Saturday, October 4
Morehead, Ky.
1:00 p.m.
Davidson College
13
at
26
Morehead State
Morehead State Downs Davidson Football 26-13
10/4/2008 3:43:58 PM | Football
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Evan Sawyer threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns, and Mason Webb kicked four field goals to lead Morehead State to a 26-13 Pioneer Football League victory over Davidson Saturday afternoon at Jayne Stadium.
Ryan Alexander led Davidson (2-2, 1-1 PFL) with 253 yards and two TDs through the air, and Kirk Konert caught six passes for 81 yards. Mark Hanabury had five receptions for 51 yards, and Myles Potter posted five receptions for 45 yards.
The Wildcats dug themselves too deep of a hole in the first half as costly turnovers and special teams play gave Morehead State (2-2, 1-0 PFL) great field position for a majority of the frame. The Eagles' offense started drives in Davidson territory on six of eight possessions and scored points on five.
The backbreaker came right before halftime. Having got the ball back with 2:31 left in the stanza and trailing 16-7, Davidson was working the ball down the field, using a hurry-up offense. But on 1st-and-10 from the Eagles' 38, David Hyland picked off an Alexander pass with 37 seconds left.
Morehead State looked like it was going to run out of time to put points on the board until Sawyer hooked up with Brendan McLaughlin for a 30-yard touchdown pass as time expired. That made the Eagles' lead 23-7 at the break.
"Our defense battled today," said Davidson coach Tripp Merritt. "We put them in some pretty tough situations with their backs against the wall, but they came up big in terms of holding them to field goals and coming up with some turnovers."
After the teams traded turnovers on their opening possessions of the second half, Davidson's John Behm recovered a fumble at the Eagles' 45-yard line. On the next play, Alexander found Konert in the middle of the field for a 29-yard pickup on a fleaflicker, taking the ball to the Morehead State 16.
On first and goal from 4-yard line, Alexander rolled left, had nowhere to go, turned back right to string the play out and hit Kirk Benedict in the back on the end zone for a touchdown. The 'Cats went for two, but Alexander's pass fell incomplete, and Davidson trailed 23-13.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the 'Cats drove down to the Morehead State 35-yard line, but on 4th-and-3 Potter was stopped a yard short of the marker. The Eagles took over on downs and went 60 yards, in six plays, all on the ground, for a fourth Webb field goal and a 26-13 cushion with 5:17 remaining.
"I thought we moved the ball pretty well within the 20-yard lines and then got in the Red Zone and had miscues," said Merritt. "It's frustrating because we know our offense is better than this. We have to finish plays and finish drives."
The Eagles converted a 3rd-and-14 from the Davidson 40-yard line with a 24-yard pass from Sawyer to Pendleton on their first possession of the game. The Wildcat defense dug in, and Daniel Astrop made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd-and-goal from the two, forcing Morehead State to settle for a Webb field goal.
Morehead State got the ball back at the Davidson 43-yard line, when Wes McDermott recovered an Alexander fumble after the quarterback was sacked on 3rd-and-long. Sawyer found Drew Morgan on a screen pass late in the first quarter, and Morgan took it 28 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 Morehead State lead.
The Eagles forced a Davidson punt on the Wildcats' next series, but J.D. Cecil came off the edge and tackled punter Kirk Konert at his own 24-yard line before the senior could get the kick off. The Wildcat defense came up big again and forced a 31-yard Webb field goal to make the score 13-0.
The Davidson offense got going on its first possession of the second quarter and drove 70 yards in eight plays for a score. Alexander hit Kenny Mantuo with a 28-yard screen pass to make the margin 13-7.
Forced to punt from his own end zone midway through the second quarter, Konert got it off but hit a roller off the side of his foot that went out of bounds at the Davidson 24. Morehead State drove down to the Davidson 2 on the strength of an 18-yard pass from Sawyer to Nick Feldman. The Wildcats' defense got three straight stops from there, forcing Webb's third field goal and a 16-7 margin.
The Wildcats travel to conference opponent Valparaiso next Saturday.
Game Notes: Alexander has thrown for 200 or more yards in every game this season… Davidson is now 1-5 against the Eagles on the road… The Wildcats have had the lead at halftime just once this season… Davidson lost the turnover margin for the second game; both have been losses… Webb's four field goals tied the Morehead State record.
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