HOUGHTON, Mich. – The three phases of football all played a part in the fourth straight road win for the Davenport football team on Saturday in a 24-20 victory at Michigan Tech. The Panthers (4-2, 1-1 GLIAC) defeated the Huskies for the third straight time and the second straight season at Sherman Field in a matchup between two teams fighting for the upper echelon of the GLIAC. The highlights of the contest included a school-record, 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by
Antjuan Collins, two touchdown passes by
D'Wan Mathis including one to Collins, and a defense that limited the Huskies to 275 total yards and 10 points below their season scoring average.
"Today our football team showed a tremendous amount of growth as a team," said head coach
Sparky McEwen. "I am so proud of these young men. The ability to win in Houghton in a tough environment shows their character. The discipline and focus is what you need to compete at the highest level. We told them it was a must-win game and we got the job done."
The Panther defense allowed a touchdown for the first time all season in the first quarter on the opening drive for Michigan Tech. Jake Rueff capped off a 72-yard drive on the fifth play with a 12-yard rushing touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Collins raced 96 yards to the house for the longest kick return in Davenport history. He broke the record of 90 yards set by Keion Powers versus Quincy all the way back on Oct. 22, 2016. That was also the last time that a Panther returned a kickoff for a score.
The Huskies regained the lead at 14-7 early in the second quarter as they needed 11 plays to cover 79 yards. Alex Fries connected with Darius Willis on a 35-yard strike with 12:14 left until halftime. Collins found the end zone again late in the second quarter as
D'Wan Mathis hit him in stride on a slant pattern and the result was a 51-yard sprint to paydirt to tie it up at 14 with 2:27 left until the break.
Davenport took a 21-14 lead on their second drive of the second half. Mathis engineered another scoring drive at quarterback and found
Preston Smith on a jump ball route from 28 yards on the seventh play of the drive that covered 87 yards in 3:02. The teams would trade punts heading into the fourth quarter.
MTU put together a touchdown drive as Drew Collins had a three-yard touchdown run, but perhaps the play of the game occurred next when the extra point was blocked by
Diamond Evans to keep the score in favor of DU at 21-20. Davenport used a 10-play, 36-yard drive after the blocked extra point to add to their lead.
Brandon Gielow booted a 31-yard field goal with 5:26 remaining to force the Huskies to need a touchdown to take the lead.
The Davenport defense then sealed the win on a three-and-out possession after a holding call pushed the Huskies to 1st-and-20 at their own 18-yard line. The offense took over with 3:41 left in the game and gained two first downs to run out the clock. Facing a 3rd-and-9 at their own 38-yard line,
Mike O'Horo called his own number for a 17-yard gain and that first down gave the Panthers two kneel downs to end the contest.
Myren Harris led the Panthers with 69 rushing yards on 21 carries. Mathis finished 14-of-21 for 171 yards and his first two passing touchdowns as a Panther with no interceptions. Collins had four catches for 78 yards with 71 yards after the catch. Davenport gained 306 total yards of offense and had just four penalties for 39 yards. DU also excelled in special teams with 150 kick return yards on three attempts.
Cameren Grodhaus led the defense with five tackles. Evans had four tackles, one pass breakup and the blocked PAT.
Deeb Alawan had four tackles including a nine-yard sack.
The Panthers will come back home next Saturday for their annual homecoming contest against Wayne State. The kickoff is set for 2 PM at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
