Lenoir-Rhyne Spoils Davidson Football Home Opener, 34-18

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Behind the Scenes Video (Coming Soon) | Highlights | Radio Interview

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns, but Lenoir-Rhyne gained 419 yards on the ground in a 34-18 victory over the Wildcats Saturday night on Stephen B. Smith Field at Richardson Stadium.

Davidson (0-2) trailed by five at halftime, but Lenoir-Rhyne (1-1) added 17 more points in the second half and held the Wildcats to just one more touchdown.

Carkhuff completed 27-of-46 attempts without an interception for Davidson (0-2), but was sacked six times. Over half of his completions went to Reese Williams and William Morris, who caught eight and seven passes, respectively, and had a touchdown each. All of Williams' receptions, which went for 106 yards, came in the first half. Morris enjoyed a career day with 119 yards receiving.

In addition to scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns, Lenoir-Rhyne (1-1) also scored touchdowns on a kickoff return and on one of two completed passes. Isiah Whitaker led the triple-option ground attack with 105 yards on 21 attempts and scored one touchdown. Quarterback Miles Freeman gained 87 yards on 17 attempts and also scored a touchdown, while Jarrod Spears averaged 11.7 yards per carry on seven attempts to total 82 yards, and also returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

Defensively, Wildcats linebackers Matt Casey, Ben Prater and Dan Casey set career highs for tackles with 13, 11, and nine, respectively. Defensive back Myles Atkins also set a career high with 10 stops. Myer Nolan led the Bears with nine stops, while Tanner Botts made eight tackles and broke up two passes. Jimmy Long had two sacks.

The game got off to a fast start as Davidson received the kickoff and then drove 75 yards on seven plays in two minutes, 45 seconds for a touchdown. Robert Klein gained 24 yards on three rushes, while Carkhuff was a perfect 4-for-4 passing, connecting with Williams for a 20-yard touchdown.

The Bears answered by blocking the extra point before Spears returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a 7-6 Lenoir-Rhyne lead. L-R reached the Davidson 1-yardline on its first offensive possession, but a pair of false starts and a Davidson defensive stand held the Bears to a field goal with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter.

Lenoir-Rhyne took a 17-6 lead early in the second quarter, as James Phillips was left all alone in the middle of the field for a 47-yard reception touchdown from Freeman. It was the Bears' lone completion of the half, as they made just four passing attempts. Freeman finished with two completions for 89 yards.

Davidson closed the gap late in the half as a 46-yard pass completion to Tim Hines moved the 'Cats from their own 27 to L-R's 27. A 17-yard pass to Morris gave Davidson 1st-and-goal from the 10, and he scored his first-career touchdown on a quick third-down pass from the 8-yardline. The 'Cats failed to convert a two-point conversion though, and went to the locker room down 17-12.

Lenoir-Rhyne scored the first two touchdowns of the second half, as Freeman rushed from six yards out for a touchdown on the first drive after the break, and Whitaker rushed into the endzone from seven yards out early in the fourth quarter for a 31-12 lead.

Davidson responded on the next possession, covering 79 yards on just four plays. A 46-yard completion to Morris set up a 26-yard touchdown pass to Martel Campbell, who was left uncovered in the back of the end zone. The 'Cats' two-point conversion attempt failed, but kicker Chris Gorman recovered his own onside-kick attempt to give Davidson another chance to close the gap. However, the Bears held Davidson to a three-and-out and added a 47-yard field goal for the final margin.

Davidson will face another regional foe Saturday, as the Wildcats will take on Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte at 2 p.m. The 'Cats will not return home to Richardson Stadium until Oct. 12 versus Drake.

Notes: Reese Williams (offense), Colin Merrill (defense), James Gessner (special teams) and Caleb Krause (honorary) served as Davidson's captains for the game, while alum John Giles '68 served as an honorary captain … Carkhuff became the first Wildcat to surpass 900 career completions … Carkhuff surpassed 350 yards passing for the seventh time in his career … Carkhuff's total of 374 yards passing ranks as the ninth-most in a single Davidson game … Martel Campbell's touchdown reception was the first of his career … Attendance was 5,317.

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