GAME COVERAGE (Saturday, Nov. 3, 1 p.m. kickoff / Top Taggart Field / Big Rapids, Mich.)
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LAST WEEK
Davenport ran into a very physically-imposing Ashland Eagle squad at home to end the month of October. The Panthers dropped their third straight game and lost by double figures for the first time this season by a 31-6 margin. Ashland and Davenport entered the game as two of the top defenses in Division II, but in the end it was Ashland that put up the better numbers. DU mustered a season-low 149 total yards including 55 rushing yards on 33 carries. The Eagles on the flip side rushed for 191 yards on 44 carries and three scores and totaled 340 yards. Ashland entered the game with five turnovers all season and DU forced three turnovers with two fumbles and one interception. The bad news was that DU could not score off any of those miscues. Ashland scored on defense with a fumble recovery in the end zone that gave them a 14-6 lead late in the first quarter.
Haiden Majewski scored the lone points for the Panthers on a 30-yard scamper up the middle of the field on the read option, his longest rush of the season. That score made it 7-6 in favor of the Eagles with 4:43 left in the first quarter. The Eagles scored the final 24 points of the game and did a good job of controlling the clock. DU entered the game having had the advantage in this category in all but one game, but Ashland had the biggest margin against DU with 7:54 more possession. The third quarter was pivotal as Ashland put together a 12-play, 78-yard drive lasting 7:01 to take a 21-6 lead. All 12 plays during the drive came on the ground. AU took over again late in the third quarter and then commenced a drive of 15 plays and 54 yards lasting 6:35 which ended in a 28-yard Satchel Denton field goal for a 24-6 lead. The Eagles concluded the scoring in the fourth as Ronald Lee rushed for nine yards to paydirt with 7:25 left in the contest. Billy Bahl found Stanley Jackson Jr. on a 53-yard strike to set up the final score. Ashland recorded six sacks, the most given up by DU in a game in 2018.
FERRIS STATE SERIES
In the only meeting between the two teams, No. 12 Ferris State downed Davenport 26-0 at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex back on November 4, 2017. The Bulldogs were in the position of going to backup quarterback Travis Russell after Reggie Bell was injured early in the game. Russell answered the call with 121 rushing yards with one TD and 103 passing yards and another TD. The Bulldogs carried 46 times for 215 yards and three scores. Davenport rushed 35 times for 73 yards. Zach Sieler led Ferris State with 10 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. Davenport was led by
Kye Black and
C.J. Thornton with 11 tackles. Black was a monster with four tackles for loss including a sack. After misfiring on their first six drives, Ferris State would score touchdowns on four of their final eight possessions. Davenport was forced to punt 10 times in the contest while two drives ended in interception and two more ended on downs. Ferris State ended the game 6-for-18 on third down while the Panthers were 2-for-16. Dion Earls had a 22-yard TD run in the second quarter. Keyondre Craig also had a 15-yard TD catch from Russell early in the fourth quarter.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
These two teams have shown the ability to get off the field on third down this season. Ferris State is fifth nationally (25.8%) and Davenport is eighth nationally (26.4%) in this category. The Bulldogs have been very opportunistic on defense with three touchdowns this season and are ninth nationally. One thing both teams will want to clean up is penalties. These two teams are the most penalized in the GLIAC. DU is averaging 87 yards and FSU is averaging 82 yards on yellow flags each game. This matchup features two of the top three rushing defenses in the GLIAC. The Bulldogs are third allowing 110.2 yards while DU is second at 101.8 yards per game ranking 19th nationally. The big question will be whether the Davenport defense can slow down the high-potent Ferris State offense. FSU is averaging 40.8 points (11th nationally) and 520.9 yards (5th nationally) per game. Davenport is yielding 18.3 points (20th nationally) and 242.1 yards (4th nationally) per game.
Complete Game Notes
