WATCH/LISTEN Football vs. Stetson

Davidson Wildcats (1-7, 0-4 PFL) vs. Stetson Hatters (2-5, 0-3 PFL)

Date: Oct. 25 - 1:00 p.m.

Site: Stephen B. Smith Field at Richardson Stadium (4,500 capacity) - Davidson, N.C.

Like Davidson Football on Facebook | Follow Davidson Football on Twitter | VOTE FOR DAN CASEY

4 Downs
1st - The 1 p.m., Saturday afternoon game at Richardson Stadium begins the 'Cats final homestand of the season, which will be be split by Davidson's lone bye week.

2nd - David Fisher '70 will be presented with the Hendrix Award between the first and second quarters. The Hendrix Award is presented annually to a Davidson football letterman who, by the use of lessons learned on the playing field, has gone on to achieve outstanding success in his chosen profession.

3rd - Although Davidson is 0-4 in PFL play, three of those losses have been by an average of five points.

4th - WR William Morris ranks first in the nation in receptions (63), second in the nation in receiving yards (870) and 16th in receiving.

A Davidson win would . . .
• Snap a seven-game overall losing streak
• Snap a 13-game PFL losing streak
• Be the first over Stetson since 1956
• Give Davidson a 4-2 all-time series lead over Stetson

The Series
• The series began in 1912 with Stetson earning a 21-6 victory over the Wildcats in Davidson, but the two teams did not meet again for another 42 years. Davidson and Stetson played in three straight seasons from 1954-56 with Davidson winning all three.
• Stetson played just four more games following its defeat at Davidson in 1956 before discontinuing its program.
• The Hatters returned to the gridiron last season, earning its first-ever PFL win over Davidson, 26-13.
• David Rogers' touchdown run with 4:07 remaining in the second quarter gave Davidson a 6-0 lead, but Stetson halved the margin before the end of the half and opened the second half with a touchdown drive for a 9-6 lead. The Wildcats would not get any closer for the remainder of the game.

Scouting Stetson
• Stetson enters at 2-5 overall and is 0-3 in Pioneer Football League contests.
• Stetson's offense ranks ninth in the PFL, while its defense ranks seventh. Davidson ranks fourth and 10th, respectively.
• The Hatters were picked to finish ninth in the PFL preseason poll, while Davidson was picked 10th.
• Donald Payne leads the PFL and ranks 11th in the country with 10.9 tackles per game.

Signs of Improvement
• The Wildcats have shown progress this season despite some heartbreaking setbacks.
• In its first two PFL games, Davidson had opportunities to force overtime on its last regulation possession both times. It was unsuccessful against Morehead State, losing by eight, but went to quintuple overtime against Dayton before losing by six. Most recently against Campbell, Davidson led from its opening drive until the final minute.
• Davidson's 32 points against Morehead State were its most in a PFL game since 2009, and its 48 against Dayton were its most since 2007.
• The 'Cats are averaging 149.9 yards per game rushing so far this season after averaging just 88.2 last season. The rate is sixth in the PFL.
• If Davidson were to maintain that average, it would be its highest since 1999 (188.6). In fact, the Wildcats have not averaged over 100 yards per game throughout an entire season since 2009.
• Davidson finished dead last in the PFL in scoring last season, only averaging 14.0 points per game, but the 'Cats are currently third in the league and 58th in the country averaging 28.1 points per game.

Rankings Leaders
• Davidson has been strong offensively to rank third in the PFL in scoring (28.1) and rank fourth in yardage (386.4 per game). The Wildcats have also totaled a league-best 183 first downs, which ranks 8th in the FCS.
• Nationally, WR William Morris ranks first in FCS in receptions with 63, second with 870 receiving yards and 16th with six receiving touchdowns. He leads the PFL in each of those categories.
• Morris is the only FCS player with two 12+ reception games this season (16 at VMI, 15 vs. Dayton).
• LB Matt Casey ranks third in the PFL with 9.0 tackles per game.
• KR Austin Wells ranks fourth in the PFL and 68th nationally with 20.6 yards per return.

William Morris Milestone Watch
• In addition to being one of the nation's top receivers this season, William Morris is on pace to rewrite the Davidson record books.
• He caught his 100th career reception at VMI (9/13) as part of a 16-catch performance.
• Morris broke onto the Top 10 list for receptions at Princeton with six.
• Morris broke onto the Top 10 list for receiving yards in a career and moved up to ninth in receptions with a 15-catch, 158-yard performance against Dayton (10/4/14), passing Davidson Hall of Famer Mike Mikolayunas '71.
• With 11 career TD receptions, Morris needs two more to move into the Top 10.
• Receiving Yards in a Career (53 to next)
1.   2770   Lanny Funsten (229-2770)   2009-12
2.   2220   Ryan Hubbard (153-2220)      2004-07
3.   2215   Brett Dioguardi (154-2215)   2003-06
4.   2157   Barrett Johnson (147-2157)   2000-03
5.   2154   Mike Kelly (162-2154)        1967-69
6.   2125   Gifford Piercy (109-2125)   1977-80
7.   2072 William Morris (140-272)   2012-pres.
• Receptions in a Career (7 to next)
1.    229 Lanny Funsten (229-2770)   2009-12
2.    179 Mike Mikolayunas (179-1830) 1968-70
3.    162 Mike Kelly (162-2154)    1967-69
4.    158 George Hannen (158-1948)     1967-69
5.    154 Brett Dioguardi (154-2215)   2003-06
6.    153 Ryan Hubbard (153-2220) 2004-07
7.    147 Barrett Johnson (147-2157) 2000-03
8.    140 William Morris (140-272)   2012-pres.

Kicking It
• After missing three out of his first four field goal attempts, freshman K Trevor Smith has converted six out of his last seven tries, including a 44-yarder that forced overtime against Dayton.
• He is perfect on 22 consecutive PATs so far. The Davidson record is 38 by Brian Langley (1997-98).

Tremendous Trey
• Huelskamp already has a career-high 33 catches for 322 yards through eight games this season after totaling 17 catches for 182 yards in 11 games last season. He caught 28 passes for 228 yards as a freshman.
• He caught his first career touchdown pass at Campbell (10/18).
• In a loss at Princeton, Huelskamp led the Wildcats in receiving, setting career highs with nine catches for 82 yards.
• Huelskamp was one of four FCS Tight End Performer of the Week honorable mentions recognized by the College Football Performance Awards for games played through Sept. 27.

Fourth-Down Fortunes
• Davidson has converted 13-of-19 fourth downs (68.4%) to rank second in the PFL and 18th in the nation.
• The 'Cats have converted their last eight, going 3-for-3 at Drake (10/11) and 5-for-5 against Dayton (10/4).

Young 'Cats
• The team is very young, with 36 freshmen and just 25 upper-classmen (9 seniors, 16 juniors.) It's the largest freshman class since the 'Cats also had 36 in 2009.
• Of the 22 slots on the offensive two-deep, 12 are occupied by underclassmen (5 sophomores, 7 freshmen), while 16 (9 sophomores and 7 freshmen) are listed on the defensive side. Seven of 12 specialists slots are filled by freshmen.

Honorary Captain
• Ashton Loyd '93 is the team's honorary captain for this week.
• Loyd was a four-year letterwinner and starter on the offensive line and a two-year team captain. He also sang the national anthem before football and basketball games, as he will prior to the Stetson game.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Matt Casey

William Morris

David Rogers

Trevor Smith

Austin Wells

Upcoming Events

Recent Results