SPORTS
Wildcat Football Rewrites History Books in Win Over Guilford: 91-61
Junior William Wicks outpaced the entire Guilford defense as he ran this for a 60-yard touchdown. it was one of three touchdowns for Wicks on the night. The Wildcats defeated Guilford 91-61 in a record-setting game.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – In addition to setting the school’s all-time mark for points scored, Davidson football reset the NCAA FCS record book for total yards and rushing yards in a high-scoring non-conference affair Thursday night, defeating Guilford, 91-61.
In a game that was moved up to Thursday due to Hurricane Florence, the Wildcats combined for 964 total yards, snapping Weber State’s record of 876, set in 1991, while their 685 rushing yards squeaked by the previous standard set by Missouri State (681).
Freshman Coy Williams from Luberton, Texas scored two TDs and rushed for 172 yards in the Wildcats record-setting win 91-61 win over Guilford.
With the win, Davidson is off to its best start since 2000 (3-0), while Guilford falls to 1-1 overall.
Davidson’s 964 total yards broke a 72-year old program record set in 1946 against Erskine (777). The records did not stop there. With his 58-yard scoring scamper in the fourth, freshman Coy Williams helped Davidson smash the total rushing yards record (695) – a 97-year old record (587) set against Wofford in 1921. The ‘Cats 15.5 yards-per-play nearly doubled the previous record of 8.3 in 1979.
Corey Coppola’s 3 blocked kicks tied a 19-year-old record. The ‘Cats used a historic first half to jump all over the Quakers. Davidson registered its most points in a half with 57 and yards with 525.
Five Wildcats gained at least 80 yards on the ground including Wesley Dugger and Williams 186 and 168, respectively. Dugger and William Wicks, who totaled 161 all-purpose yards, led Davidson with 3 touchdowns each.
Sophomore Wesley Dugger, from Henrico, Va., had a record-setting night for the Wildcats. He scored three TDs, and rushed for 186 yards,
Davidson’s three signal callers of Tyler Phelps, Hunter Byrnes and Gunnar Leyendecker combined to go 8-for-8 with 279 passing yards and three scores. The Wildcats also got touchdowns from Williams (2), Phelps (2 pass, 1 rush), Hunter Louthan, Eli Turner Jr., James Story and Kendahl Ross.
In all, the ‘Cats registered 8 scoring plays of 50 yards or more (5 rush, 3 pass)
Defensively Harrison Hill led the team with 8 tackles.
Guilford, which finished with 698 yards of its own, was led by De’Eric Bell’s 187 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Quakers quarterback Alex Manley went 24-for-48 with 364 yards and three scores.
Montek Johnson recorded 8 catches for 129 yards and a score to lead all receivers.
Davidson hits the road for the first time Saturday, Sep. 22 when it opens PFL play at Dayton. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m.
RECORDS SET
- NCAA FCS and Program Record for Total Yards (964)
- NCAA FCS and Program Record for Rushing Yards (685)
- Program Record for Yards in a Half (525)
- Program Record for Points in a Half (57)
- Program Record for Total Touchdowns in a Game (13)
- Program Record for Average Yards Per Play (15.5)
- Program Record for Rushing Touchdowns in a Game (10)
- Program Record for Blocked Kicks (4)
Corey Coppola, a 6’3″ defensive tackle, batted away the extra point attempt in the first quarter. It was one of three blocked kicks for the ‘Cats in the record-setting 91-61 win over Guildford.