DAYTON – The University of Dayton football team downed Valparaiso 26-14 on Senior Day Saturday at Welcome Stadium.  Dayton scored 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters, and the UD defense held Valpo to 170 yards in total offense for the game.

The Flyers got a big all-around day from sophomore Gavin Lochow, who carried the ball 10 times for a career-high 60 yards, caught seven passes for 37 yards (35 yards-after-catch) and also completed a critical pass to set up Dayton's final TD that put the game away.

UD is now 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Pioneer Football League. The Flyers have clinched their  44th winning season in the last 47 campaigns.   Valparaiso falls to 3-7 and 1-5 in the PFL.

GAME RECAP
1st Quarter – Valparaiso 7, Dayton 0
•    The day started inauspiciously for Flyers.
•    After UD was held to a three-and-out, a blocked punt gave Valpo the ball at the Dayton 38.
•    Three plays later, the Beacons had a 7-0 lead and the game was not even three minutes old.
•    Valparaiso held a 73 to 43 yard advantage in total offense.
2nd Quarter – Dayton 14, Valparaiso 7
•    After the two teams split four punts between them, UD got on the board with a five-play 71-yard drives.
•    Gavin Lochow accounted for 62 of the drive, with a 20-yard reception from Drew VanVleet and then a 42-yard TD run.
•    The game may have turned on the next possession.  The Beacons had run for 99 yards on 19 carries to this point in the game and had third-and-one at the Dayton 46.
•    UD linebacker Gideon Lampron filled the hole and stood up Valpo power back Mike Mansaray for no gain on third down, and then stopped Mansaray for a two-yard loss on fourth down.
•    The Beacons would gain just 24 more yards on the ground (on 11 carries) the rest of the game.
•    Dayton got the ball back with 3:02 left in the half and used 10 plays and almost all of the clock to cover the 52 yards and take the lead for good with nine seconds to go.
•    VanVleet hit Lochow for seven yards for the score.
•    UD outgained Valpo 126 to 20 in the second quarter.
3rd Quarter – Dayton 17, Valparaiso 7
•    The Beacons took the second-half kickoff, but the Flyer D earned another three-and-out.
•    The Dayton O proceeded to keep the ball for a season-best nine-minute-and-12 drive that ended in a 36-yard Danny Baker field goal.
4th Quarter – Dayton 26, Valparaiso 14
•    Valpo got more than a third of its day's yardage on a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that made it a 17-14 game after one play into the fourth quarter.
•    The Flyers held the ball for more than four minutes, but punted it back to the Beacons.
•    The Dayton defense forced another three-and-out, but so did Valparaiso.
•    That's when punter Logan Forcum bombed a 59-yard missile that went out of bounds at the Valpo 2-yard line.
•    Linebacker Gideon Lampron, who leads FCS football in tackles for loss, nearly had a safety on first down.  The on second down, with the back portion of the ball actually touching the goal line when the ball was snapped, the runner got his feet tangled and went down for a safety.
•    After the 75-yard TD drive, the Dayton defense held Valpo to a negative four yards the rest of the game.
•    UD then made it a two-score game with a 10-play, 55-yard, five-minute drive.  Luke Hansen scored from the one, but the key play was when Lochow took the ball and hit tight end Alec Keathley for 12 yards on third and four from the 13.
•    Down 12 points with just over a minute-and-a-half left, the Beacons were going to need a big play and then some, but it was Dayton safety Eli Kirk who made the big play, with a huge hit on the Valpo kick returner to cause a fumble that Vincent Firenze recovered at the 11 to seal the win.

BY THE NUMBERS
•    Dayton outgained Valparaiso 288 to 170, and held a 36:38 to 23:22 advantage in time of possession.
•    UD converted on 13 of 21 third downs.
•    Gavin Lochow was a stat-sheet-stuffer.  He scored on a 42-yard TD run, caught a seven-yard TD pass and fell one yard short of throwing for a touchdown.  He carried the ball 10 times for 60 yards, caught seven passes for 37 yards with 35 yards-after-catch, and completed the one pass for 12 yards.
•    Luke Hansen was the game's top rusher with 31 carries for 98 yards and a score.
•    Drew VanVleet was 15 of 21 passing for 92 yards and a touchdown.
•    Gideon Lampron led UD in total tackles (10) and solo tackles (five).
•    Three Flyers – Ca'ron Coleman, Logan Miller and Nate Hess – each had two tackles for loss.
•    Hess had the game's only sack.
•    Miller and Aiden McKinley each broke up a pass.
•    Logan Forcum punted the ball five times for a 48,2 yard average, with two inside the 20 including a 59-yarder that went out at the two-yard line.

UP NEXT
•    Dayton will finish the regular season on the road, making its first trip Minneapolis to play St. Thomas.
•    Game time is 2 p.m. ET.