Davidson Opens PFL Play Saturday at Morehead State

Davidson Wildcats (0-3, 0-0 PFL) at Morehead State Eagles (0-4, 0-1 PFL)

Date: Sept. 28 - 1 p.m.

Site: Jayne Stadium (10,000 capacity) - Morehead, Ky.

Audio: Mark Plemmons calls the action on the Davidson Radio Network (WHIP 1350 AM, Mi-Connection Ch. 4 -TV, online at DavidsonWildcats.com and mobile with the TuneIn Radio App Android | iTunes)

Video: OVCDigital Network.com

Web sites: Davidson (DavidsonWildcats.com), Johnson C. Smith (GoldenBullSports.com)

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Saturday's Game
• The 1 p.m., Saturday afternoon contest is the Pioneer Football League opener for Davidson. Morehead State (0-4) and Davidson (0-3) both went winless in non-conference action and are guided by first-year head coaches. MSU lost its PFL opener at Jacksonville, 69-19 on Sept. 14.
• It will be the fourth game as Davidson head coach for Paul Nichols '03, who was named to the position on Dec. 21, 2012. Nichols quarterbacked Davidson to its first and only undefeated season in 2000, as a sophomore (10-0). Rob Tenyer is in his first season MSU's head coach after serving as an assistant for the Eagles 12 seasons.
• Senior QB Jonathan Carkhuff has surpassed many of Nichols' records, as he now ranks as Davidson's all-time leader in completions (929), attempts (1516) and passing yards (9526) and completion percentage (61.3%).
• For the sixth year in a row, college football coaches nationwide will join together in support of the Coach To Cure MD program, which will be held during games today. Head coach Paul Nichols and the rest of the Davidson football coaching staff are wearing Coach To Cure MD logo patches on the sidelines in support of the cause.
• The rapidly growing annual effort has raised more than a million dollars to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
• Football fans can donate to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill).
• Davidson's two wins last season came on the road and the Wildcats were 2-6 in conference games.
• A Davidson win would end a four-game overall losing streak dating back to last season.
• Morehead State was 4-7 overall and 3-5 in PFL play last season.
• The 'Cats were picked ninth in the PFL preseason poll while Morehead State was picked seventh.
• Steve Harvey, the Marshall football team chaplain, is serving as an honorary captain for Davidson.

Series Record
• The Eagles lead the all-time series, which began in 1999, 8-6.
• Before suffering a 49-14 defeat last season, Davidson had won the previous three games in the series, each by a touchdown or less. The 'Cats are 2-2 in their last four trips to Morehead, Ky.
• In last season's meeting, Rees Macshara led Morehead State with 126 yards on 23 carries and two rushing touchdowns., while Blake Stanley added 78 rushing yards on 15 carries, as well as two touchdowns on the ground. Zack Lewis completed 20-of-30 attempts for 267 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, while Donte Sawyer was his top target with nine catches for 128 yards.
• Carkhuff completed 22-of-41 attempts for 177 yards for Davidson and was intercepted three times. He became Davidson's all-time completions leader though with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Lanny Funsten on the 'Cats' second drive of the game to tie it at 7-7.
• Davidson's Bryant Bednarek led all defenders with a career-high 15 tackles.
• Morehead State struck first, as Macshara broke through the line to rush 15 yards for a touchdown on the Eagles' first drive of the game, and then after Davidson tied it. Cyrus Strahm returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown to put the Eagles back ahead, 14-7, with 8:31 remaining in the first quarter.
• MSU was then able to build a 28-7 lead at halftime en route to the victory.

Last Time Out
• Carkhuff threw for a school record 459 yards, but Johnson C. Smith used big plays and a relentless pass rush to defeat the Wildcats, 35-22.
• Davidson was the first to score, but Johnson C. Smith scored the next four touchdowns to take control of the game. The Golden Bulls countered Carkhuff's prolific passing by sacking him 14 times for 100 yards. Additionally, the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs twice in the red zone and were penalized 11 times for 120 yards.
• Carkhuff completed 25 of 38 passing attempts for 459 yards and two touchdowns, becoming Davidson's career passing leader with 9,526 yards. He also moved past current head coach and 2003 graduate Paul Nichols into second place on Davidson's career touchdown list with his 51st and 52nd touchdown passes. Also enjoying career days were William Morris, who caught seven passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, Garrett Diehl, who caught five passes for a career high 79 yards, and A.J. Pignone who had career highs rushing for 108 yards and his first career rushing touchdown, as well as catching three passes for 66 yards and his first career receiving touchdown.
• The game started off slow as both teams punted on their first three drives, before the Wildcats drove 90 yards on seven plays to score first late in the first quarter. A 21-yard run by Pignone and a 51-yard reception by Garrett Diehl keyed the drive, and then Pignone rushed into the end zone from 11 yards out with 2:31 remaining. A rush on the point-after attempt by Trey Huelskamp gave the 'Cats two points for an early 8-0 lead.
• The Golden Bulls answered on their next possession though with a 36-yard touchdown to make it an 8-7 game. Davidson reached the JCSU five on its next drive, but Carkhuff was sacked on third down for a loss of nine and failed convert on 4th-and-goal from the 14. JCSU drove down the field from there and QB Keahn Wallace capped a 12-play, 86-yard drive with a leap over the linemen from inside the one with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter. He then connected with Avius Capers on JCSU's next possession on a 35-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline for a 21-8 halftime lead.
• JCSU scored again early in the third quarter before the 'Cats finally cut into the 28-8 deficit with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Morris and another successful two-point conversion with 13:32 remaining in the game. However, JCSU answered with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Patterson. Pignone scored on a 61-yard touchdown reception with 1:19 remaining for the final margin.

