Saturday, November 3
San Diego, Calif.
5:00 p.m.
Davidson College
49
at
52
at San Diego
Ryan Hubbard had over 100 receiving yards for the fourth straight game (photo by Brian Westerholt).
No Quit in 'Cats, Comeback Bid Falls Short in 52-49 Setback
11/3/2007 5:44:37 PM | Football
Marc Gignac
Box Score
San Diego, Calif. - Davidson senior quarterback Ryan Alexander broke a school record by throwing six touchdown passes to go along with 404 yards, but the Wildcat football team came up short in its comeback bid, suffering a 52-49 setback at San Diego Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Toreros ran their home winning streak to 24 contests.
Alexander completed 35-of-54 passes, and senior Ryan Hubbard recorded 11 receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns to lead Davidson (5-4, 3-3 PFL). Senior Beaux Jones posted eight receptions for a career-high 115 yards and two scores.
San Diego's Josh Johnson completed 31-of-35 passes for 416 yards and five touchdowns to go along with 49 yards on the ground. John Matthews caught 11 passes for 190 yards and four scores for San Diego (8-1, 5-1 PFL), while Wes Doyle had 10 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown.
The Wildcats and Toreros went down to the wire after Davidson cut into a 42-21 second-half deficit. Jones' 14-yard touchdown reception trimmed the margin to 42-28 at the end of the third quarter, and the Wildcats got the ball back when Jeffrey Scott recovered a fumble on the San Diego 21-yard line. Alexander threw a pass to Hubbard for all 21 on the next play to trim the margin to seven with 11:53 left in the game.
San Diego went right down the field, but a big hit from Patrick FitzGerald forced an incompletion on 3rd-and-2, forcing the Toreros to settle for a Hutch Parker 29-yard field goal. That made the score 45-35 with 7:21 remaining.
The Wildcats answered when Jones wrestled his way into the end zone after catching a pass from Alexander in the flat. Alexander was 5-for-8 for 47 yards on the drive, and Davidson trailed by just three with 3:53 to play.
Davidson attempted the onside kick, which almost worked after it went 10 yards and hit a San Diego player, but the Toreros recovered at the Davidson 30-yard line. Three plays later, Johnson hit Matthews with a 16-yard touchdown pass, pushing the lead back to 52-42 with 2:25 to go.
The 'Cats went to the no-huddle and promptly went down the field for a score. The key play came when Jones was pushed out of bounds and came back in to make a spectacular catch, which gave Davidson 1st-and-goal on the 3-yard line. Alexander hit Justin Williams with a shovel pass on the next play, making the score 52-49 with a minute left.
The second onside kick attempt was touched by a Wildcat before it went 10 yards, giving San Diego the ball at the Davidson 36-yard line. The 'Cats spent all three timeouts, but San Diego was able to run out the clock and preserve the victory.
“It was a valiant effort on the part of this football team, and I'm extremely proud of them,” said Davidson coach Merritt. “ We kept battling, but we just ran out of time. We could have used another five minutes on the clock.”
The margin of error is so slight with a team like San Diego, which has now won 35 of their last 38 games overall and 20-of-21 in the PFL. The Wildcats executed their game plan by protecting the ball and limiting the big play, but it just wasn't enough. In the end, the difference was San Diego's big, physical, and fast receivers, who seemed to be able to pick passes from Johnson out of the air at will.
“Their receivers are 6-3 and 6-4. You look and think Johnson has overthrown them, but they made some nice catches,” said Merritt. “Johnson is a heck of a quarterback. He'll be playing on Sunday somewhere next year.”
A momentum changing play came midway through the second quarter with the score tied 14-14. A tackle for loss by Peter Bakke and a holding call got the Toreros behind the chains, and on 3rd-and-21, Matt Mikrut drilled Mitch Ryan as the Wildcats held. But Davidson put the punt block on, and freshman Ben Sarver, who has a blocked punt to his credit this season, wound up roughing John McSorley on 4th-and-15, allowing the Toreros a first down. Johnson found Matthews for a 36-yard TD pass on the next play to give San Diego a 21-14 lead.
