Football | 9/17/2021 5:27:00 PM
● The Panthers and Wildcats will be playing a rare non-conference game on Saturday at the Superior Dome. It will be the first time that Davenport has played another member of the GLIAC in a non-conference contest.
● The Panthers are 2-1 in the all-time series against Northern Michigan dating back to the 2017 season. The Wildcats won that first meeting 24-14 in Marquette but DU has won the last two meetings. Davenport won 31-30 in overtime on Sept. 29, 2018 and 21-7 on Sept. 21, 2019. The last meeting took place in Marquette and NMU did not score until 1:21 left in the game. The Panthers held Northern Michigan to 52 rushing yards and 206 total yards. All three of DU's touchdown came on the ground including two by Michael Catching and one more by Keion Powers.
Deondre Ford completed 17-of-30 passes for 184 yards. The DU defense recorded 13 tackles for loss and three sacks.
● Davenport is playing their second straight road game in the middle of a four-game road stretch. The Panthers are 11-11 in road games during their history including 9-4 over the last three-plus seasons after last Saturday's 10-6 win at Walsh.
● Northern Michigan is 1-1 overall with a win over McKendree (27-20) and last week's 28-10 loss to NCAA Division III No. 9 Wisconsin-Oshkosh at home. Oshkosh gained 359 total yards and held the Wildcats to 193 total yards. NMU was hindered by 127 penalty yards and 2-of-9 on third down.
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Blake Daniels got his first start for the Panthers at Walsh in the win. Daniels led the team with 70 rushing yards on nine carries and also completed six passes for 65 yards with a pair of interceptions. For Daniels, it was his first signifcant game action since Nov. 3, 2018 when he threw for 165 yards and two scores at Ferris State.
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Deondre Ford completed a pair of touchdown passes to
Roy Livingstone in the opener against Truman State and that marked the fifth time in his career he has thrown multiple touchdowns in a contest. Ford is inching closer to the 2,000 career passing yards plateau and enters Saturday with 1,905 yards through the air.
● The Panthers found their ground game at Walsh and rushed for 250 yards on 43 carries (5.8 average per carry). It was the second best rushing total in school history behind 386 yards against McKendree on Oct. 14, 2017.
● The Panthers distributed the ball well on the ground at Walsh. Eight different players had at least one carry and three were above 50 yards including
Jaier Harden (54),
Kyshawn Richards (65), and
Blake Daniels (70). Harden's 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter was set up by an on-side kickoff that was recovered by DU in Walsh territory.
● The special teams play a key role in a close defensive-minded game like the one last Saturday.
Kyle Wojahn brought his best with five punts that averaged 46.4 yards per punt including a 61-yarder. His average for the game set a new school record and his 61-yard punt was third best in school history.
Bryan Plegue also contributed with a 39-yard field goal in his only attempt while one of his two kickoffs was a touchback. He also had a kickoff positioned perfect for what turned out to be an on-side kick as DU recovered to start the second half.
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