Leftovers from JCSU
• Carkhuff's previous career high for passing yards in a game was 427, which came against Johnson C. Smith in 2011.
• The previous single-game passing yards record was 431, set by Damion White vs. Coastal Carolina on September 4, 2011. The previous career passing yards leader was Ryan Alexander '09, who threw for 9,376 yards.

Morris Garners Weekly Honor
• Sophomore William Morris was named an FCS Honorable Mention Wide Receiver Performer of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards, it was announced Monday.
• Morris enjoyed a career day in Davidson's loss to Johnson C. Smith Saturday, catching seven passes for 188 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown reception. This is Morris' first CFPA honor, and he was one of 11 FCS receivers to be recognized for the week. The Dallas, Texas native has already surpassed his season totals from his freshman season and is leading the Pioneer Football League with 332 receiving yards on 16 catches.
• Recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.
• Morris is the second Wildcat to be honored this season, as tight end Reese Williams was honored last week.

Jonathan Carkhuff Rewrites the Record Books
• Quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff has 34 career starts and Davidson owns a 9-25 record when he starts.
• He is working in his third offensive system in four years.
• Carkhuff is Davidson's career leader in passing yards (9,526), attempts (1516), completions (929) and completion percentage (61.3%).
• To equal the career record of 72 TD passes set by Ryan Alexander '09 by the end of the regualr season, Carkhuff will need to average 2.5 TD passes per game for the rest of the season. He presently has 52 to rank second all-time.
• Carkhuff holds the single-game records for most passing yards (459), most completions (41), completion percentage (78.7%) and longest touchdown pass (99).
• He also holds the season records for most completions (348), passing attempts (556), passing yards (3326) and completion percentage (62.6%).
• Of the 17 350+ passing yard games in Davidson histroy, Carkhuff has eight.

Converts
• Davidson features several players in drastically different roles on the field.
• A.J. Pignone and Robert Klein have both moved from the defensive side of the ball to running back. Pignone was a starting outside linebacker and had his first 100-yard rushing game last week at Johnson C. Smith. Klein had previously been a defensive back.
• Chris Gorman was Davidson's starting running back until an injury ended his season in just the fourth game last season. Unable to continue his football career at running back, he has taken over the Wildcats' kicking duties.
• Freshman QB John Cook had no idea he would be called upon to punt at Davidson, but he has seen the majority of long snaps on fourth down and posted a career long punt of 57 yards at Johnson C. Smith. Senior wide receiver Jeff McDaniels also assists with the punting duties. The tandem, along with the punt coverage team, ranks sixth in the PFL with a net punt average of 35.3.

Just One Agenda
• From team gear to posters to Twitter, the motto "Just One Agenda" (JOA) can be found throughout the Davidson football program. The agenda is, of course, to win, but to win not only on the field, but in the classroom, community and socially, as well.

Return to the Run
• Nichols and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur have promised a much more balacned attack. Davidson employed an "air raid" scheme the past two seasons.
• In the first game of the season at Georgetown, Davidson ran 31 run plays to 42 pass plays.
• A.J. Pignone ran for over 100 yards vs. Johnson C. Smith. It was the first time Davidson had an individual 100-yard rusher in nine games.

More Marbles on the Table
• Davidson will be competing for an automatic bid to the Division I Football Championship in 2013, as the Pioneer Football League earned an automatic berth as a result of the NCAA tournament's expansion to 24 teams.
• The PFL will join 10 conferences currently awarded an automatic bid. The PFL champion will be placed into the 24-team bracket by the NCAA Football Championship selection committee along with 13 at-large qualifiers. The committee will select its eight national seeds which will receive first-round byes. The remaining 16 teams will then be placed in the bracket with an emphasis on geographical proximity.

