PFL Champion Toreros to Face Northern Arizona in FCS Playoff Game Nov. 25

Winning is habit-forming and so is a routine. The University of San Diego football program know both very well. For the third time in four years, the Toreros are doing just that: as a result of capturing the Pioneer Football League title again, the team is busy preparing to play a post-Thanksgiving Day NCAA postseason game.

On Sunday morning, players, coaches, families and employees gathered in the Jenny Craig Pavilion's Warren Hospitality Suite to see ESPNU unveil the NCAA Division I FCS playoff bracket. San Diego, undefeated winners of the PFL championship, learned they'll open the postseason in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Nov. 25 in a 5 p.m. game at Northern Arizona University.

The winner of this first-round game then plays at No. 2 seeded North Dakota State, one of eight teams to receive a first-round bye, on Dec. 2.

"We're excited for the opportunity," USD defensive lineman Jonathan Petersen said of returning to the postseason after defeating Cal Poly and playing NDSU last year. "Last year I think we turned a lot of heads (in the playoffs) and this year it's been all about building on that momentum."

The Toreros have certainly built a reputation as one of the nation's best nonscholarship FCS programs. On Saturday, the team defeated New York's Marist College to complete its second undefeated PFL season and fourth league title win in a row. Last year, USD's 35-21 win over Cal Poly SLO in a first-round FCS playoff game was the first by a PFL team.

Bill McGillis, USD's Executive Director of Athletics for almost a year, is quite pleased with the football program's success.

"It's going to be fun to experience my first playoff game with Coach Lindsey and this football team. They've had a remarkable season and I don't think they're done yet. I think Flagstaff is a great destination for us and our parents and fans can get to it. I think we have a confident football team and it's a special achievement we should not take for granted. There aren't a lot of college football teams experiencing a level of success, consistently, that we are. It's very exciting for me, in year one, to be part of it."

Exciting, yes. But less than 24 hours after completing an 8-0 PFL run, the joy of the championship win turned to the focus on the task ahead. When San Diego's name was announced on the big screen, there was a brief celebratory eruption by players and team supporters, but the room soon emptied and coaches went back to their offices to begin preparations for Northern Arizona.

San Diego is playing its fourth playoff game since 2014 — USD lost 52-14 to Montana in the first round in 2014 and then beat Cal Poly and lost 45-7 to North Dakota State in 2016 — while Northern Arizona is in the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Lumberjacks have a 1-5 record in NCAA I-AA/FCS playoff appearances in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003 (1-1) and 2013.

"Being in the playoffs is totally different than the regular season. It's a different atmosphere," Petersen said. "I don't see us as underdogs. We're going to be ready to get after it."

The Lumberjacks enter the playoffs this season with a record of 7-4 overall, 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference under 20-year Head Coach Jerome Souers. One note is that USD and Northern Arizona have one common opponent this season, UC Davis. The host Aggies defeated USD 35-7 in September while the Lumberjacks defeated the Big Sky Conference foe 49-35 at NAU's J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome last month.

Petersen said the UC Davis loss and a 27-17 defeat at Princeton at the start of the year, USD's only blemishes on the team's record, were tough ones, but they have contributed to get the team where it is now.

"We had some really tough nonconference games at start of the season that shook us awake," Petersen explained. "We had new guys in some new roles and we were still gelling as a team. While the outcomes at UC Davis and Princeton, weren't necessarily what we wanted, I think we got a lot from those games. The new guys thrust into their starting roles bounced back really well these last eight games in league. I think that'll continue on through the playoffs."

San Diego Coach Dale Lindsey and his staff don't think too much about a September game this time of year. Lindsey, his staff and the players' sole focus will be working on the game plan.

"We have to get ourselves ready," Lindsey said. "We can't worry about Northern Arizona or the game. We have to be prepared to play."

— Ryan T. Blystone

Ticket Information for game at NAU: Tickets in the visitors section (208) are priced at $25 per ticket. Premium Seating (Section 212, 214, 216) are available for $30 per ticket, and General Admission available for $20 for adults, $15 for Seniors, and $10 for Youth. To purchase tickets Click here for tickets or call 928-523-5661.

Top photo courtesy of Brock Scott Photography (Scottphoto.net)