First place in the Pioneer Football League will be on the line as the Dayton Flyers play host to the Butler Bulldogs at Welcome Stadium.

Butler comes in with an unblemished 8-0 record (5-0 PFL), one better than the 7-1 Flyers (5-0 PFL). Butler is off to its best start since 1961 and looking to beat the Flyers for the first time since 2006. The Flyers defeated the Bulldogs 28-21 last year in overtime at the Butler Bowl in Indianapolis.

This Saturday at 1 p.m. Dayton will look to extend its seven game winning streak to eight with the help of not just the arm, but also the legs, of senior quarterback Steve Valentino. Valentino was named PFL Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week (his third of the season).

"It's a great honor and always nice to get that kind of recognition from the league," Valentino said when asked about the award. "It just means that we must be winning football games."

Valentino and the Flyers are coming off of a 21-14 home win over the San Diego Toreros last Saturday. Valentino accounted for 292 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. The senior captain now sits second in the PFL in total offense per game (255.6), third in rushing (72.5), and second in Touchdowns (9).

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Huck of Butler plays a similar style of football to Valentino as he leads the Bulldogs in passing and is second on the team in rushing at just under 50 yards per game. Huck leads a high-powered Butler offense that has scored over 40 points three times through its first eight games. Huck will be looking for his favorite target, fellow sophomore, wide receiver Zach Watkins, who leads the team in receptions with 53 for 663 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.

However, the Flyers have a Watkins of their own in senior wide receiver Justin Watkins who has developed into Valentino's favorite target, as well as a leader on offense. Watkins leads Dayton in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns, just like Zach Watkins of Butler. Watkins, along with Valentino, sees this game as "the next step in reaching our goal of winning the PFL title."

Butler is coming off of a 14-7 home win against the Davidson Wildcats on Halloween. Huck passed for 136 yards and ran for another 81, scoring the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run, capping a 98-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs' leading rusher, junior running back Scott Gray also ran for 117 yards, as the Bulldog offense rolled up over 400 yards of total offense.

Something will have to give in this matchup of PFL powers with the best offense in the league taking on the best defense. Butler leads the league in scoring offense (30.8 points/game) and total offense (400.9 yards/game), while the UD leads the league in scoring defense and total defense, allowing 12.1 points and 223 total yards per contest. The Flyers defense will look to keep the Bulldog offense off the field as much as possible as they have done to all their opponents this year, as they lead the PFL in time of possession.

When asked what the key is to a good performance on Saturdays, Valentino had one word: "Preparation." Coach Rick Chamberlin has stressed preparation all year.

"We will not prepare any different for this game than we have for any other. We try not to get to high or too low," Chamberlin said of his team's week of preparation.

Not trying to do too much and not looking past the task at hand are two important things the Flyers will have to keep in mind this week. The task at hand this week is a tall one, but if one thing is for certain, this streaking Flyers football team will be prepared for battle come Saturday afternoon.

A win Saturday would be a giant hurdle for the Flyers in their quest for a championship and would set up another clash of PFL unbeatens Saturday, Nov. 14 if the Drake Bulldogs take care of business Saturday against Campbell.