New Additions to the PFL
• Mercer University and Stetson University begin in the PFL with the 2013 season, bringing the league's membership to 12 teams.
• Davidson will host Mercer Nov. 2 and travel to Stetson Nov. 9.
• Mercer, located in Macon, Ga., had not competed in football since 1941.
• Stetson, located in DeLand, Fla., will return to the football gridiron for the first time in 57 years.
• Mercer plans on adding scholarships for the 2014 season and will depart the league.
• The PFL is a truly national conference with members on each coast and throughout the nation's heartland. The league still retains four of its charter members (1991) – Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University and Valparaiso University, plus the University of San Diego (joining in 1992) – which were joined in 2001 by Davidson College, Jacksonville University and Morehead State University. Campbell University joined the PFL in 2008, its first season of intercollegiate football. Marist College, which joined prior to the 2009 season, further extended the league's footprint into the northeast.

Preseason Honors
• TE Reese Williams was named to to Phil Steele's All-Pioneer first team and also elected to the preseason All-PFL team by the league's coaches. Both he and QB Jonathan Carkhuff were named to the 2013 College Football Performance Awards Watch List at their respective positions.

Honor Committee
• Another change in leadership for this year's squad is amongst the players themselves. Instead of team captains that were typically juniors and seniors, Nichols has instituted an "honor committee" comprised of two representatives from each class (three for the freshmen as there was a tie in voting).
• Reese Williams and Dan Casey represent the senior class, AJ Pignone and Trey Huelskamp represent the juniors, Chris Woods and David Rogers represent the sophomores, and Dustin Atchley, Nate Casey and Ryan Leak represent the freshmen.
• The committee is tasked with handling discipline issues, representing the team in the community and serving as liaisons to the coaching staff to deal with issues ranging from team meals to equipment.
• Team captains will be selected on a per game basis based on leadership and performance, and a captain of the offense, defense and special teams will be voted on at the end of the season based on leadership demonstrated.

2013 Game Captains
• Week 1: Jonathan Carkhuff, Ben Prater, Chris Gorman, Tom Abernethy; Mike Sheridan '79
• Week 2: Reese Williams, Colin Merrill, James Gessner and Caleb Krause; John Giles '68
• Week 3: Matt Casey, Martell Campbell, John Cook, William Morris; Mills Ariail '94

Everywhere a Wildcat
• Given that there are roughly 950 males at the school, that means one of every 10 male students at Davidson plays football.
• A total of 28 freshman are on the roster, making them the largest class on the team. The roster totals 82 active players (16 seniors, 16 juniors, 22 sophomores). An additional six are serving as assistants.
• The roster has a local flavor with 19 players hailing from North Carolina (but just three from South Carolina - brothers Dan and Nate Casey and James Brumbaugh). Georgia (12), Ohio (9), Texas (9) and Virginia (9) are the next most represented.
• DB Aidan Scrivens hails from England and joined the team as a walk-on during the spring of 2012.

Overtime Fortunes Improve
• With its 26-20 loss to Campbell Oct. 29, 2011, Davidson had lost its last four games that went into overtime, but an OT win at Valpo last season snapped the steak. The Wildcats are now 4-5 when playing beyond 60 minutes.
• Here's a list of Davidson overtime games:
11/10/12, at Valparaiso, W 28-27 (OT)
10/29/11, vs. Campbell, L 26-20 (3 OT)
10/11/08, at Valparaiso, L 35-29 (OT)
9/9/06, vs. Wingate, L 22-16 (OT)
11/6/04, at Austin Peay, L 20-17 (2 OT)
10/20/01, at Randolph-Macon, W 27-24 (OT)
10/7/00, at Morehead St., W 38-31 (2 OT)
9/19/98, at Sewanee, W 16-9 (OT)
11/15/97, vs. Bridgewater, L 13-10 (OT)

One-Point Wins
• With its 28-27 OT victory at Valpo last year, Davidson improved its all-time record in one-point games to 20-18.
• The Wildcats have won five of their last six games decided by one point.

Live Video and Audio
• Davidson will provide live video and audio streams on its website, DavidsonWildcats.com, for all six home games this season.
• All 11 games can be heard online at DavidsonWildcats.com.
• Fans can hear the Davidson Radio Network on their mobile device by downloading the TuneIn Radio App. Once the App is open, type WHIP NC or WHIP Mooresville in the top search bar, and a link to WHIP will pop up. Click on the link to listen to Davidson football and men's basketball.

Social Media
• Fans can connect directly with the Davidson Football staff on Facebook (facebook.com/DavidsonFootball) and Twitter (@DCFootball_Cats)
• Head coach Paul Nichols is on Twitter and can be found at @coach_nichols

Davidson Football Coach's Show
• Play-by-play man Mark Plemmons is hosting the Davidson Football Coach's Show every Monday. Plemmons will discuss with Coach Nichols the week that was and the week ahead to give fans an inside scoop on the Wildcats.

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