Saturday, September 19
Davidson, N.C.
6:00 p.m.
Davidson College
24
vs
7
Campbell
Michael Blanchard helped the 'Cats to a 24-7 victory over Campbell.
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Davidson Opens PFL Schedule with 24-7 Win Over Campbell
9/19/2009 9:47:56 PM | Football
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Junior running back Kenny Mantuo rushed 20 times for 135 yards and a touchdown to lead Davidson to a 24-7 Pioneer Football League victory over Campbell Saturday night at Richardson Stadium. It was the conference opener for both teams.
Junior quarterback Michael Blanchard ran for 91 yards and completed 9-of-17 passes for 83 yards and two scores for Davidson (1-2, 1-0 PFL), while senior receiver Andrew Aldrich caught four passes for 42 yards and a score. Junior Ben Sarver also caught his first career touchdown pass, a toe-tapper just inside the boundary line in the back of the end zone.
“Michael really had a nice second half, threw some really good balls and made some nice plays with his feet,” said Davidson coach Tripp Merritt. “We've had some of the best practices we've had all year this week, and it's nice to see it pay off with a win.”
The Wildcat defense held the Camels (1-2, 0-1 PFL), who came into the game averaging over 500 yards of total offense, to 196 yards. Davidson had seven tackles for loss, and senior defensive lineman Daniel Hauffe posted five tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss.
C.J. Oates led Campbell with 67 yards on the ground and caught three passes for 41 markers, and Daniel Polk threw for 101 yards.
The Wildcats broke a 7-7 tie on a 10-yard Mantuo touchdown run with 2:32 left in the third quarter. That score came a play after Blanchard found Aldrich for a 21-yard gain on 3rd-and-5.
The 'Cats' defense got a three-and-out, and Justin Williams returned the Campbell punt 24 yards to the Camel 44-yard line. A Blanchard 27-yard run to the Campbell 13 set up his pass to Sarver, giving Davidson a 21-7 lead with 13:27 left in the contest.
After the Wildcat defense forced a Campbell punt, Davidson chewed up 8:27 off the clock with a 16-play, 71-yard drive, capped by a Ben Behrendt 20-yard field goal that made the score 24-7 with 2:10 remaining and put the game away. Blanchard ran for 22 yards during the drive, and Mantuo rushed for 25.
After both teams struggled to move the ball in the first half and combined for 11 punts, the Davidson special teams helped spark the Wildcats in the second half.
Mark Hanabury returned the opening kickoff of the second frame 31 yards to give the 'Cats the ball at the Campbell 49-yard line. Mantuo rushed four straight times, beginning with a 26-yard scamper, to move the ball down to the Camel 8-yard line. Two plays later on 3rd-and-goal, Blanchard found Aldrich in the back of the end zone for a 7-0 Davidson lead. The touchdown broke a 10-quarter scoring drought for the 'Cats.
“We weren't really worried about it because we knew what we were doing wrong,” Blanchard said of the drought. “We didn't change anything or call different plays, we just executed better.”
“We were doing a lot of the right things, but we had to stop with some of the stupid, little penalties,” added Mantuo. “Once you get that taste, it changes your mindset. You know you can get it done instead of thinking you can get it done. It becomes fact.”
The Camels answered midway through the frame with the aid of a Christian Dixon interception, which gave Campbell the ball on their own 44-yard line. The Camels mounted an eight-play drive, capped by a Carl Smith 3-yard TD run to tie the game at 7-7.
Davidson has a week off before returning to league action by traveling to defending PFL champion Jacksonville Oct. 3 for a 1 p.m. contest.
Game Notes: Davidson is 10-5 in Richardson Stadium in its last 15 and improved to 12-7 all-time in home conference games… Blanchard's touchdown tosses were the first of his career, and his 91 rushing yards were also a career high… Merritt improved to 14-12 in PFL games… Mantuo matched his career high with 135 rushing yards.
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