Mari Adams showcased an impressive performance with three rushing touchdowns while Luke Durkin contributed two touchdown passes, leading Davidson to a commanding 70-48 victory over Stetson in their recent matchup. This win elevated the Wildcats’ record to 3-1 within the Pioneer Football League as they bounced back from a close 16-14 defeat against Dayton the previous week. The victory also marked Davidson’s 15th home win out of their last 16 Pioneer Football League games since 2020.
The high-scoring game saw an astounding 102 points combined and a total of 1,060 yards of offense. Davidson’s running game was particularly potent, amassing 411 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Adams, who was already leading the league in rushing with 749 yards, added to his tally with 135 yards on just 13 carries, featuring touchdown runs of 16, 20, and 54 yards. In addition to his rushing performance, Durkin made a significant impact by running for a touchdown and connecting with Brody Reina for a 34-yard touchdown pass, followed by another touchdown pass of 28 yards to Aaron Maione, marking Davidson’s final touchdown of the game.
The Wildcats started strong with a quick 21-0 lead, but the Hatters responded with a 43-yard touchdown throw from Brady Meitz to Fabian Baez and a subsequent 28-yard touchdown pass to Aanjay Feliciano from Trip Maxwell, narrowing the score to 35-21 by halftime. Meitz connected with Baez once more to kick off the second half, bringing Stetson within a touchdown at 35-28. However, Davidson quickly surged ahead again, scoring five touchdowns in the third quarter, including a notable 21-yard interception return for a touchdown by John Tessmann.
Durkin completed 6 of 8 passing attempts for 146 yards, while teammate Andrew Frazier was a perfect 6-for-6 with 108 yards. On the other side of the field, Meitz had a challenging day, completing 16 of 30 passes for 280 yards, including three touchdowns but also threw one interception. Maxwell, who stepped in as well, was 7 of 14 for 156 yards, also throwing three touchdown passes alongside one interception. Stetson’s aerial attack clocked in at 436 passing yards, but they struggled on the ground, managing only 54 rushing yards throughout the game.