Davidson College
#4/10 Kennesaw State
Wildcats Ready for Round 1 FCS Playoff Game against Kennesaw State
11/24/2021 1:39:00 PM | Football
The game will be live streamed on ESPN+. Davidson fans can purchase tickets in the visiting team's block HERE.
| ROUND 1 – DAVIDSON AT KENNESAW STATE |
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021 | |
| Kickoff | 2:00 P.M. | |
| Location | Kennesaw, Ga. | |
| Stadium | Fifth Third Bank Stadium | |
| Capacity | 8,318 | |
| Game Notes | Davidson | PFL | Kennesaw St. | |
| #HashTag | #WE #TAC #CatsAreWild | |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast | |
| Live Audio | DavidsonWildcats.com | |
| Live Video | ESPN+ | |
| The Coach's Corner | Week 13 | |
| Social Media | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
THE SERIES
This is the first matchup in program history between Davidson and Kennesaw St.
ABOUT THOSE WILDCATS
The Wildcats have won their second-straight PFL title in just seven months after their win at home over Drake last week, making them the fifth different PFL program to win back-to-back titles. Over the spring and fall seasons of 2021, the Wildcats went 11-2 in PFL play, the best record of any Pioneer Football League team over that time.
Davidson finished the regular season ranked first in the country in rushing offense (348.4 ypg) and 3rd down conversion percentage (54.3%). The 'Cats rank second in time of possession, ninth in passing efficiency and tenth in the country in total offense (460.4 ypg).
In his four seasons at Davidson, Head Coach Scott Abell's offenses have finished best in the nation in rushing three times, and best in 3rd down conversion percentage two times. He has never finished outside of the top two in rushing or top five in 3rd down conversions. After finishing the regular season against Drake, Abell became the tenth head coach with 40 career games at Davidson. His career winning percentage of .650 ranks as the best among head coaches with 40 career games and is the only one in the group with a winning percentage above .500. Additionally, he is the only HC in Davidson football history with a win percentage over .600 who has coached more than 10 games.
The Wildcats are led by senior quarterback Louis Colosimo who has thrown for 953 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 434 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Dylan Sparks is just four yards shy of 800 rushing yards, averaging 79.6 yards a game with eight touchdowns. Senior RB Coy Williams leads the Wildcats with 14 rushing touchdowns, tied for seventh overall in the country. Junior slot Aris Hilliard is averaging 8.9 yards a carry, also contributing 8 scores on the ground for Davidson.
Defensively, senior LB Jake Alexander and sophomore DE Jonathan Hammond lead the Wildcats with 60 and 56 tackles respectively. Hammond sits 15th in the country with his 9.5 sacks. Three juniors - Yusef Thomas, Chris Panko and Brian Jacobs - all have two picks in a single game this season.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Big South Champion Kennesaw State finished second in the country behind Davidson in rushing offense (275.5 ypg). The Owls are led by sophomore quarterback Xavier Shepherd, who finished the regular season ranked first in the FCS in rushing touchdowns with 19, and set a new single-season school record with 14 passing touchdowns. He has thrown for 1,181 yards and leads the team in rushing with 836 yards. Defensively, Kennesaw State finished the regular season ranked first in the Big South in total defense, holding their opponents to 315 yards per game. Junior Evan Thompson led the team in tackles with 92 total, ranking him third in conference statistics. Travis Bell leads his team in sacks with four total.
The Owls have beaten two-ranked opponents including No. 17 Jacksonville State, 31-6, and Monmouth. Coach Brian Bohannon was named Big South Coach of the Year, Shepherd earned Offensive Player of the Season, senior kicker Nathan Robertson was named Special Teams Player of the Year, linebacker Garland Benyard earned Defensive Freshman of the Year, and the Owls had six players on the Big South's first team and four players on the second team.
'CATS IN THE FCS
Coy Williams: T-7th, Rushing TDs (14); T-11th, Total TDs (13); 37th, Rush Yards/Carry (5.41)
Jonathan Hammond: T-15th, Sacks (9.5)
Dylan Sparks: 47th, Rushing Yards (721); 53rd, Rush Yards/Carry (4.91)
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can connect directly with Davidson Football on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Davidson-Football), Twitter (@DavidsonFB) and Instagram (@DavidsonFootball). Head coach Scott Abell is on Twitter and can be found at @Scott_AbellFB.
THE COACH'S CORNER
Be sure to check out The Coach's Corner with Scott Abell every Monday powered by Atrium Health. Coach Abell will discuss the previous week and look ahead to the upcoming opponent, giving fans an inside look at the Wildcat football program.
