Davidson improves to 5-1 with victory against Jacksonville

Davidson scored six of the first seven times it had the ball and went on to beat Jacksonville 44-37 in a Pioneer Football League game Saturday at Richardson Stadium.

The victory was Davidson’s second consecutive PFL victory, improving to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the league. The Wildcats last won two consecutive conference games in 2007, which was also the last time the Wildcats won as many as five games in a season.

“Without question. We’re definitely ahead of schedule, but that’s a credit to our kids,” said Wildcats first-year coach Scott Abell. “From the day we got here, they bought in. … What you saw out there today is a product of what they’ve done since Jan. 1.”

The Wildcats snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Dolphins (1-3, 0-2) by rushing for 315 yards, led by Wesley Dugger’s 74 yards and James Story, who ran for 70 yards and three scores.

The Wildcats were dominant for three quarters and led 44-9 following a Pat Tabor 25-yard touchdown run midway through the second half before the Dolphins rallied for 28 fourth-quarter points — elusive quarterback Calvin Turner, Jr., scored on three runs – against mostly Davidson reserves.

“Through the first three quarters, we played about as well as we can play,” said Abell. “We got after them, we were more physical, we won the line of scrimmage.”

Davidson marched 79 yards in 12 plays on the game’s opening drive to set the tone and scored on a Story 4-yard run.

Jacksonville answered on the ensuing drive when running back Nicolas Garrett scored on a 9-yard run, but the Dolphins’ extra point snap was bobbled and the Wildcats’ Rayshawn McCall scooped up the loose football and raced the other way for two points for a 9-6 lead and momentum.

Jacksonville never pulled even.

“We got momentum on that play, and we ran with it,” said Abell. “That’s what you want your team to do.”

Davidson will host Morehead State (1-4, 0-2) in a PFL game at Richardson Stadium next Saturday at 1 p.m.