NEWS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Back-to-back-PFL champions Davidson Football hosts Barton College in its 2022 home opener on Smith Field at Richardson Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 10. 

Run It Back Night including a rally towel giveaway for the first 500 fans in attendance and a “Wildcat Jungle” shirt for the first 500 students in attendance. 

WEEK 2 – DAVIDSON vs. BARTON COLLEGE

 

Date		Saturday, Sept. 7
Kickoff		7 P.M. ET
Location		Davidson, N.C.
Stadium		Smith Field at Richardson Stadium
Capacity		4,741
Game Notes		Davidson | PFL | Barton
#Hashtag		#BW #WE
Live Stats		DavidsonWildcats.com
Live Audio		The Varsity App / WHIP: 1350AM-99.3FM
Live Video		Davidson All-Access
The Coach’s Corner		Episode 2
Social Media		Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

 
THE SERIES
This is the first matchup between Davidson and Barton.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Davidson (0-1) enters Saturday’s home opener looking to grab that first win of the season following a 35-17 loss against soon-to-be FBS team Jacksonville State.

Following Davidson’s first game, junior SLOT Mark McCurdy leads the ‘Cats offensively with 101 all-purpose yards – 76 rushing and 25 receiving – and a touchdown. Senior running back Dylan Sparks recorded 13 carries for 42 yards and Coy Williams sits with a total 40 yards on 14 carries. Durkin and senior Jayden Waddell went 5-of-10 against JSU combined, both recording a touchdown.

Sparks (7th – 1,666) and Williams (T-10th with Bruce Bannister – 1,561) are each in the Top 10 for all-time rushing yards at Davidson. Sparks needs 11 rushing yards for sole possession of 6th place (Jim Thacker, 1676) while Williams could surpass several other Cats with 27 yards to surpass Jonathan Hubbard for 9th, and 37 yards to take over Page Walley for 8th.

Williams’ 25 career touchdowns are tied for 7th all-time with Alvin Atkinson. With two more, the redshirt senior will have the sixth most in Davidson history with Richard Howell at 27.

Defensively after the weekend, Daniel Carter leads the ‘Cats with eight total tackles. Senior captain Jaden Pask sits behind him with seven tackles and a QB hurry. Carter, senior safety Brian Jacobs and junior cornerback Jordan Burrell each have a team-high three solo tackles. Jacobs and senior cornerback Kaedon Jenkins sits with two pass breakups.

LAST TIME OUT
Davidson’s 42 minutes and ten seconds of possession were the most by a Division I team against a Rich Rodriguez coached team. Jacksonville State scored early on to grab an early 7-0 advantage, but the Wildcats responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive and evened the score with a Mark McCurdy touchdown grab.

JSU broke the deadlock with 21 unanswered to stretch its margin to 28-7. Just prior to intermission, Davidson capped another lengthy drive with a 39-yard Caden Bonoffski field goal, scratching their way back, cutting the deficit to 28-10 at the half.

The ‘Cats’ defense came ready to play at the start of the second half, breaking up three consecutive pass attempts and on the next Gamecock possession, freshman linebacker Cam’ron Willis notched his first career interception to help set up the next Wildcat score. He is the first Wildcat to snag an interception in their collegiate debut since Dreylan Hines (’22) in 2018. 

Davidson’s sophomore quarterback Luke Durkin stepped onto the field and took care of business with eight-yard gain from redshirt senior Coy Williams, to set up a 21-yard TD grab by sophomore receiver Aaron Maione, bringing the Wildcats closer, 28-17. The Gamecocks only scored once more to make the final score 35-17. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Barton (1-0) opened its season with a 17-3 victory over Chowan last week where they totaled 413 yards of offense including 247 rushing yards. The Bulldogs, who were picked to finish sixth in the 2022 South Atlantic Conference Football Preseason Coaches Poll, are led by Chip Hester – Barton’s first head football coach since 1950 – who was tasked in July of 2018 with building the program from scratch to begin play in the fall of 2020. 

The DII member of the Conference Carolinas comes off a 6-5 season including notable victories with an overtime win against then-No. 8 Wingate and another over long-time NCAA Division II-power Carson-Newman. The Bulldogs are only in their third season of intercollegiate competition.  While the Bulldogs competed in the COVID Spring of 2021 season, last fall (2021) was its first full season of play. The college is an Associate Member of the South Atlantic Conference this year and next, allowing them eligibility for postseason awards and championships.

Barton is currently led by QB Jaquan Lynch, who contributed 235 yards of total offense – 166 passing and 69 rushing yards, and running back Jordan Terrell, who leads the pack with 184 yards on 38 rushing attempts and a touchdown. Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by Shane Perry and Matt Smith, both with eight tackles to start the season. Smith recorded 2.5 TFLs for 16 total yards.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can connect directly with Davidson Football on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Head coach Scott Abell is on Twitter and can be found at @Scott_AbellFB.

THE COACH’S CORNER
Be sure to check out The Coach’s Corner with Scott Abell every Monday, powered by Atrium Health. Coach Abell will discuss the previous week and look ahead to the upcoming opponent, giving fans an inside look into the Wildcat football program.

THE PLAYER PROFILE
Stay tuned in every Thursday for The Player Profile with a different member of Wildcat Football, powered by Wade & Associates.

ON DECK
The Wildcats host St. Andrews in their second home game of the 2022 season on Saturday, Sept 17. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Richardson Stadium. Saturday’s game will feature the annual Hometown Heroes night along with a fundraiser for Save a Warrior. More details on the fundraiser and events of the night to follow.