• The 13th-ranked Davenport football team will be making their first trip to the state of North Dakota on Saturday covering 889 miles one-way to take on the Marauders of the University of Mary. It will be the Panthers final non-conference game of the season and they have gone 3-0 so far outscoring their opponents by a margin of 110-63. It will be the only non-conference road game in 2023 for Davenport but they have had no problems so far away from Grand Rapids. They are 2-0 and have allowed just three points in eight quarters of football. The Panthers have reached a national ranking of No. 13 which ties for the highest ranking in school history. They began last season at 8-0 and were ranked No. 13 going into the Ferris State game on Nov. 5, 2022. Davenport is currently one of 15 NCAA Division II schools that are undefeated in 2023.
• This will be the first meeting between the schools and also the first time that DU will play against a team from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Davenport is fresh off a 32-3 win at Wayne State to even that all-time series at 3-3. It was the second straight win over the Warriors and after last year's 47-43 win in Caledonia, it was a much different defensive effort holding Wayne State to three points. The previous low point total in the series was 14 for the Warriors back on Oct. 6, 2018 also in Detroit. The Panthers set a single-game record with five interceptions in the contest including two by Tyee Martin. They also set a season-high with seven sacks for a loss of 23 yards. In addition, DU recorded a safety for the first time in two years on a bad snap over the punter's head midway through the third quarter.
• UMary is searching for their first win of the season and are 0-3 at home. They ran into a tough team last Saturday at Minnesota-Duluth on the road. The Marauders lost 46-0 and finished with nine first downs and 98 total yards. UMD gained 504 yards including 328 yards on the ground. They scored five touchdowns through the air on just 16 completions for the contest. UMary used three quarterbacks as Sofian Massoud went 10-of-13 for 64 yards with no TD's or INT's.

• With the win last Saturday over Wayne State, the Davenport football program jumped over the .500 mark all-time at 37-36. Head Coach Sparky McEwen has built a top-notch program that since 2022 has compiled a record of 14-3. Those three losses have come against two-time defending national champion Ferris State twice last year and perennial powerhouse Grand Valley State. McEwen is his seventh year at the helm is now 31-31 as the head coach turning around a program that went 1-10 in his first year in 2017.

• Myren Harris went over 100 rushing yards for the fifth straight game versus Wayne State with 19 carries for a single-game record 161 yards against his former team. He continues to lead the GLIAC in rush yards per carry (7.4), rushing yards (759), and rushing yards per game (126.5). Harris through six games has already broke the single-season rushing record at DU previously set by Seth Acda (581) in 2018. His 103 carries is currently fourth in a season and he has four carries of over 35-plus yards this season including a 53-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against WSU.
• The secondary has proven to be ball hawks after coming into the season with a lot of fresh faces. The Panthers have 13 interceptions this season which is one shy of the school record set in 2016 during the inaugural season of Panther football. There are nine different players with at least one interception and Tyee Martin leads the team with three picks. Davenport ranks third in NCAA Division II in interceptions and is one shy of the national lead of 14 by New Haven and Central Missouri.
• The unsung heroes are the offensive linemen who have paved the way for the 22nd-ranked rushing attack in Division II averaging 202.7 yards per game. Even more impressive has been the pass protection which ranks third nationally and first in the GLIAC allowing just three sacks on 168 pass attempts this season.
• The Davenport defense once again has been one of the best in NCAA Division II. The unit ranks 16th nationally in third down conversions (28.6 percent), 11th in first downs allowed (90), fourth in rushing defense (56.7 yards per game), and fourth in tackles for loss (9.8 per game).
• Brandon Gielow was named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. He tied his own school record with three field goals in the win at Wayne State. He also connected on three extra points to give him 12 points, which also ties the school record for points in a game by a kicker. He currently has 104 career points, which ranks third in school history and first among kickers. Gielow is now 5-for-6 this season in field goals and that percentage leads the GLIAC.
• Caleef Jenkins did not score on the ground for the first time after four straight games reaching the end zone against Wayne State. However, he reached a career milestone in the win as he carried nine times for 49 yards and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his career. He now has 280 carries for 1,048 yards and 16 touchdowns. This season, he has six rushing touchdowns which ranks in a three-way tie for first in the GLIAC alongside Carson Gulker of Ferris State and Tariq Reid of GVSU.

Live Video - (NSIC Network)

Live Stats

Live Audio Stream (96.1 The Game with Rick Berkey and Ryan Thompson)

Complete Game Notes