Game Leaders
Team Stats
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Time of Poss.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson College raced to a 42-7 halftime lead and cruised to a 42-21 Homecoming football win over visiting NCAA Division III member Guilford College. The Wildcats recorded six sacks and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in their first game with the Quakers since 1999.
Davidson, an NCAA Division I-Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member, scored on six straight possessions to take a 42-7 halftime lead. Quarterback Tyler Phelps ran for the game's opening score and threw two second-quarter touchdowns. He completed an 87-yard touchdown pass to William Wicks and a 19-yard scoring strike to Pat Tabor in Davidson's 35-point second quarter. Tabor also blocked a Guilford second-quarter punt, which teammate Austin Wells scooped up and ran 28 yards for a score.
The Quakers got on the board 3:44 before halftime when Karsten Miller hit a leaping Montek Johnson from 26 yards out. Guilford had another good scoring chance on its previous series, but a fourth-down pass from Davidson's 11-yard line fell incomplete. The Wildcats held the Quakers to -12 rushing yards in the first half and limited Guilford to three-of-17 on third-down conversions for the game.
With Davidson content to run the ball on 25-of-27 second-half plays, Guilford kept plugging away and scored twice. Miller connected with his brother, Khylil, on a 59-yard score early in the fourth quarter to account for the Quakers' second score. Karsten found Khylil on a 33-yard fourth-down completion on Guilford's next drive, which set up De'Eric Bell's one-yard touchdown run, the 21st of his career.
Guilford's second-half effort resulted in the Quakers outgaining the Wildcats for the game, 406-385. Karsten Miller finished with 373 passing yards and two touchdowns, his third straight game with at least 350 passing yards. Khylil was his favorite target as the rookie made seven grabs for a game-high 192 yards and a score. His 192 receiving yards rank 13th in Guilford's single-game history.
Davidson's Phelps completed 20-of-30 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Wicks finished with seven grabs for 171 yards and a score. Wesley Dugger (64 yards, TD) and Keylan Brown (59 yards, TD) keyed Davidson's rushing game, which yielded 139 yards. Aaron Braswell's five tackles paced a defensive effort that substituted liberally. Bryce Perry-Martin had 1.5 sacks among his 2.5 tackles for loss and T.J. Elliott forced and recovered a Bell fumble in the third quarter, the game's lone turnover.
Julian Cuthbertson made a game-high nine tackles for the Quakers.
Following a bye week, Guilford visits another Jacksonville University, another Division I-FCS member, September 30.