Davenport opened up last week with a 32-20 victory over Gannon in the first game since the stadium was dedicated for former president Richard J. Pappas. Senior running back Cephus Harris stole the show on the ground for the Panthers. He shattered his own previous single-game rushing record (185) with 351 yards on 26 carries (13.5 ypr) and scored three times. Among his many highlights was a pair of long touchdown runs in the third quarter to put some distance between themselves and the Golden Knights. He scored on the first play of the third quarter from 75 yards and at the 4:07 mark rumbled 84 yards down the visitor sideline on the first play of that drive. Harris ran for 107 yards in the first quarter, nine yards in the second quarter, 165 in the third quarter, and 70 in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Palmer had a solid debut at quarterback for Davenport going 9-of-15 for 100 yards and he also rushed for 46 yards on six carries. He completed his first touchdown pass to Kayden Collins with 26 seconds left in the second quarter. Davenport set a school record with 420 rushing yards and averaged 9.3 yards per attempt. The DU defense held Gannon to 61 rushing yards on 31 carries. Newcomer Christian Cramer (Ferris State) and Markell Gilford each led with eight tackles. D'Angelo Bellamy recorded six tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and returned an interception for two defensive points in the fourth quarter.

Truman State dropped their season opener, 27-21, last Saturday at home against Washburn. The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the first quarter as Adam Hall caught a 27-yard pass from Dylan Hair. Washburn then took control with 27 unanswered points into the fourth quarter. Logan Madden tossed a pair of touchdowns to Dwayne Moorehead (27 yards) and Tre Calhoun (45 yards). Truman State kept fighting and scored the next 14 points. Vance Herring caught an 11-yard touchdown at 8:05 remaining in the game and Nathan Ryan made it a one-score game with 1:40 left on a four-yard catch. The Bulldogs tried the onside kick but it went out of bounds and Washburn ran out the clock. Both quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards. Madden was 28-of-38 for 328 yards and two scores. Hair finished 22-of-29 for 307 yards and three touchdowns. Calhoun had 117 receiving yards for Washburn, while Jackson Overton led Truman State with 68 receiving yards. A total of seven players had at least one catch for Truman State. TSU was led on defense by Connor Beerman and Jack Weltha with eight tackles apiece. Beerman also forced a fumble, while Weltha had 1.5 tackles for loss.

Davenport and Truman State will tee it up for the fourth time and the last two meetings have been decided by one point each. Last season's game in Kirksville, Missouri went into overtime before the Bulldogs stopped Davenport on a two-point conversion for the 28-27 decision. The Bulldogs scored first in overtime and kicked the extra point. The Panthers found the end zone on their OT drive and rolled the dice by going for two. DU led 14-0 in the first quarter before momentum changed on a pick-six by Dominic Grand. The 73-yard interception return got Truman State on the board as the teams went into the halftime at 14-7. Davenport scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Cephus Harris in the third quarter, but Truman State scored the next two touchdowns to tie the game at 21-21. Dylan Hair's 30-yard touchdown run at the 13:20 mark of the fourth quarter was the final score in regulation. DU had a chance to go ahead with under a minute in regulation, but a 31-yard field goal attempt by Caiden Thomas was no good. Hair completed 19-of-33 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He also did damage on the ground with 13 carries for 88 yards and another score. Nathan Ryan caught seven passes for 99 yards and a TD. D'Wan Mathis went 24-of-36 through the air for 239 yards and a TD. Harris rushed for a team-high 112 yards and three scores. Mathis added 54 rushing yards on 13 carries. Latrell Scott led the Panther defense with 11 tackles, including seven solo stops. Logan Montoya led the Bulldog defense with 11 tackles and also had a pair of pass breakups.

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