BOWIE, Md. - The Davenport football team won a defensive battle 17-14 on Saturday over Bowie State who was looking for the upset bid. The Panthers, who are receiving votes in the D2 AFCA national poll this week, scored all of their 17 points in the first half and then played stout defense in the second half to come away with the victory. DU is now 2-0 all-time against the Bulldogs out of the CIAA.
The Panthers got on the board first on their second drive of the game as
Brandon Gielow booted a 42-yard field goal from the last hash for a 3-0 lead. The team extended their advantage to 10-0 early in the second quarter as
Mike O'Horo found
Preston Smith on 3rd down with a fade route to the back of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown at 12:16 left in the quarter.
Bowie State cut the deficit to 10-7 at 2:19 left until halftime as Kevin Taylor found Awesome Waller, Jr. on an eight-yard touchdown to cap off a very short 11-yard drive. The Panthers answered back right before the half for their final points of the game. O'Horo rolled into his left and found
Antjuan Collins wide open around the 3-yard line. He had a great juke move and went into the end zone for the 17-7 lead.
Bowie State turned it over on downs at the Davenport 13-yard line on their first drive of the third quarter. It lasted 5:08 and covered 48 yards in 11 plays, but came up empty. Gielow missed a 30-yard field goal on DU's next drive which covered 74 yards in 10 plays and lasted 5:01.
The Bulldogs started their next drive in the third quarter and it lasted until the 14:13 mark of the fourth quarter and resulted in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Antwain Banks. DU clinging to a 17-14 lead, simply buckled down on defense to preserve the win. Bowie State missed a 38-yard field goal at the 7:58 mark and again took over the ball with 3:26 to play. The Bulldogs drove down to the DU 44-yard line, but on 4th-and-2 a tipped pass by
Geemontae Peck ended the threat with 1:08 remaining.Â
Cameren Grodhaus led the defense with eight tackles including five solo stops.
Austin Alward had a big game with five tackles including two sacks in which one of them forced a fumble. DU recorded four sacks on the day and 13 tackles for loss. Bowie State gained 255 yards on 76 plays for an average of 3.4 yards per play. The Davenport offense managed 249 total yards including 184 through the air. O'Horo finished 7-for-16 for 82 yards and two scores. Mathis went 6-for-11 for 102 yards.
The Panthers (2-0) will welcome No. 2 Central Missouri next Saturday for their home opener. Kickoff is set for noon in Caledonia.
