DAVIDSON – It was the opener of the 2021 Pioneer Football
League slate for the Davidson. Opposing the Wildcats were the Toreros of San
Diego, a traditional league power who desperately wanted to avenge the pandemic-forced
spring 2021 season which saw Davidson knock off the four-time defending Pioneer
League champs to claim the conference championship for the first time ever. It
was Davidson who would take the day, as the Wildcats held off a late rally to
defeat the Toreros 28-16 at Richardson Stadium.

Davidson had what seemed to be a great start to the game,
forcing a three-and-out and taking over after a punt. The momentum was short-lived, however, and a bad pitch on the Wildcats' second play from scrimmage saw
the ball hit the turf, recovered by the San Diego defense. Two plays later,
Emilio Martinez ran in from thirteen yards out to give the visitors an early
7-0 lead.

The Wildcats went into full ball control mode later in the quarter,
though, marching eighty-three yards on sixteen plays on a drive that ended the
first quarter and began the second. By the time junior Dylan Sparks scored on a
one-yard run, Davidson had chewed off nearly nine minutes of clock and kept a
potent Torero offense on the sidelines.

It was the San Diego special teams that made the biggest
play in the second quarter, though. After coming up short on a run, the Toreros
chose to punt from midfield. The punt rolled down towards the goal line and was
batted out of bounds inside the one-yard line. The San Diego defense stepped up
on the next play, tackling the Davidson ball carrier in the end zone for a
safety and 9-7 lead. After the ensuing free kick, the Toreros sought to extend
their lead with a field goal, but the kick bounced off the right upright.

Davidson started the second half with eight straight rushing
plays before Louis Calosimo was able to find Eli Turner, Jr. lurking behind the
defense, and the two connected on a thirty-one-yard pass to get the Wildcats
inside the five-yard line. Two plays later, Mark McCurdy went around the left
side for the Davidson touchdown and the Wildcats had the lead for the first
time on the afternoon. Davidson had a chance to extend the lead later in the
quarter, but a bad snap on a field goal attempt gave the ball back to the Toreros
and saw the score stay at 14-9 going into the final quarter.

Davidson went into its bag of tricks on its next possession and
pulled out the halfback pass which Eli Turner, Jr. executed perfectly, tossing
a thirty-four-yard throw to Jalen Staples who went down at the five-yard line.
Turner finished off the drive two plays later on a toss sweep around the right
side of the line, extending the Wildcats lead to twelve points.

San Diego refused to give up and came within five points
after an eleven-yard touchdown pass from Mason Randall to Michael Carner. The
Toreros had another chance late in the quarter but was stopped on fourth down
by the tenacious Davidson defense. Looking to put the game on ice, Louis
Colosimo found Eli Turner, Jr. on a twenty-five-yard slant route for a
touchdown to cap the scoring, and Jordan Burrell picked off a late pass to seal
the deal for Davidson.

Up Next

Both teams are staying in Pioneer League play as Davidson (2-1,
1-0) travels to Florida to take on the Hatters of Stetson University while San
Diego (0-4, 0-1) hosts league newcomer St. Thomas.

 

DAVIDSON – Coming into Saturday’s game against San Diego, the Davidson Wildcats were third in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 332.8 yards a game and was 1-0 in the Pioneer League for the first time in nine years and looking to go 2-0 for the first time ever. San Diego, on the other hand, was riding a 30-game conference winning streak and had won or shared the last five Pioneer League titles. Something was going to have to give in this rematch of last year’s 56-52 barnburner. In the end, it was the San Diego Toreros who found their thirty-first consecutive conference win in a 37-17 win over Davidson at Richardson Stadium.



Davidson started the game looking to impose its will on the San Diego defense, using punishing runs to wear down the visiting Torero defense. The Wildcats made it all the way inside the ten-yard line, but a fumble on first and goal moved the ball back fifteen yards and the offense was forced to settle for a 43-yard Caden Bonoffski field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. San Diego offered almost a mirror drive to respond, making it to the red zone before eventually settling for a field goal of their own and knotting the score at 3.

Davidson Slot Receiver Eli Turner, Jr. Photo Credit: Brian Barnes

Davidson’s next drive lasted into the beginning of the second quarter with junior Wesley Dugger putting the exclamation point on the twelve-play, seventy-five-yard drive with an eleven-yard scamper around the left side to give the home team a 10-3 lead. Dugger, coming into the game as one of only two juniors in the FCS Top 10 active career leaders in rushing yards, was held to twenty-six yards on the day.



Just like the first drives of the game, San Diego mirrored the Wildcats on their second drive as well, marching seventy-five yards down the field in seven plays and equalizing the score with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Reid Sinnett to Michael Carner.



For a team that focuses so much on the running game, it was a pass that helped move the Wildcats onto their next score. After Tyler Phelps found a streaking Jalen Staples, who raced down the five-yard line, Davidson was in business again and it was Dugger punching it in from one yard out to give the home team a 17-10 lead late in the half. As was the pattern for the rest of the first half, San Diego got a big pass to help them tie the game up with Michael Bandy weaving through a swath of Davidson defenders on his way to the end zone and setting up the halftime score of 17-17.



San Diego started the second half determined to set the tone for how the rest of the game was going to be played. Moving swiftly down the field, Reid Sinnett guided the Torero offense seventy-five yards in four minutes with Michael Bandy scoring his second touchdown of the day on a four-yard catch in the end zone. Looking to respond, Davidson went back to the ground game, making it all the way to the San Diego 15-yard line before turning it over on downs. Sensing a chance to seize permanent momentum, the visiting Toreros did just that as sophomore tight end Dalton Kincaid went seventy yards down the left sideline to open up a two-score lead for San Diego.



The fourth quarter played out much the way of the third quarter as Davidson drove deep into Torero territory, but was turned back in a turnover on downs. San Diego put the final exclamation point on the game with Reid Sinnett’s fifth touchdown pass of the day and the game final of 37-17.






Next Week

Both teams are in Pioneer League action next week as Davidson (4-2, 1-1) travels to Jacksonville while San Diego (3-2, 2-0) hosts Valparaiso.