WEEK 11: 'Cats Wrap Up Road Stretch Saturday at Morehead State

GAME 10 | NOV. 11, 2023 | 1:00 PM | JAYNE STADIUM (6,000) | MOREHEAD, KY.

[RV] DAVIDSON WILDCATS
2023 Record: 7-2 (6-0 PFL)
2022 Record: 8-4 (6-2 PFL)
Head Coach: Scott Abell
Davidson Record: 41-21, 6th year
Career Record: 80-45, 12th year

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES
2023 Record: 3-6 (2-4 PFL)
2022 Record: 2-9 (1-7 PFL)
Head Coach: Rob Teyner
MSU Record: 46-72, 11th year
Career Record: Same

INSIDE THE SERIES
Meetings: 24
Series Record: Morehead State leads, 14-10
First Meeting: Morehead State Won, 40-0 (9/2/99)
Last Meeting: Davidson Won, 28-26 (10/15/2022)
Streak: Won 4
In Davidson: 5-5
In Morehead: 5-9
Abell vs. Morehead State: 4-1

1ST AND 10

Davidson will wrap up its regular season road slate Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Morehead State.
Riding a seven-game win streak, the third longest in school history, the Wildcats enter 7-2 overall and undefeated in league play at 6-0.
The 'Cats, who have won two of the last three conference titles, are 28-7 in PFL play dating back to the 2019 season.
Davidson has secured its sixth straight winning season, the longest stretch in program history.
With their win over Stetson last weekend, the 'Cats matched their best start (2021 | 6-0) in PFL play since joining the league in 2001.
During their current seven-game win streak, the Wildcats are averaging 52.9 points per game.
Davidson leads the nation in five offensive categories -- scoring offense (45.4), rushing offense (321.2), team passing efficiency (191.46), completion percentage (74.5%) and fewest turnovers (5).
In addition the Wildcats also rank among FCS leaders in total offense (485.2 ypg / 2nd), 3rd down conversion pct. defense (0.302 / 6th), first down offense (213 / 9th), first down defense (143 / 11th), time of possession (6th / 33:36) and red zone offense (0.909 / 11th).
Coming off 468 yards on the ground against Stetson, their third game with 400 rushing yards or more, the 'Cats have been the nation's top rushing team four of the last five years.
Defensively, the Wildcats also rank 10th nationally in sacks recording just under three per game.
Davidson leads the conference in 29 statistical categories.
Mari Adams (14) and Mason Sheron (12) rank 1-2 among PFL leaders in rushing touchdowns, while Cleland leads the conference in touchdown passes (15).
Davidson's backfield duo also ranks among the conference's best in rushing yards, yards per game and yards per carry.
12 of Adams' touchdowns have come in the last five games.
To go along with his league-leading 15 touchdown passes, Cleland is competing 77.0% (94-122) of his passes.
Head Coach Scott Abell ranks third on Davidson's career wins' list with 41 victories. He is just four wins shy of becoming the program's all-time winningest coach.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Saturday's meeting will be the 25th all-time before Davidson and Morehead State.
The Wildcats have won the last four meetings, but trail the series, 14-10.
The last three games in the series have been decided by a total of 12 points.

LAST MEETING | DAVIDSON 28, MOREHEAD STATE 26 -- OCT. 15, 2022 |DAVIDSON, N.C.

Running backs Dylan Sparks and Coy Williams surpassed the 2,000-yard career rushing mark and the Davidson Wildcats improved to 3-1 in the Pioneer Football League with a 28-26 win over Morehead State in Richardson Stadium.
Sparks (13 carries, 90 yards) and Williams (11 carries, 60 yards, 1 touchdown) became the fifth and sixth Wildcats, respectively, to rush for 2,000 yards and were part of a larger Davidson ground attack that produced 6.4 yards per carry, totaling 467 yards on 73 carries.
Quarterback Jayden Waddell led the way with 92 yards on 19 carries, while Mark McCurdy ran six times for 88 yards and two scores, including a 59-yard touchdown run that made it 21-7 in the second quarter.
Entering the game 19 yards shy of 2,000, Sparks (2,071) surpassed the milestone on a 17-yard run early in the second quarter. Williams (2,001) was 59 yards shy of 2,000 and got it on his final rush of the day, a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Davidson led 28-10 following Mason Sheron's 5-yard touchdown run two minutes before halftime, but the Eagles made it interesting late after quarterback Grady Cramer ran for a 2-yard score with 13:05 to play. But his ensuing two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, leaving the Wildcats ahead 28-26.
In the final minutes, the Eagles drove from their own 26-yard line to the Davidson 26 and called timeout with one second remaining to set up the potential game-winner. After two Davidson timeouts, Morehead kicker Nathan Hazlett's field goal attempt from the left hash missed wide right as time expired.
Daniel Carter led the Davidson defense with nine tackles, while Julian Rawlins had a sack and two tackles-for-loss and Jaden Pask intercepted a pass.

LAST TIME OUT | DAVIDSON 61, STETSON 41 - NOV. 4, 2023 | DELAND, FLA.

Along with safety Daniel Carter picking off two passes and recording a team-high 11 tackles, Davidson's offense put up 638 total yards, including 483 on the ground to defeat Stetson 61-41 Saturday afternoon inside Spec Martin Stadium.
Mason Sheron (11 carries, 147 yards) and Mari Adams (13-107) both went over the 100-yard mark, while joining backfield mate Sam Valor with two touchdowns each.
Davidson wasted little time putting points on the board as Adams took the Wildcats' second play from scrimmage 42 yards for a touchdown.
After Stetson answered to make it 7-7, the Wildcats got 1-yard runs from Sheron and Valor to push the margin to 21-7.
The Hatters got to within 21-17 with a 13-yard catch from Gabe Atkins and a 24-yard field goal, but that's as close they would get the rest of the way.
Davidson capitalized on a pair of Stetson first-half turnovers. With 4:03 left in the second quarter, Carter picked Stetson's Matt O'Connor, setting up a Sheron 94-yard touchdown run on the very next play. Sheron's 12th score of 2023 was the second longest run in program history.
Just seconds after Adam Zouagui added a 22-yard field goal to make it 30-20 with 19 ticks remaining in the half, defensive tackle Grant Reeder dropped in coverage, intercepted O'Connor at the 50 and returned it 48 yards it to the Hatters' two. Coulter Cleland then found Aaron Maione in the end zone, giving the 'Cats a 37-20 lead at the half.
Davidson scored on its first two drives of the second half, highlighted by a 22-yard pass from backup quarterback Luke Durkin to Maxwell Weaver to all but put the game out of reach.
Davidson, which entered as the nation's top scoring and rushing offense, is averaging 52.9 points per game during the current win streak.

UP NEXT

Davidson will conclude its 2023 regular season next Saturday when Dayton visits Richardson Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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