Yinger sets UD rushing mark

In the process, he helps give Flyers a winning season.

Tucker Yinger rushed for 203 yards to become Dayton’s career rushing leader, and the Flyers completed a winning season with a 34-7 win at Jacksonville on Saturday.

Jacksonville lost its top two quarterbacks to injuries, and Dayton’s offense was rolling. UD never punted while piling up 447 yards of offense and finishing the season 6-5

Yinger came into the game trailing Connor Kacsor by 27 yards on the all-time rushing list at UD. He picked up 22 yards on his first carry, had a 3-yard pickup negated by penalty and broke the record with a 7-yard gain.

“It felt great,” Yinger said. “Like a weight came off my shoulders.”

Dayton took a 3-0 lead on that drive after Joe Bruni kicked a 27-yard field goal. The momentum of the game nearly flipped on Jacksonville’s next possession, as fullback Garnett Nicholson burst up the middle for a 61-yard run. He could have scored, but UD safety David Leisring ran him down from behind to make a diving tackle.

“That play was a summary of what it means to be a Dayton Flyer,” Leisring said.

Jacksonville turned the ball over on downs, and the Flyers reeled off 17 straight points to close out the half and added to that lead with a Yinger touchdown run and a TD pass from Jack Cook to Adam Troutmann.

Jacksonville’s only score came in the closing minutes. For the Dayton seniors, the win brought vindication for a disappointing 5-6 season last year.

“After the Drake loss, we had a seniors meeting,” said captain Nick Surges of the game that dropped the Flyers to 3-5. “We had three games left and needed three wins. We focused on what was in front of us.”

Coach Rick Chamberlin was proud with the way his team ended the year.

“A lot of teams would have folded. We played with pride every week,” he said.

Yinger finished his Flyers career with 3,757 yards, eclipsing Kacsor’s mark of 3,581. Yinger had been a teammate of Kacsor.

“It means a lot because I looked up to him,” Yinger said.