NEWS

 

FCS PLAYOFFS | OPENING ROUND 
Date: November 26, 2022
Time: 2:00 PM (ET)
Stadium: Robins Stadium (8,700)
Location: Richmond, Va.

DAVIDSON WILDCATS
2022 Record: 8-3 (6-2 PFL)
2021 Record: 8-3 (7-1 PFL)
Head Coach: Scott Abell
Davidson Record: 34-18, 5th year
Career Record: 73-42, 11th year

#14 RICHMOND SPIDERS
2022 Record: 8-3 (6-2 CAA)
2021 Record: 6-5 (4-4 CAA)
Head Coach: Russ Huesman
Richmond Record: 32-28, 6th year
Career Record: 91-65, 14th year

INSIDE THE SERIES
Meetings: 29
Series Record: Richmond leads, 19-9-1
First Meeting : Davidson W, 7-0 (10/23/1920)
Last Meeting: Richmond W, 42-0 (9/15/73)
Streak: Richmond Won 3
In Davidson: Richmond leads, 9-3
In Richmond: Richmond leads, 10-6-1
Abell vs. Richmond : First Meeting

1ST AND 10

• Making its third straight FCS Playoff appearance, Davidson enters 8-3 overall following a 24-23 win over Dayton to conclude the regular season.
• The Wildcats, who finished 6-2 in the Pioneer Football League, secured the conference’s automatic bid with their win over the Flyers.
• League champion and nationally-ranked St. Thomas is ineligible for postseason play.
• The ‘Cats are just one of four teams to make back-to-back-to-back FCS Playoff appearances.
• Davidson, which made appearances each of the previous two seasons by virtue of back-to-back PFL titles, enters as the nation’s top rushing team, averaging 350.5 yards per game.
• In addition to leading the nation in rushing offense, Davidson ranks among FCS leaders in total offense (469.6 | 9th), passing efficiency (186.69 | 2nd), scoring offense (34.8 | 18th), total defense (321.6 | 16th) and time of possession (33:47 | 6th).
• This marks the third straight season the ‘Cats have led the nation in rushing and fourth time in Head Coach Scott Abell‘s five-year tenure.
• Davidson is one of just four schools (Jackson State, Saint Francis and N.C. Central) to rank in the Top-20 nationally in total offense and total defense.
• The Wildcats traveled to Jacksonville State (2020 Spring) in their first-ever FCS Playoff appearance and played at Kennesaw State last season.
• Davidson will finish the 2022 campaign with its fifth straight winning season, marking just the fourth time in program history the Wildcats have accomplished that feat.

SCOUTING THE SPIDERS

• Ranked 14th in the latest FCS Top-25, the Spiders enter 8-3 overall, including three wins over nationally-ranked foes.
• Richmond is making its 12th NCAA FCS Playoff appearance but first since the 2016 season.
• The Spiders have advanced to the semifinals four times, highlighted by capturing the National Championship in 2008.  
• Richmond, which is averaging 30.4 points and 421.4 yards per game, is led by quarterback Reece Udinski, who is completing over 73 percent of his passes and has thrown for 3,152 yards, 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
• Udinski ranks among National Leaders in passing yards (6th), completions per game (T-1st), completion percentage (2nd), touchdown passes (T-12th) and passing yards per game (6th).

LAST TIME OUT | DAVIDSON 24, DAYTON 23 | NOV. 19, 2022

• Thanks to Saturday’s 24-23 win over Dayton, the Davidson Wildcats are headed to the FCS Playoffs for a third straight year.
• The Wildcats, now 8-3 overall, punched their ticket with a dramatic victory in the regular season finale at Richardson Stadium and wrapped up Pioneer Football League play 6-2, securing the league’s automatic postseason bid. League champion St. Thomas is ineligible for postseason play.
• It’s Davidson’s 13th straight win at home and ends a 10-game losing skid to the Flyers (8-3, 6-2).
• To get past the Flyers, Davidson quickly erased a third-quarter deficit, took the lead shortly after and preserved it late with a blocked field goal attempt and multiple defensive stops.
• Coy Williams‘ 75-yard touchdown run up the middle with 7:19 to play in the third quarter came on the first play of a drive and tied it at 17-all. Just more than four minutes later, the Wildcats pulled ahead 24-17 on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Waddell to Maxwell Weaver.
• The Flyers got in position to tie it on a 17-yard score by quarterback Shane Hamm with 14:18 to play, pulling within 24-23, but missed the extra point. Tyreece White blocked the Flyers’ potential go-ahead 40-yard field goal with 5:03 left, and their final drive stalled at their own 32 with 24 seconds left.
• Dayton struck first Saturday on a 15-yard run by Jake Chisholm, but the Wildcats quickly answered with a 3-yard Williams touchdown, set up by a 72-yard Dylan Sparks run. Caden Bonoffski‘s 35-yard field goal to start the second quarter gave the Wildcats a 10-7 lead before Dayton evened it with a 28-yard field goal with 1:28 left in the half.
• Williams and Sparks finished with 99 yards on 12 and 11 carries, respectively, while Waddell completed five of his eight passes for 113 yards. Jaden Pask led the Wildcats defense with 11 tackles.