Dayton football just stayed absolutely undefeated this season, but man, did they make it interesting, clinging to a wild 17-14 victory at Eastern Kentucky after the Colonels choked on a potential game-tying field goal with just nine seconds left on the clock. The Flyers went into Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond, Kentucky, and pulled out a win that had them on the ropes right until the final whistle. This 3-0 start is looking spicy, but they gotta clean up those late-game jitters if they want to keep that perfect record.
Flyers Build a Lead, But the Drama Was Real
The first quarter was a total grind, zero points from either side. But then, Dayton broke through right before halftime when Bryce Schondelmyer connected with Michael Mussari in the corner of the end zone for a sweet four-yard touchdown. That put the Flyers up 7-0 heading into the locker room. Coming out of halftime, Schondelmyer wasn’t messing around, launching a 36-yard bomb to Mussari that got them all the way down to EKU’s one-yard line. Luke Hansen then punched it in two plays later, and suddenly, Dayton was sitting pretty with a 14-0 lead after three quarters. The defense was doing its job too, racking up two sacks and recovering two fumbles. Hansen was an absolute workhorse, finishing with 110 rushing yards and that crucial touchdown, while Mussari snagged seven catches for 87 yards and his own score. They looked unstoppable for a bit.
Eastern Kentucky Fights Back, Dayton Almost Crumbles
Then the fourth quarter hit, and EKU decided they weren’t going down without a fight. They scored a touchdown early, cutting the lead to 14-7. Dayton tried to slam the door shut when Hansen busted out a monster 50-yard run, setting up David Mauer for a 23-yard field goal that pushed the lead back to 17-7. You’d think that would be enough, right? Nope. EKU answered right back with another touchdown, making it a terrifying 17-14 game with 8:18 remaining. The Colonels’ defense started making plays, stopping Dayton on fourth down with 4:52 left. Parker Chaney then laid a hit on Jordyn Potts, knocking the ball loose, and Jace Schaefer was right there to recover the fumble. That’s big-time hustle right there. EKU got another crucial fourth-down stop with 2:32 left, driving deep into Dayton territory.
The Miss Heard ‘Round Richmond
Eastern Kentucky marched all the way down to Dayton’s five-yard line. The stadium was absolutely buzzing. This was it: a 22-yard field goal for the tie, with just one second remaining on the clock. The game was on Buzz Flabiano’s foot. He lined it up, the snap was good, the hold was good… and he missed it! The kick sailed wide, giving Dayton the heart-stopping 17-14 victory as the clock hit zeroes. Can you believe it? A 22-yarder to tie the game, and it just didn’t happen. That’s gonna sting in Richmond for a while.
Dayton’s earned their second bye week of the season after that nail-biter. They get to chill for a bit before kicking off Pioneer Football League play on October 3rd at Drake. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and you can catch all the action on WHIO Radio. Let’s see if they can keep that undefeated streak alive as conference play heats up!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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