Davidson was forced to punt on its next possession, and Cody Elder pinned the Toreros at the 14-yard line with a 46-yard punt. The long field didn't help as a 36-yard pass from Johnson to Doyle keyed the 86-yard touchdown drive. A 12-yard screen pass from Johnson to JT Rogan to made the margin 28-14 with 4:57 remaining in the first half, and the 'Cats just couldn't get enough stops the rest of the way to overcome the deficit.
Davidson would not wilt and kept coming after the Toreros for the entire game. A 6-yard touchdown pass from Alexander to Williams on a bubble screen made the score 28-21 with 1:24 to go in the half. The Wildcats held San Diego off the scoreboard in an exciting end to the frame.
Johnson's scrambles of 28, 15 and 12 yards helped set up a 1st-and-goal on the Davidson 10. The 'Cats thought they had a takeaway on the next play, when Chris Hampton caught a Johnson pass in the end zone. Hampton went to run and dropped the ball, and the officials ruled it was an incomplete pass.
The Toreros were called for holding on the same play, and on 3rd-and-goal on the 'Cats' 13-yard line, San Diego ran a long-developing quarterback throw back with 30 seconds left. Johnson lateraled to Matthews, who threw back to Johnson on the right side. The Wildcats didn't bite on the fake and corralled the senior while the clock ran out, negating a field goal try and keeping the margin at 28-21.
The Toreros took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 59 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Rogan went in from one yard out, and the PAT was good as San Diego regained the 14-point advantage.
A 5-yard penalty for a false start put Davidson behind the chains on the next possession, and the 'Cats were forced to punt. Elder boomed a high, spiraling kick to pin the Toreros on their own 7-yard line, but on the first play of the drive, Johnson hooked up with Matthews for a 57-yard pass down the right sideline. That play helped set up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Doyle as San Diego pulled away with a 42-21 lead with 4:59 left in the third.
Davidson finishes the 2007 campaign by hosting Valparaiso on Senior Day. The Wildcats and Crusaders will kick off at noon Saturday, Nov. 10, at Richardson Stadium.
Notes: It was the first game this season Davidson did not have a turnover… The Davidson football program still needs one victory to reach 400… Williams, making his second straight start, has scored seven TDs in the two games… Hubbard now has 42 receptions for 574 yards in his last four games… The 'Cats have now allowed just seven sacks in the nine games… The 49 points is the most Davidson has ever scored against San Diego and the most since Davidson had 50 in the finale against Butler last year… It was San Diego's homecoming and Senior Day.
San Diego, Calif. - Davidson senior quarterback Ryan Alexander broke a school record by throwing six touchdown passes to go along with 404 yards, but the Wildcat football team came up short in its comeback bid, suffering a 52-49 setback at San Diego Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Toreros ran their home winning streak to 24 contests.
Alexander completed 35-of-54 passes, and senior Ryan Hubbard recorded 11 receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns to lead Davidson (5-4, 3-3 PFL). Senior Beaux Jones posted eight receptions for a career-high 115 yards and two scores.
San Diego's Josh Johnson completed 31-of-35 passes for 416 yards and five touchdowns to go along with 49 yards on the ground. John Matthews caught 11 passes for 190 yards and four scores for San Diego (8-1, 5-1 PFL), while Wes Doyle had 10 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown.
The Wildcats and Toreros went down to the wire after Davidson cut into a 42-21 second-half deficit. Jones' 14-yard touchdown reception trimmed the margin to 42-28 at the end of the third quarter, and the Wildcats got the ball back when Jeffrey Scott recovered a fumble on the San Diego 21-yard line. Alexander threw a pass to Hubbard for all 21 on the next play to trim the margin to seven with 11:53 left in the game.
San Diego went right down the field, but a big hit from Patrick FitzGerald forced an incompletion on 3rd-and-2, forcing the Toreros to settle for a Hutch Parker 29-yard field goal. That made the score 45-35 with 7:21 remaining.
The Wildcats answered when Jones wrestled his way into the end zone after catching a pass from Alexander in the flat. Alexander was 5-for-8 for 47 yards on the drive, and Davidson trailed by just three with 3:53 to play.
Davidson attempted the onside kick, which almost worked after it went 10 yards and hit a San Diego player, but the Toreros recovered at the Davidson 30-yard line. Three plays later, Johnson hit Matthews with a 16-yard touchdown pass, pushing the lead back to 52-42 with 2:25 to go.
