2018 Valparaiso Crusaders football team
American college football season
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The 2018 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Dave Cecchini and played their home games at Brown Field. They competed in the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 2–9, 2–6 in PFL play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place.
ConferencePioneer Football League
Record2–9 (2–6 PFL)
Headcoach
- Dave Cecchini (5th season)
OffensivecoordinatorJason Miran (5th season)
| 2018 Valparaiso Crusaders football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Pioneer Football League |
| Record | 2–9 (2–6 PFL) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Jason Miran (5th season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Ernest Moore (5th season) |
| Home stadium | Brown Field |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 San Diego $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stetson | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marist | 5 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Davidson | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | 2 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason
Preseason All-PFL team
The PFL released their preseason all-PFL team on July 30, 2018, with the Crusaders having three players selected.[1]
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Offense Tom Schofield – OL |
Defense Nick Turner – LB |
Special teams Bailey Gessinger – RET |
Preseason coaches poll
The PFL released their preseason coaches poll on July 31, 2018, with the Crusaders predicted to finish in a tie for fourth place.[2]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 8 | 11:00 a.m. | at Duquesne* | NECFR | L 21–23 | 943 | |
| September 15 | 1:00 p.m. | at Youngstown State* | ESPN+ | L 7–42 | 14,913 | |
| September 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Truman State* | ESPN3 | L 20–34 | 1,840 | |
| September 29 | 1:00 p.m. | Davidson |
| ESPN3 | L 35–40 | 4,605 |
| October 6 | 12:00 p.m. | at Dayton | Facebook Live | L 20–53 | 2,592 | |
| October 13 | 1:00 p.m. | Butler |
| ESPN+ | W 35–17 | 1,724 |
| October 20 | 1:00 p.m. | at Morehead State | ESPN+ | L 24–31 | 8,145 | |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | Drake |
| ESPN+ | L 25–42 | 1,945 |
| November 3 | 11:00 a.m. | at Marist | Red Fox Network | L 24–35 | 1,227 | |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Jacksonville |
| ESPN+ | W 48–30 | 1,150 |
| November 17 | 12:00 p.m. | at Stetson | ESPN+ | L 45–31 | 1,961 | |
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- Source: Schedule
Game summaries
At Duquesne
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| • Dukes | 7 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 23 |
- Date: September 8, 2018
- Location: Rooney Field • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game start: 12:05 pm EDT
- Elapsed time: 2:28
- Game attendance: 943
- Game weather: Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Rainy, cool • Wind: ENE 13 mph (21 km/h)[3]
- Television network: NEC Front Row
At Youngstown State
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Penguins | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
- Date: September 15, 2018
- Location: Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, Ohio
- Game start: 2:05 pm EDT
- Elapsed time: 3:13
- Game attendance: 14,913
- Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Partly cloudy • Wind: E 5–10 mph (8.0–16.1 km/h)[4]
- Referee: Andy Speciale
- Television network: ESPN+
Truman State
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bulldogs | 6 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 24 |
| Crusaders | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
- Date: September 22, 2018
- Location: Brown Field • Valparaiso, Indiana
- Game start: 1:04 pm CDT
- Elapsed time: 2:58
- Game attendance: 1,840
- Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 9 mph (14 km/h)
- Referee: Aaron Adams[5]
- TV announcers (ESPN3): Todd Ickow, Dave Huseman
Davidson
Homecoming
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Wildcats | 14 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 40 |
| Crusaders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
At Dayton
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| • Flyers | 14 | 23 | 16 | 0 | 53 |
- Date: October 6, 2018
- Location: Welcome Stadium • Dayton, Ohio
- Game start: 1:07 pm EDT
- Elapsed time: 2:38
- Game attendance: 2,592
- Referee: Grant Henderson[7]
- TV announcers (Facebook Live): Alex Mikos, Jason Phillips[8]
Butler
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| • Crusaders | 14 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
At Morehead State
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
| • Eagles | 0 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
- Date: October 20, 2018
- Location: Jayne Stadium • Morehead, Kentucky
- Game start: 1:05 pm[11] CDT
- Elapsed time: 3:15
- Game attendance: 8,145
- Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Mostly rainy
- Referee: Lamar Gresham[12]
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Chuck Mraz, Jason Blanton[13]
Drake
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bulldogs | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 42 |
| Crusaders | 3 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 25 |
At Marist
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| • Red Foxes | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
- Date: November 3, 2018
- Location: Leonidoff Field • Poughkeepsie, New York
- Game start: 12:05 pm EDT
- Elapsed time: 2:51
- Game attendance: 1,227
- Game weather: Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Weather: Mostly cloudy, windy • Wind: W 14 mph (23 km/h)
- Referee: Tom Kichline[16]
- TV announcers (Red Fox Network): Geoff Brault, Ed Weir[17]
Jacksonville
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 30 |
| • Crusaders | 14 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 48 |
At Stetson
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| • Hatters | 7 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 45 |
- Date: November 17, 2018
- Location: Spec Martin Stadium • DeLand, Florida
- Game start: 1:04 pm EST
- Elapsed time: 3:12
- Game attendance: 1,961
- Game weather: Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 7 mph (11 km/h)
- Referee: Terrance Lamar[20]
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Evan Weston, Tom James