honor with Florida State. Over the last ten years, UD has averaged 8.6 wins a season. UD also brings into the year its NCAA-leading streak of 321 games without being shutout. The Flyers have won outright or shared the Pioneer Football League Championship eight times in the 12-year history of the league.

Heading into the 2005 season, The Flyers are ranked in the top ten in all three mid-major polls. The Sports Network has them ranked third, Dopke has them sixth, and The Football Gazette rates them eighth.

Flyer Facts... *A total of 35 letterwinners return from 2004, including 11 starters. The offense has eight starters back, while only three starters return on defense.

*UD led all NCAA divisions in total defense last year. Dayton allowed just 263.1 yards a game in 2004. UD was also third in scoring defense (14.0 points a game), marking the fifth straight year the Flyers were in the top ten in Division I-AA in points allowed.

*UD has not been shut out in 321 straight games, the best such string in all of college football. The last team to shut out the Flyers was Marshall, 9-0, on October 16, 1976.

*Dayton hosts North Coast Conference preseason favorite Wittenberg next week at Welcome Stadium. Game time for the 2005 home opener is 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Series Stuff...Dayton leads the series 4-0. The two teams first met in the 2000 season opener at Welcome Stadium UD won that game 37-12. The Flyers and Dragons have met the last three seasons. UD won 35-20 at Tiffin on October 26, 2002, coming back from a 14-0 deficit. The following year, Dayton edged Tiffin 27-23 in Dayton on October 18, 2003. Last year, Last year, the Flyers led 17-0 after the first quarter en route to a 38-9 win. In the four years the series between the two schools has existed, Tiffin has made the transition from NAIA to an NCAA Division II scholarship program. The only non-scholarship teams TU will play this season are Dayton, Butler and Morehead State.

Coach Mike Kelly...Is in his 25th year as a head coach (all at Dayton), and has 222 wins. His 25 seasons as UD's head coach are the longest tenure in school history (College Football Hall of Famer Harry Baujan coached for 24 years at UD before becoming Director of Athletics). Kelly's .827 winning percentage (222-46-1) is the best among active NCAA Division I-AA coaches (minimum five years head coach).

More Mike Kelly...Only three other active coaches at the Division I level--Florida State's Bobby Bowden (351), Penn State's Joe Paterno (343) and Albany's Bob Ford (205)--entered the 2005 season with more than 200 wins.

Even More Mike ...Mike Kelly was the Football Gazette NCAA Division I-AA Non-Scholarship and Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year in 1996, 1997 and 2001, the PFL Coach of the Year in 2000, and the Football Gazette's Coach of the Year in 2002. UD's win over Evansville in 1996 gave him 150 career wins, making him one of only four to reach 150 in his 16th season. The other three are certain College Football Hall of Famers -- Barry Switzer (2001 inductee), Tom Osborne (1998) and Joe Paterno (not in yet, but do you want to bet against him?). Kelly is UD's winningest football coach, having surpassed 1990 College Football Hall of Famer Harry Baujan back in 1993.

Coaching Experience...The Flyers are fortunate to have an experienced coaching staff with three of the coaches at UD for at least 25 seasons: Mike Kelly, Head Coach (Manchester '70), 25th season as head coach, 29th at UD Dave Whilding, Off. Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Earlham '71), 28th Rick Chamberlin, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers (Dayton '80), 26th

PFL Power...The Flyers' 45-8 PFL record is the best in the 12-year history of the league. UD's eight league championships are more than the rest of the PFL combined.

Tops In I-AA Non-Scholarship...In the 12 years I-AA Non-Scholarship has been an option, UD has the best winning percentage (.800, 104-26) of the 22 schools playing at this level.

Welcome Mat...The UD Flyers moved to Welcome Stadium in 1974. The word "Welcome" implies hospitality, but Dayton has been anything but hospitable to its opponents at home. UD is 176-33-1 (.840) at home. The "Welcome" in Welcome Stadium is not a greeting, but honors the late Percival Welcome, longtime Director of Athletics for the Dayton Public Schools. UD has won 30 of its last 36 home games, and 15 of its last 16 road games. UD has won its last 12 road games dating back to the last regular-season game of 2001.

