NEWS

Second year running back Mari Adams broke a tackle at the other end of the field and ran this all the way to the endzone.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson used a multi-faceted rushing attack and a second-half scoring surge to cruise past Pioneer Football League rival San Diego 55-33 Saturday afternoon at Smith Field and Richardson Stadium. 

It’s Davidson’s third win over the Toreros in the last four meetings, and with it, the Wildcats improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the PFL. San Diego fell to 1-4 and 1-1. 

Davidson, which had three 100-yard rushers, turned a 17-16 halftime lead into a 52-19 advantage by the 9:19 mark of the fourth quarter. 

Running back Mari Adams led the ground attack, running 14 times for 169 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Coulter Cleland ran six times for 130 yards, and running back Mason Sheron ran 10 times for 114 yards and two scores.

In all, the Wildcats finished with 449 yards on the ground and 557 yards of total offense.

The only difference in the first half was a missed point after attempt by the Toreros’ kicker Aiden Lehman as the ‘Cats went to the break up, 17-16.

After Davidson took the game’s first possession 80-yards on 11 plays, capped by an Adams’ 12-yard touchdown run, San Diego answered with a 75-yard scoring drive to make it 7-6.

Trailing 13-10, the ‘Cats went back in front 17-13 with 8:50 left in the second quarter on Mason Sheron’s fifth rushing score of the season, before Lehman added a 32-yard field goal to close the half.

Davidson took control of the back-and-forth contest on the first possession of the third quarter when linebacker John Tessmann forced a fumble that was recovered by Sabin McLaughlin. Shortly after, Adams took a 3rd-and-12 handoff 38 yards for his second touchdown of the day.

Not to be outdone, his backfield mate Sheron went 78 yards untouched for his second score.

Following a San Diego 38-yard field goal to make it 31-19, the Wildcats put the game out of reach with four-yard runs from Adams and Will Cox followed by a 66-yard scamper from Adams.

Defensively, the Wildcats held the Toreros to just 63 yards rushing, while finishing with a season-high six sacks. Jonathan Hammond and Daniel Carter paced Davidson with six tackles each.

Up Next
Davidson enters its BYE week before heading to Indianapolis for an Oct. 14 contest with Butler the following week.