The 'Cats went to the no-huddle and promptly went down the field for a score. The key play came when Jones was pushed out of bounds and came back in to make a spectacular catch, which gave Davidson 1st-and-goal on the 3-yard line. Alexander hit Justin Williams with a shovel pass on the next play, making the score 52-49 with a minute left.
The second onside kick attempt was touched by a Wildcat before it went 10 yards, giving San Diego the ball at the Davidson 36-yard line. The 'Cats spent all three timeouts, but San Diego was able to run out the clock and preserve the victory.
“It was a valiant effort on the part of this football team, and I'm extremely proud of them,” said Davidson coach Merritt. “ We kept battling, but we just ran out of time. We could have used another five minutes on the clock.”
The margin of error is so slight with a team like San Diego, which has now won 35 of their last 38 games overall and 20-of-21 in the PFL. The Wildcats executed their game plan by protecting the ball and limiting the big play, but it just wasn't enough. In the end, the difference was San Diego's big, physical, and fast receivers, who seemed to be able to pick passes from Johnson out of the air at will.
“Their receivers are 6-3 and 6-4. You look and think Johnson has overthrown them, but they made some nice catches,” said Merritt. “Johnson is a heck of a quarterback. He'll be playing on Sunday somewhere next year.”
A momentum changing play came midway through the second quarter with the score tied 14-14. A tackle for loss by Peter Bakke and a holding call got the Toreros behind the chains, and on 3rd-and-21, Matt Mikrut drilled Mitch Ryan as the Wildcats held. But Davidson put the punt block on, and freshman Ben Sarver, who has a blocked punt to his credit this season, wound up roughing John McSorley on 4th-and-15, allowing the Toreros a first down. Johnson found Matthews for a 36-yard TD pass on the next play to give San Diego a 21-14 lead.
Davidson was forced to punt on its next possession, and Cody Elder pinned the Toreros at the 14-yard line with a 46-yard punt. The long field didn't help as a 36-yard pass from Johnson to Doyle keyed the 86-yard touchdown drive. A 12-yard screen pass from Johnson to JT Rogan to made the margin 28-14 with 4:57 remaining in the first half, and the 'Cats just couldn't get enough stops the rest of the way to overcome the deficit.
Davidson would not wilt and kept coming after the Toreros for the entire game. A 6-yard touchdown pass from Alexander to Williams on a bubble screen made the score 28-21 with 1:24 to go in the half. The Wildcats held San Diego off the scoreboard in an exciting end to the frame.
Johnson's scrambles of 28, 15 and 12 yards helped set up a 1st-and-goal on the Davidson 10. The 'Cats thought they had a takeaway on the next play, when Chris Hampton caught a Johnson pass in the end zone. Hampton went to run and dropped the ball, and the officials ruled it was an incomplete pass.
The Toreros were called for holding on the same play, and on 3rd-and-goal on the 'Cats' 13-yard line, San Diego ran a long-developing quarterback throw back with 30 seconds left. Johnson lateraled to Matthews, who threw back to Johnson on the right side. The Wildcats didn't bite on the fake and corralled the senior while the clock ran out, negating a field goal try and keeping the margin at 28-21.
The Toreros took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 59 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Rogan went in from one yard out, and the PAT was good as San Diego regained the 14-point advantage.
A 5-yard penalty for a false start put Davidson behind the chains on the next possession, and the 'Cats were forced to punt. Elder boomed a high, spiraling kick to pin the Toreros on their own 7-yard line, but on the first play of the drive, Johnson hooked up with Matthews for a 57-yard pass down the right sideline. That play helped set up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Doyle as San Diego pulled away with a 42-21 lead with 4:59 left in the third.
Davidson finishes the 2007 campaign by hosting Valparaiso on Senior Day. The Wildcats and Crusaders will kick off at noon Saturday, Nov. 10, at Richardson Stadium.
Notes: It was the first game this season Davidson did not have a turnover… The Davidson football program still needs one victory to reach 400… Williams, making his second straight start, has scored seven TDs in the two games… Hubbard now has 42 receptions for 574 yards in his last four games… The 'Cats have now allowed just seven sacks in the nine games… The 49 points is the most Davidson has ever scored against San Diego and the most since Davidson had 50 in the finale against Butler last year… It was San Diego's homecoming and Senior Day.
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