UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — No. 11 Davenport (5-0) won its GLIAC opener at Saginaw Valley (2-3) 37-27 on Saturday at Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium on SVSU's homecoming. Davenport built its margin with 23 unanswered points across four scoring drives spanning the first and second quarters. The Panthers totaled 363 rushing yards, 29 first downs and 38:52 of possession while forcing three turnovers with an interception by
Markell Gilford and two fumble recoveries.
Davenport finished the first quarter ahead 10-0 behind efficient passing from
Jonathan Palmer, who went 9-for-10 for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Henry Cason had the quarter's biggest offensive gains with a 59-yard reception and a 21-yard touchdown catch, while the defense added two takeaways as the Cardinals went 2-for-8 passing with an interception and rushed for 10 yards.
Davenport controlled the second quarter with 10:10 of possession, 67 rushing yards and a 4-for-4 mark on third down, outscoring SVSU 13-7 in the quarter.
Cephus Harris ran for two 5-yard touchdowns, the second finishing a 16-play, 87-yard drive after Davenport stopped the Cardinals on fourth down at the DUP 17. SVSU produced 95 passing yards in the quarter, including a 46-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left, as Davenport went into halftime ahead 23-7.
Davenport ran for 130 yards in the third quarter, with
Cephus Harris scoring on a 35-yard run and Palmer hitting
Brody Thompson for a 33-yard touchdown. Davenport's defense held the Cardinals to 2 rushing yards and recorded two sacks, but SVSU threw for 136 yards and intercepted Palmer twice, including Sean Hodges' 55-yard touchdown return, as Davenport ended the quarter ahead 37-20.
SVSU scored the quarter's only points, but Davenport controlled the fourth quarter with 129 rushing yards, seven rushing first downs and 11:58 of possession to finish off a 37-27 win. Davenport also held the Cardinals to minus-1 rushing yard in the quarter, stopped a fourth-down try from the Davenport 1 on
Jaxson Engelberg's sack, and added a late takeaway when
Elisee Kanda's sack led to
Zalyn Brooks' fumble recovery.
Cephus Harris rushed 35 times for 262 yards and three touchdowns and added two receptions. Palmer completed 16-of-21 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns while adding 96 rushing yards. Cason recorded two catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Latrell Scott led the defense with eight tackles and also had two tackles for loss.
Game Notes:
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Brody Thompson - Recorded first receiving touchdown of the season.
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Cephus Harris - Achieved three touchdowns for the second consecutive game.
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Cephus Harris - Recorded a season-high of 35 rushing attempts.
Up next, Davenport hosts Northern Michigan for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. in Caledonia, Michigan.
