Staff report

DAVIDSON — Davidson College’s shiny new stadium, filled close to capacity, plus two standout running backs, proved to be a daunting combination for the Catawba Indians in Saturday night’s opener.

The Indians took a 49-14 licking in front of 4,477 fans, many of them wearing red and black, as Davidson (1-1) piled up more than 500 yards of offense, with 399 coming on the ground.

“What an unbelievable night for our athletic department and our campus, our community,” Davidson head coach Scott Abell told Davidson Sports Information. “I don’t think anybody could have ever imagined a Davidson football atmosphere that felt like tonight. So proud of everyone involved and grateful for them. Football’s exciting at Davidson. I’m extremely happy about that.”

Bo Pryor who scored Catawba’s first touchdown of the season and is a huge part of every Catawba game plan was injured.  That contributed to the Indians being unable to keep pace with Davidson’s grinding rushing assault.

The Indians knew exactly what was coming, but the Wildcats’ main men — Mari Adams and Mason Sheron —  teamed for five touchdowns on the ground and were tough to stop. They kept Davidson in favorable down-and-distance and the Wildcats were able to throw it when they wanted to, not when they had to.

Catawba’s leading tacklers were Evan Simons (12) and Deno Wardlow (10), athletes who normally play well off the line of scrimmage. That was telling.

Davidson’s rushing totals were boosted to insane levels by a 71-yard breakout  by Adams and a 79-yard sprint by Sheron, but Davidson’s 7.1 yards per carry on rushing attempts wasn’t a mirage and told a lot of  the story.

Statistically, Catawba didn’t have an awful night offensively, but moving the ball didn’t translate into points often enough. Between two Preston Brown  touchdown passes, Davidson got stops on seven straight Catawba possessions.

The Indians lost the turnover battle 2-0 and got down far enough that they just about had to throw. Davidson took advantage and racked up five sacks.

Brown’s 33 passing attempts netted 181 yards in addition to the two touchdowns, with Pryor and Jordan Mitchell making the scoring receptions.

Catawba’s committee of running backs managed 149 rushing yards, with LJ Turner getting 76. Former North Rowan star Malcolm Wilson got 30 yards on four carries.

Tight end Kobe Christian had six catches for the Indians. True freshman Mike Geter (Salisbury) had four catches for 23 yards in his debut.

Davidson took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards in 14 plays to score.

Catawba matched that drive with a 10-play march for 7-7.

Sheron’s 79-yard romp came next and was probably the game’s key moment. That put Davidson ahead to stay.

Catawba’s offense didn’t have a productive second quarter, and the hole was 21-7 at halftime after Davidson surprised the Indians with a 30-yard touchdown pass.

The deficit mushroomed to 35-7 before Brown threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell early in the fourth quarter. That score generated hope for a few seconds, but then Adams broke his 71-yard run to put the game away.

Davidson and Catawba don’t play all that often, but it was a significant win for the Wildcats, who had lost five straight in the series. It was Davidson’s first triumph over the Indians since 1985.

Catawba has a 6 p.m. game at Shaw next Saturday. Davidson will play at home against Point University.

 

 

 

 

 

 0-yard rushers Mari Adams and Mason Sheron leading the way. Touchdowns on the first three drives, including Sheron’s 79-yard gallop with 2:27 left in the first quarter, set the tone.

Once the Wildcats held Catawba scoreless on seven consecutive drives, they were well on their way.

“I am so excited for how we played,” said Abell. “We executed at a high level on offense, and we flew around on defense like I haven’t seen us fly around in a while.”

Davidson was methodical on its first drive on Field 76, fittingly marching 76 yards on 14 plays in 6:59 and capping it with a Sheron 8-yard touchdown run, his first of three. After he dashed 79 yards to push the Wildcats ahead 14-7, Luke Durkin connected on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brody Reina in the second quarter to give Davidson its 21-7 halftime lead.

The Wildcats kept it up after the break and scored on four of five second-half possessions. Sheron added a 4-yard run, then watched Adams run for two, including a 75-yarder early in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback LJ Phillips capped the scoring with a 3-yard plunge.

Safety Dominic Njoku led the defense with nine tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a forced fumble and an interception. Linebacker John Tessman added six tackles to go with a sack and two tackles-for-loss on a night that included five Wildcat sacks.

Up Next

Davidson will conclude its brief homestand next weekend when Point University comes to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff.