Football Edges Valpo in OT Thriller, 28-27

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VALPARAISO, Ind. – A spectacular catch by Lanny Funsten in the back corner of the end zone and a successful extra point by Robert Schick gave Davidson a 28-27 overtime victory over Valparaiso in Pioneer Football League action Saturday at Brown Field.

The game was tied at 21-21 heading into overtime. Tanner Kuramata hauled in a four-yard pass for Valpo (1-9, 1-6 PFL) to put the Crusaders on top first, but Mike Pando missed the extra point and the Crusaders were tagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the touchdown, which gave Davidson (2-8, 2-5 PFL) the ball on the 13-yard line on its ensuing possession. A nine-yard pass to Funsten and a two-yard run by David Rogers gave the 'Cats the ball on the two, and quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff then found Funsten in the back-right corner for the game-tying score and Funsten's Davidson all-time record 20th touchdown reception.

Schick's extra point sealed the win.

"We really needed this," said Brett Hayford, following his first game as the interim head coach for Davidson. "I told the team before the game started that we were going to do everything we possibly could to win the football game. When you have a fake punt and a fake field goal on the first drive of the game, and they work, it got the guys really excited."

Carkhuff completed 37-of-56 pass attempts for 395 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for two touchdowns. Rogers caught a career-high eight passes for 87 yards and rushed for 37 yards (124 total) on 22 carries with one touchdown. Reese Williams caught a career-high 10 passes for a career–high 131 yards, and freshman Colby Everett rushed for a career-high 60 yards. Funsten finished with nine catches for 65 yards, the reception touchdown, and a 14-yard rushing touchdown on a fake field goal.

Eric Hoffman threw for 219 yards, completing 26-of-39 passing attempts for Valpo, with one touchdown pass to Kurmata. Ryan Lehr and Jake Hutson both rushed for touchdowns and Eric Slenk caught seven passes for 59 yards.

The Crusaders had to face a strong Wildcats defensive effort led by linebacker Patrick Moynahan and defensive back Adam Dulberger. Moynahan led the 'Cats with 13 tackles, while Dulberger had four key pass breakups and an interception to go along with seven tackles. Zack Clark also had two sacks.

The Wildcats rallied from a one-touchdown deficit after Valpo took a 21-14 lead on a 21-yard touchdown fumble recovery by Devan Gadson with 7:46 remaining in the third quarter. Davidson looked to tie the game after the interception by Dulberger at the Valpo 48, but after a 28-yard pass to Williams was spotted at the Valpo 1-yard line, the Wildcats botched a handoff on their second rushing attempt and Valpo's Alex Grask, who led all players with 15 tackles in the game, returned it 74 yards to the Davidson 22.

A Zack Clark sack and an offensive pass interference penalty pushed Valpo back 21 yards though and forced a punt that was downed at the Davidson six. Carkhuff then engineered a 10-play, 94-yard drive that he capped with a one-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown to tie the game at 21-21 with 13:50 remaining. A 28-yard passing play to Rogers and a 40-yard pass down the right sideline to William Morris keyed the drive.

Neither defense yielded for the remainder of regulation. Dulberger broke up a potential big gain for Valpo on 3rd-and-10 in the waning minutes to end the Crusaders' last offensive challenge.

While the game had a thrilling conclusion, it also got off to an exciting start. After receiving the opening kickoff, a fake punt and a fake field goal attempt keyed a 14-play, 87-yard touchdown drive for Davidson that consumed nearly half of the first quarter. Facing 4th-and-1 from their own 37, the 'Cats snapped to Everett, who burst through a seam for a 29-yard gain to the Valpo 34-yard line. Carkhuff completed 6-of-8 pass attempts, but the drive stalled out on 4th-and-8 at Valpo's 14. However, Funsten ran a fake as the holder, scampering around the left side and into the end zone for a touchdown.

Valpo tied the game with 2:27 remaining in the first quarter after Lehr punched the ball into the end zone from just a yard out immediately after breaking off a 38-yard run. Hutson then rushed for a touchdown from four yards out with 10:57 remaining in the half for a 14-7 Crusader lead.

After a 43-minute lightning delay, Valpo resumed from midfield on offense with 6:12 remaining in the first half, but Davidson stopped the Crusaders on 4th-and-less-than-a-yard to get the ball back with 3:09 remaining. A 29-yard pass to Williams gave Davidson the ball at Valpo's 2-yard line, and Carkhuff kept it himself on a one-yard run behind his center with 34 seconds remaining for his second career rushing touchdown, tying the game at 14-14.

The Wildcats set season highs in multiple categories on offense, running 90 plays for 512 yards (395 passing, 117 rushing) to Valpo's 310 yards (219 passing, 91 rushing).

Davidson will conclude the season Saturday at home in Richardson Stadium against San Diego at 1 p.m.

NOTES: Davidson went 2-3 in road games this season … Davidson is 7-1 all-time against Valpo … Moynahan needs six more tackles to equal the Davidson single-season record for tackles in a season (117) … Funsten extended his Davidson career records in receptions to 224 and receiving yards to 2686 … Funsten's rush attempt on the fake field goal was just the second of his career and the first since his sophomore season … the rushing touchdown was the first of Funsten's career, giving him 21 overall in his career … Carkhuff extended his record for completed passes to 832.

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