Saturday, October 17
Dayton, Ohio
1:00 p.m.
Davidson College
0
at
17
Dayton
Peter Kidwell (15) had his first career interception.
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Dayton Shuts Out Davidson Football 17-0
10/17/2009 3:45:59 PM | Football
DAYTON, Ohio – The Dayton defense kept Davidson off the scoreboard, and the Flyers scored 10 points off Davidson miscues to earn a 17-0 Pioneer Football League victory Saturday afternoon at Welcome Stadium.
The Flyers got great field position off of a blocked punt to score their first touchdown and used a Joe Ries 17-yard interception return to set up a field goal midway through the fourth quarter. It was one of two picks on the day for Ries.
On the other side, Davidson had a 1st-and-goal on the Dayton 1-yard line and came away with no points in the first quarter, and the Wildcats missed two field goals in the contest.
“That goal-line stand was one of the bigger plays of the game,” said Davidson coach Tripp Merritt, “and the two missed field goals hurt us too. Those are huge plays in a game, and you can't make those mistakes and expect to win against a good team like Dayton.”
Steve Valentino led the Flyers (5-1, 3-0 PFL) with 145 passing yards and 77 rushing yards and a touchdown. Justin Watkins had five receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Michael Blanchard rushed for 63 yards and threw for 78 to lead Davidson (2-4, 2-2 PFL), and Jonathan Adams had three receptions for 52 yards. Matt Heavner completed eight passes for 49 yards but had two interceptions.
Trailing 14-0, Davidson had two chances to cut into the margin but turned the ball over on both occasions. The 'Cats drove down to the Dayton 40 late in the third quarter, but on 2nd-and-9, Blanchard fumbled the snap at the 43, where it was recovered by Dayton's Mike Morante.
The Wildcat defense forced a punt, giving Davidson the ball at its own 24 early in the fourth. But on 2nd-and-4, Ries picked off a Heavner pass and returned it to the Wildcat 22-yard line. The Davidson defense came up big and forced a 36-yard field goal try, which Nate Miller nailed, giving Dayton the commanding 17-0 advantage with 10:07 remaining.
The Wildcats drove down to the Flyer 24-yard line on the ensuing possession, converting two fourth downs along the way, to set up a 41-yard field goal try. Ben Behrendt's kick was long enough but tailed to the left, leaving the score 17-0 with 6:15 left.
Andrew Wohler converted one fourth down by running around the left side for 8 yards on a fake punt. Heavner hit Mark Hanabury for 4-yard gain on 4th-and-2 later in the drive.
Davidson's opening drive of the second half stalled at the Dayton 40-yard line, and the Flyers used a big play to set up a Valentino 1-yard touchdown run and a 14-0 cushion midway through the third quarter. A 44-yard pass from Valentino to Watkins keyed the 82-yard scoring drive.
In a defensive struggle, the Flyers used their special teams to gain a short field midway through the second quarter. Kevin Burns blocked a punt off the foot of Wohler, and the Flyers got the ball at the Davidson 29-yard line. Valentino hit Watkins for a touchdown pass on the next play to give Dayton a 7-0 cushion.
Davidson answered with a long drive on its next possession but one that resulted in no points. The Wildcats drove down to the Flyer 1-yard line on a 28-yard pass from Blanchard to Adams, setting up 1st-and-goal. Blanchard's pass to Adams on 3rd-and-goal fell incomplete, and Behrendt's 22-yard field goal try went wide left, leaving the halftime margin at 7-0.
The Flyers drove 68 yards down to the Davidson 12-yard line on their second possession of the game, but Peter Kidwell picked off a Valentino pass in the end zone to stop the drive.
The Wildcats return home to host PFL opponent Drake next Saturday at 1 p.m. at Richardson Stadium.
Game Notes: Kidwell's interception was the first of his career and the first of the season for Davidson… It was the second time Davidson has had a punt blocked this season… The first half was played in 54 minutes and had just one penalty, a five-yard false start on the Flyers… It was the third time Davidson has been shut out this season.
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