DAYTON – The University of Dayton football team begins another season at Welcome Stadium Saturday when the Flyers play Southeast Missouri.  Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.

Both teams are looking for their first win of the season.  Last week, Dayton lost in the final seconds 13-10 at Robert Morris, while SEMO fell at Kansas 38-16.

The first 300 fans at Saturday's game will gain free admission to a University-sponsored tailgate.  Dayton Flyer koozies will also be handed out at the gate.  

• Dayton coach Rick Chamberlin is in his 10th season as UD's head coach.
• Quarterback Alex Jeske, linebacker Jack Crain and defensive end Nick Surges are the Flyer football captains this year. 
• Christian Searles, a preseason All-America kick returner, is UD's special teams captain.
• Eight Flyers made their first collegiate starts last week at Robert Morris, including quarterback Kyle Kaparos (13-18-0, 122 yards, 1 TD), linebacker Andrew McCormick (team-high 11 tackles, 6 solo, 2 TFL, 1 sack) and Flyer Andrew Lutgens (5 hits, 2 sacks).
• Dayton was 6-0 at home last year.  UD's last loss at Welcome Stadium was in the first round of the 2015 FCS Playoffs.  UD has won 13 straight regular-season home games.

GOOD NEWS WORTH REPEATING
The Flyers entered the season with the third-best winning percentage (.761, 143-45) in FCS football since 2000 AND have produced the most football Academic All-Americans (26) at any level of competition in the same time frame.  The top five in winning percentage are Harvard (.799), North Dakota State (.761), Dayton (.757), Montana (.755), and San Diego (.719).

STREAKING
UD has not been shut out in a school-record 455 straight games, the best such active string in all of college football. The last team to shut out the Flyers was Marshall, 9-0, on Oct. 16, 1976. That is also the all-time FCS record.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
• Southeast Missouri State comes to Dayton after dropping a 38-16 decision at the University of Kansas in week one of the season.
• Two-year starter Jesse Hosket completed 25 of 44 passes for 170 yards and both SEMO TD's at Kansas. 
• Linebacker Chad Meredith has started in 23 straight games.  He was named Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference after earning first team honors in 2016.  He led Southeast with five solo tackles (6 overall) at Kansas.
• The Redhawk front three averages just under 6-foot-2, 310 pounds.  Joshua Wilson, a two-year starter, is 5-foot-11, 330 pounds.

THE MAN AT THE TOP
• Rick Chamberlin is now in his tenth season in charge of the Flyer football program. His record is 74-28.
• He is third all-time in wins at Dayton, behind two members of the College Football Hall of Fame -- Mike Kelly (246 wins) and Harry Baujan (124).

UP NEXT
• Dayton closes out the non-conference schedule at home against Duquesne on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m.
• Duquesne, like Robert Morris, is a member of the Northeast Conference.  NEC teams award 55 scholarship equivalencies.
• The Dukes were voted the NEC preseason favorite.