Davidson College
1-2
VMI
1-2
Morris’ Career Day for Davidson Spoiled by VMI
9/13/2014 6:03:00 PM | Football
LEXINGTON, Va. – Davidson junior wide receiver William Morris caught a career-high 16 passes for 208 yards, but miscues proved costly as VMI defeated the Wildcats, 52-24, in non-conference football action Saturday in Foster Stadium.
Morris' 16 catches were one shy of the single-game Davidson (1-2) record of 17, shared by Mike Mikolayunas '70 and Lanny Funsten '13, and his 208 yards ranked as the fifth-most in a single game in Davidson history. Likewise, senior quarterback J.P. Douglas also enjoyed a career day, as he completed 28 of 41 passing attempts for 317 yards – all career highs – and threw one touchdown to Morris along with one interception when he was hit as he threw.
Junior running back David Rogers gained 103 yards on 10 rushes with two touchdowns, helping Davidson rack up 531 yards of offense, it's most since racking up 566 against Johnson C. Smith in 2011.
However, VMI (1-2) started fast and made big plays to maintain the lead throughout the contest, gaining 597 yards of offense. Davidson was only able to come away with one field goal in three red zone trips in the first half, and surrendered a pair of turnovers in the second half to nullify promising drives.
The Keydets also boasted a 200-plus yard receiver, as Aaron Sanders hauled in 10 passes for 215 yards, while quarterback Al Cobb completed 18-of-25 passes for 338 yards and a touchdown. Jabari Turner gained 91 yards on 12 rushes with three touchdowns, while Deon Watts added 97 yards on 15 carries with both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
Trailing by three touchdowns at halftime, Davidson made it a two-score game by completing a six-play, 84-yard drive to open the second half with back-to-back completions to Morris. Douglas connected with him on a 30-yard play, and then found him again for a 26-yard touchdown, pulling the 'Cats closer at 24-10.
The Keydets answered with two quick touchdowns though - a rushing touchdown by Turner and a blocked punt by return for a touchdown after a three-and-out by the 'Cats offense – which gave them a commanding 38-10 lead with 9:29 left in the third quarter. Watts added a touchdown with 4:35 remaining in the third for VMI's largest lead of the game, before Rogers scored on a 15-yard rush to make it a 45-17 game at the end of the third. Each team added a touchdown in the fourth, with Rogers scoring again for Davidson.
VMI started the scoring on its second possession of the game, as Turner turned the corner on a rush right and scampered 38 yards down the sideline for a touchdown midway through the first quarter. A 49-yard pass to Sanders keyed VMI's next possession, and Turner completed it on a one-yard touchdown run with 3:58 left in the first.
The 'Cats' offense started to click in the second quarter as they took advantage of good field position at their own 47 to move into field goal range, but the attempt sailed wide right, and VMI answered with a field goal for a 17-0 advantage.
The Wildcats reached the VMI six on their next possession after three double-digit gains by Morris, and settled for a Trevor Smith field goal with 7:08 remaining in the second for their first score.
Watts capped a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with a touchdown reception with 3:33 remaining in the half. Davidson tried to make it a two-score game before the half closed, but its 15-play, 60-yard drive stalled at the VMI 16, and the field goal attempt sailed wide right.
Davidson will open its conference slate next Saturday at 1 p.m., hosting Morehead State for homecoming.
Team Stats
DAV 0, VMI 7
VMI - Jabari Turner 38 yd run (D. Christopher kick), 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:24
DAV 0, VMI 14
VMI - Jabari Turner 1 yd run (D. Christopher kick), 5 plays, 81 yards, TOP 2:27
DAV 0, VMI 17
VMI - D. Christopher 24 yd field goal 7 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:45
DAV 3, VMI 17
DAV - Trevor Smith 23 yd field goal 11 plays, 71 yards, TOP 3:32
DAV 3, VMI 24
VMI - Deon Watts 12 yd pass from Al Cobb (D. Christopher kick) 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:35
DAV 10, VMI 24
DAV - William Morris 26 yd pass from J.P. Douglas (Trevor Smith kick) 6 plays, 84 yards, TOP 1:56
DAV 10, VMI 31
VMI - Jabari Turner 2 yd run (D. Christopher kick), 7 plays, 59 yards, TOP 3:00
DAV 10, VMI 38
VMI - Chris Copeland 3 yd blocked punt return (D. Christopher kick)
DAV 10, VMI 45
VMI - Deon Watts 1 yd run (D. Christopher kick), 5 plays, 36 yards, TOP 0:47
DAV 17, VMI 45
DAV - David Rogers 15 yd run (Trevor Smith kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:30
DAV 17, VMI 52
VMI - Doug Burton 26 yd pass from Hayden Alford (D. Christopher kick) 10 plays, 96 yards, TOP 4:13
DAV 24, VMI 52
DAV - David Rogers 1 yd run (Trevor Smith kick), 11 plays, 64 yards, TOP 4:26
