POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Despite a four-touchdown day from running back Wesley Dugger, Davidson football fell in a hard-fought double-overtime road Pioneer Football League contest at Marist Saturday at Tenney Stadium, 48-41.



With the loss, Davidson falls to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in PFL play, while with the win Marist improves to 3-4 and 2-2 in conference action.



Unable to settle the game in regulation, Davidson headed to overtime for the first time since 2015.



In the first overtime, the Wildcats gained a pair of first downs and set up Dugger’s fourth score of the day, a new career-high for the Henrico, Va., native.



Marist quickly responded with a strike from quarterback Austin Day to three-time All-PFL wide receiver, Juston Christian, his third of the day. The Red Foxes then scored on the first pass attempt of the second overtime to go up 48-41 and force Davidson to score a touchdown. They could not.



Davidson held a 34-23 advantage after three quarters, but a monster, 74-yard scoring strike to Christian and a Red Fox field goal with 98 ticks remaining forced overtime.



Dugger capped off two long Davidson drives with scores as the ‘Cats held over 11 minutes of possession time in the first frame.



Down 17-13 in the second and following a three-and-out on offense, with momentum swinging back towards Marist, freshman safety Dreylan Hines intercepted Day for his third of the season. The pick set up Dugger’s third of the day and gave the visiting sideline a boost.



On the first play of the next possession, sophomore linebacker TJ Elliott jumped a route and intercepted his second pass of the season with under two minutes to go in the half. The Wildcats quickly went from midfield to the end zone in 5 plays, capped off with a 10-yard scoring run from sophomore quarterback Tyler Phelps to take a 27-17 lead into the break.



Davidson junior James Story stretched the lead out to 17 (34-17) in the third with a 46-yard scoring run, extending his streak of four straight games with a touchdown.



Marist needed big plays and Christian provided the spark, catching a pair of scoring strikes from 74 and 68 yards to bring the Red Foxes within one possession and help force overtime.



Davidson rushed for 400 yards paced by Dugger’s 111 yards on 26 carries. Phelps (80), William Wicks (70) and Story (61) added to the running assault.



Junior linebacker Tony Collins made 7 stops to lead the Wildcat defense, while corner back Rayshawn McCall added 6 - including 5 solo stops. Senior defensive lineman Corey Coppola recovered a fumble to make it 3 gained turnovers on the day.



Davidson returns home Saturday, Oct. 27 when they play host to Stetson University. Kick off from Richardson Stadium is slated for 1 p.m.

Davidson heads to Marist for a Pioneer Football League clash with the Red Foxes at Tenney Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1:05 p.m. from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The ‘Cats are 31-82 (.274) all-time in PFL play. Davidson’s lone win over Marist came on the road in 2010, 28-21. The two have played every season since 2008, Marist officially joined the PFL in 2009. The Red Foxes have scored 31 points in each of the last three games against Davidson.



A win for Davidson would secure a winning season for the first time since 2007, halt a 7-game losing skid to the Red Foxes dating back to 2011, be the first at Marist since 2010, be the sixth of the season, which hasn’t happened since the ‘Cats went 6-4 in 2007.



The Wildcats broke a pair of single-season rushing records against Morehead State for yards (2,597) and touchdowns (32). The previous highs of 2333 yards and 29 TDs were previously set in 1977 and 1993, respectively. Davidson is outscoring opponents 115-47 in the first quarter this season and 225-104 in the first half. Senior place kicker Michael Matthews is tied for second all-time in PAT’s in a season with 37. Junior defensive tackle Bryce Perry-Martin ranks first in the PFL in tackles for loss (9.5) and second in sacks (3.5). Perry-Martin made a career-high 13 stops against Morehead State including 3.5 TFL and a sack. Perry-Martin has recorded career-high tackles in back-to-back games (11 - Jax, 13 - Morehead) Dugger ranks fourth on the all-time rushing list with 1943 yards. He sits 848 yards behind Eric Ferguson for third. Davidson welcomed 32 members to the Class of 2022 and a sophomore transfer; 17 are listed on defense, 14 on offense and 2 special teamers.



The 2018 ‘Cats reset a pair of single-season rushing records last Saturday against Morehead State. Davidson rushed for 264 yards to break the single-season rushing yards mark, they sit at 2649 and counting. The 1977 had the previous mark at 2333. The 1993 Wildcats squad rushed for 29 TD’s, the 2018 squad have 32 and counting.



Davidson fell for the first time at home last week, dropping a hard-fought game to PFL foe Morehead State, 35-28. Junior running back James Story found the end zone twice, his second consecutive multi TD game and third straight with a score overall. Junior defensive tackle Bryce Perry-Martin had a career day, making 13 stops, 3.5 for loss and 1.0 sack. Junior tight end Hunter Louthan caught his only ball of the game for his fourth TD of the season. Sophomore running back Wesley Dugger rushed 21 times for 93 yards.