WEEK 10: Wildcats Head West for Matchup with San Diego

Saturday, November 2

San Diego, Calif.

1:00 PM (PT) / 4:00 PM (ET)

Davidson College

San Diego

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

WEEK 10: Wildcats Head West for Matchup with San Diego

10/31/2024 10:11:00 AM | Football

Watch Listen Live Stats Game Notes DavidsonPhotos.com

GAME 9 | NOV. 2, 2024 | 1:00 PM (PT) / 4:00 PM (ET) | TORERO STADIUM (6,000) | SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

DAVIDSON WILDCATS
2024 Record: 5-3 (3-2 PFL)
2023 Record: 7-4 (6-2 PFL)
Head Coach: Scott Abell
Davidson Record (Yrs): 46-26 (7)
Career Record (Yrs): 85-50 (13)

SAN DIEGO TOREROS
2024 Record: 4-3 (2-2 PFL)
2023 Record: 4-7 (4-4 PFL)
Head Coach: Brandon Moore
San Diego Record: 8-10 (2)
Career Record: 21-13 (3)

INSIDE THE SERIES
Meetings: 19
Series Record: San Diego leads, 14-5
First Meeting: Davidson Won, 27-13 (10/14/00)
Last Meeting: Davidson Won, 55-33 (9/30/23)
Streak: Won 1
In Davidson: 2-8
In San Diego: 6-3
Abell vs. San Diego: 3-3

1ST AND 10

Davidson enters 5-3 overall and 3-2 in league play following a 48-38 setback to Butler last weekend.
The Wildcats are one win away from their seventh straight winning season.
Mari Adams is just 13 rushing yards shy of becoming just the fourth player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
In addition to leading the league in every rushing category, Adams ranks among FCS National leaders in rushing yards (987 / 5th), rushing yards per game (123.4 / 4th), yards per carry (7.42 / 4th) and rushing touchdowns (13 / 4th).
Despite the setback, junior wide receiver Brody Reina is coming off a career-best 118 yards to go along with one touchdown against the Bulldogs.
The 'Cats are 34-16 in PFL play under Head Coach Scott Abell, while capturing two regular season crowns and making three FCS Playoff appearances.
Davidson, which has possessed the nation's top rushing offense five of the last six seasons, leads all of FCS in 2024 averaging 337.6 yards per game.
The Wildcats also rank among FCS national leaders in total offense (480.8 / 5th), scoring offense (40.9 / 3rd), passing efficiency (167.32 / 8th) and time of possession (34:36 / 3rd).

INSIDE THE SERIES

Despite winning three of the last four, Davidson trails the all-time series with San Diego, 14-5.
The Wildcats won last year's meeting in Davidson, 55-33.
In the Spring of 2021 (CoVID), the Wildcats ended San Diego's 39-game conference winning streak with a 31-25 victory on the road en route to their first of two straight PFL titles.

LAST TIME OUT | BUTLER 48, DAVIDSON 38 -- OCT. 26, 2024 |DAVIDSON, N.C.

Unable to overcome a fast start by Butler, Davidson suffered a 48-38 setback in Pioneer Football League action Saturday afternoon on Field 76.
Trailing 14-0 early, Davidson got to within one score on separate occasions in the opening half, including 21-17 following a John Tessmann interception that set up Mari Adams' second score of the game.
Just prior to the half, Griffin Caldwell scored from 13 yards out to give the Bulldogs a 28-17 lead at the break.
Adams, who finished with 109 yards on the ground, got the 'Cats on the board with a four-yard run late in the opening quarter.
Butler would carry the momentum into the third quarter stretching the margin to 38-17 with a short field goal and rushing touchdown on consecutive drives.
Davidson's second-half touchdowns came off Luke Durkin passes to Jaleel Sales (15 yards) and Brody Reina (33 yards) and Andrew Frazier 28-yard hook up with Ivan Hoyt.
Durkin finished the day 9-of-14 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, while Reina had five catches for 118 yards.
In addition to his second pick in as many games, Tessmann led the Wildcats' defense with nine tackles.

LAST MEETING | DAVIDSON 55, SAN DIEGO 33 -- SEPT. 30, 2023 |DAVIDSON, N.C.

Davidson used a multi-faceted rushing attack and a second-half scoring surge to cruise past Pioneer Football League rival San Diego 55-33 Sept. 30, 2023 at Smith Field and Richardson Stadium.
Davidson, which had three 100-yard rushers, turned a 17-16 halftime lead into a 52-19 advantage by the 9:19 mark of the fourth quarter.
Running back Mari Adams led the ground attack, running 14 times for 169 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Coulter Cleland ran six times for 130 yards, and running back Mason Sheron ran 10 times for 114 yards and two scores.
In all, the Wildcats finished with 449 yards on the ground and 557 yards of total offense.
The only difference in the first half was a missed point after attempt by the Toreros' kicker Aiden Lehman as the 'Cats went to the break up, 17-16.
After Davidson took the game's first possession 80-yards on 11 plays, capped by an Adams' 12-yard touchdown run, San Diego answered with a 75-yard scoring drive to make it 7-6.
Trailing 13-10, the 'Cats went back in front 17-13 with 8:50 left in the second quarter on Mason Sheron's fifth rushing score of the season, before Lehman added a 32-yard field goal to close the half.
Davidson took control of the back-and-forth contest on the first possession of the third quarter when linebacker John Tessmann forced a fumble that was recovered by Sabin McLaughlin. Shortly after, Adams took a 3rd-and-12 handoff 38 yards for his second touchdown of the day.
Not to be outdone, his backfield mate Sheron went 78 yards untouched for his second score.
Following a San Diego 38-yard field goal to make it 31-19, the Wildcats put the game out of reach with four-yard runs from Adams and Will Cox followed by a 66-yard scamper from Adams.
Defensively, the Wildcats held the Toreros to just 63 yards rushing, while finishing with a season-high six sacks. Jonathan Hammond and Daniel Carter paced Davidson with six tackles each.