2017 San Diego Toreros football team

The 2017 San Diego Toreros football team represented the University of San Diego during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Dale Lindsey and played their home games at Torero Stadium. They were a member of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 10–3, 8–0 in PFL play to be crowned Pioneer Football League champions.[1] They received the PFL's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Northern Arizona in the first round[2] before losing the North Dakota State in the second round for the second consecutive year.[3][4]

2017 San Diego Toreros football
Pioneer Football League champion
FCS Playoffs Second Round, L 3–38 vs. North Dakota State
Conference	Pioneer Football League
2017 record	10–3 (8–0 PFL)
Head coach	Dale Lindsey (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tanner Engstrand (11th season)
Defensive coordinator	Steve Irvin (7th season)
Home stadium	Torero Stadium (Capacity: 5,792)

2017 Pioneer Football League standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 23 San Diego $^		8	–	0					10	–	3
Drake		6	–	2					7	–	4
Jacksonville		5	–	3					7	–	4
Campbell		5	–	3					6	–	5
Valparaiso		5	–	3					6	–	5
Butler		4	–	4					6	–	5
Dayton		4	–	4					5	–	6
Marist		3	–	5					4	–	7
Morehead State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Stetson		1	–	7					2	–	9
Davidson		0	–	8					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Previous season

The Toreros finished the 2016 season 10–2, 8–0 in PFL play to win the PFL championship. They earned the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they defeated Cal Poly in the first round to mark the school's and the PFL's first-ever playoff victory.[5][6] In the second round, they lost to defending national champion North Dakota State.[7]

Preseason

In a poll of league coaches, San Diego was picked to win the Pioneer League for the seventh consecutive year.[8][9]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	2:00 p.m.	Western New Mexico*	Torero Stadium San Diego, CA	TheW.tv via STADIUM	W 34–20	2,247
September 9	6:00 p.m.	at UC Davis*	Aggie Stadium Davis, CA	Pluto TV	L 7–35	6,588
September 16	9:00 a.m.	at Princeton*	Princeton Stadium Princeton, NJ	ELVN	L 17–27	10,421
September 23	2:00 p.m.	Butler	Torero Stadium San Diego, CA	TheW.tv via STADIUM	W 38–17	1,701
September 30	9:00 a.m.	at Dayton	Welcome Stadium Dayton, OH		W 23–7	3,032
October 14	2:00 p.m.	Morehead State	Torero Stadium San Diego, CA	TheW.tv via STADIUM	W 56–27	3,062
October 21	9:00 a.m.	at Jacksonville	D. B. Milne Field Jacksonville, FL	ESPN3	W 63–10	1,748
October 28	10:00 a.m.	at Stetson	Spec Martin Stadium DeLand, FL	ESPN3	W 48–7	1,520
November 4	2:00 p.m.	Drake	Torero Stadium San Diego, CA	TheW.tv via STADIUM	W 45–15	1,582
November 11	9:30 a.m.	at Davidson	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC		W 63–7	2,705
November 18	2:00 p.m.	Marist	Torero Stadium San Diego, CA	TheW.tv via STADIUM	W 35–7	2,119
November 25	5:00 p.m.	at No. 25 Northern Arizona*	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ (FCS Playoffs First Round)	ESPN3	W 41–10	4,068
December 2	5:00 p.m.	at No. 4 North Dakota State*	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Second Round)	ESPN3	L 3–38	18,067
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS FCS Poll released prior to game Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

• Source: Schedule

Game summaries

Western New Mexico

	1	2	3	4	Total
Mustangs	13	0	0	7	20
Toreros	10	7	10	7	34

at UC Davis

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	7	0	0	0	7
Aggies	7	7	7	14	35

at Princeton

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	0	10	0	7	17
Tigers	6	8	6	7	27

Butler

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	7	3	0	17
Toreros	10	21	0	7	38

at Dayton

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	14	7	2	0	23
Flyers	0	7	0	0	7

Morehead State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	6	14	27
Toreros	28	21	7	0	56

at Jacksonville

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	14	21	14	14	63
Dolphins	0	0	3	7	10

at Stetson

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	7	17	21	3	48
Hatters	7	0	0	0	7

Drake

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	0	0	8	15
Toreros	7	10	7	21	45

at Davidson

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	14	21	14	14	63
Wildcats	0	0	7	0	7

Marist

	1	2	3	4	Total
Red Foxes	7	0	0	0	7
Toreros	14	7	7	7	35

FCS Playoffs

at Northern Arizona–First Round

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	10	14	10	7	41
No. 25 Lumberjacks	0	10	0	0	10

at North Dakota State–Second Round

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	0	0	0	3	3
No. 4 Bison	14	3	21	0	38

References

1. "San Diego just not that good, other teams deserving of playoff berth". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
2. "San Diego vs. Northern Arizona - Game Recap - November 25, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
3. Norcross, Don. "Toreros fall in FCS playoffs to North Dakota State". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
4. "North Dakota State rolls past San Diego again, 38-3". WTOP. 2017-12-02. Archived from the original on 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
5. Norcross, Don. "USD upsets Cal Poly for first-ever football playoff victory". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
6. "San Diego vs. Cal Poly - Game Recap - November 26, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
7. "San Diego vs. North Dakota State - Game Recap - December 3, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
8. "Defending Champion San Diego edges Dayton in PFL Preseason Coaches' Poll". Pioneer-Football.org. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
9. Loh, Stefanie. "USD picked to win the Pioneer Football League". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.