Ranking Run...Dayton is ranked #3 this week in the Sports Network poll, UD has been ranked either first or second in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major poll for 45 of a possible 54 weeks the Sports Network poll has been in existence. The Flyers have been #1 nearly half of the time (26 of 54 weeks).

Can't Spell Dayton Without The D...UD led NCAA Division I-AA in total defense (263.1 yards a game) and was third in scoring defense (14.0) and fifth in rushing defense (97.5 yards per game) in 2004. The Flyers' defensive performance this season has truly been a team effort. Name the category, and a plethora of players, a division of defenders, a flock of Flyers...you get the idea. Of the 55 tackles in the backfield by Dayton this season, 20 players have done the deed. Same goes for the Flyers' 38 passes defensed (13 players), 13 fumbles forced (8), 13 fumbles recovered (10) and 18 sacks (13). PFL Numbers...UD led the Pioneer Football League last season in scoring defense (13.17), rushing defense (97.50), total defense (263.10), passing efficiency defense (102.15), opponent first downs (135), rushing offense (240.70), third-down conversions (43.0%), and time of possession (33:51).

2005 Co-Captains Are...John Hoppe at linebacker (a Sports Network pre-season All-American), Steve Verhoff at tailback and Ryan Winner at offensive tackle (also a Sports Network pre-season All-American).

Who Needs Starters?...In the five straight years, UD has finished in the top ten in Division I-AA in scoring defense. In those five years, coach Mike Kelly had the luxury of having a majority of his starters back the next season only once. UD returned six starters in 2002. In the other seasons Dayton had five back twice (2003 and 2000), four back once (2004) and three back once (2001). If history means anything, having three starters back will not be a problem for the Dayton defense in 2005.

Very, Very Verhoff...In the backfield, the Flyers return their top rusher for the first time since Jermaine Bailey came back for his senior season in 2002. Starting tailback Steve Verhoff, a 2005 captain, was UD's leading rusher and second-leading receiver last season. He gained 612 yards (3.8 yards per carry) in 10 starts, with four rushing touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes out of the backfield for 115 yards (6.4 avg.). He was named Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-America, First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District, and First Team Academic All-Pioneer Football League.

Wrobo-Receiver...Senior wideout Ryan Wrobleski's 46 catches last season more than doubled the number of receptions he had in 2003 in 11 games (19). The Detroit Central Catholic product had 46 of UD's 104 receptions (44.2%), 840 of UD's 1,520 receiving yards (55.3%) and six of the Flyers' nine aerial touchdowns (66.7%) last year. Although he played for the team least likely to throw the ball in the pass-happy Pioneer Football League, Wrobleski was second in the PFL in receiving yards (84.0, just 0.6 behind Austin Peay's Pat Curran) and fourth in receptions per game (4.60). If Wrobleski can approach his 2004 numbers, he has a shot at Pat Hugar's UD record for receiving yardage in a career (1,878 yards).

QB Kevin...Calling the signals for Dayton will be junior quarterback Kevin Hoyng, who alternated with the now-graduated Brandon Staley last year. Hoyng was UD's second-leading rusher (322 yards, 68 attempts, 4.7 avg., 3 TD's) and completed 53.1% of his passes (34 of 64) for 504 yards, three touchdowns and just two interceptions.

The Winner Is...Offensive tackle Ryan Winner, a 2005 captain, is back for his third year in the starting lineup. He has started the last 21 games at left tackle for UD. The largest Flyer (6-foot-6, 294 pounds) has been a mainstay on a line that has bulldozed the way for 68 rushing touchdowns the last two seasons, compared to 14 for Flyer foes. He was First Team All-Pioneer Football League and selected an Honorable Mention All-American by the Football Gazette. He's also received some 2005 preseason accolades. The Sports Network picked him to be on its preseason All-America team, and I-AA.org Magazine chose Winner to be its preseason PFL Lineman of the Year.