Saturday, October 30
Davidson, N.C.
1:00 pm
Davidson College
vs
Dayton
Justin Williams is the PFL's career leader in kick return yardage with 2,536 yards.
Wildcat Football Hosts First-Place Dayton Saturday
10/27/2010 10:20:08 AM | Football
Davidson Wildcats (2-5, 2-3 PFL) vs. Dayton Flyers (7-1, 5-0 PFL)
Oct. 30, 2010 - Davidson, N.C.
Smith Field at Richardson Stadium (5,000) - 1 p.m. - Natural Grass
Oct. 30, 2010 - Davidson, N.C.
Smith Field at Richardson Stadium (5,000) - 1 p.m. - Natural Grass
Today's Game
• Davidson returns home to face PFL opponent Dayton.
• Davidson is 11-10 in Richardson Stadium in its last 21 contests. The 'Cats have suffered five straight losses at home, dating back to last season.
• The Wildcats own a 13-11 all-time mark in conference games at Richardson Stadium.
• Davidson is 17-18 in its last 35 PFL contests and owns a 23-26 all-time PFL?record.
• The 'Cats are coming off a 42-10 setback at Drake last Saturday.
• Dayton has won six straight games and is coming off a 41-23 home victory over Campbell.
• Davidson was picked seventh in the Pioneer Football League, while, Dayton, which is currently tied for first place, was picked to win the league and garnered four first-place votes.
Series Record
• Davidson trails the all-time series, which began in 1989, 7-1.
• The 'Cats posted their only victory over Dayton in 2006, 37-36 at home.
• The Dayton defense kept Davidson off the scoreboard, and the Flyers scored 10 points off Davidson miscues to earn a 17-0 win at home last season.
• 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.
• Michael Blanchard rushed for 63 yards and threw for 78 to lead Davidson, 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.
Record Breakers
• With 2,536 career yards, senior Justin Williams has set a new Pioneer Football League mark for career kick return yardage. Williams came into the season as Davidson's all-time leader in kick return yards.
• He recorded 57 yards at Drake last Saturday to pass Justin Campbell (Butler, 2001-04) who posted 2,512 yards.
• Freshman Jonathan Carkhuff broke a 37-year-old record with 41 completions at Drake Oct. 23. He was 41-of-56 for 306 yards. He passed Dave Harper, who posted 37 completions against William & Mary in 1973.
• Carkhuff is the first Wildcat to pass for 300-plus yards since Ryan Alexander threw for 364 against Dayton in 2008.
Scouting the Flyers
• Quarterback Steve Valentino leads the Flyer offense. He has thrown for 1,569 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed 102 times for 502 yards and five scores.
• Taylor Harris has nine rushing TDs and 202 yards. Valentino's favorite target is Justin Watkins, who has 597 receiving yards and averages 15.9 a catch.
• The Flyers lead the league in sacks with 25 and have allowed only seven.
• James Vercammen leads the team in tackles with 74 and has 12 stops behind the line. Devon Langhorst has eight sacks and 53 tackles.
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