The Panthers opened their season in Cleveland, Ohio, taking on Mount St. Mary's at a neutral site. The matchup marked the first meeting between the two sides since Davenport suffered a 29-14 loss to The Mount last season.

This time, the Panthers flipped the script, earning a dominant 33-3 victory.

Mount St. Mary's struck first, capitalizing on an early Davenport handling error with a drop goal to take a 3-0 lead. Those would be the only points the Panthers allowed all afternoon.

Davenport's defense held strong throughout the opening half despite spending extended stretches defending in its own territory. Center Joe Bennie provided a spark with a line break that moved the Panthers into attacking position. Following a successful lineout, Graham Wynne crossed the try line for Davenport's first score. Captain Dawson Hovingh converted to give the Panthers a 7-3 lead.

The Mount threatened late in the half, spending more than 10 minutes inside Davenport's 10-meter line. Even while playing a man down following a yellow card, the Panthers kept Mount St. Mary's off the scoreboard. Max Goethals and Cruize Banister led the defensive effort, while Damien Freeman came up with a crucial turnover near the try line to preserve the 7-3 halftime advantage.

Davenport quickly added to its lead in the second half. After a line break by the forwards, Bennie received the ball and finished off a 40-meter try. Hovingh added the conversion to extend the advantage.

The Panthers struck again following a series of Mount St. Mary's penalties. Rayziah Taele powered through multiple tackles and crossed the try line, with another Hovingh conversion pushing the lead to 19-3.

Davenport added two more tries in the final 10 minutes. Bennie capitalized on an errant pass and raced downfield for his second try of the game before scrumhalf James Pearson gathered a loose ball following another Mount St. Mary's handling error and scored under the posts. Hovingh converted both tries to seal the 33-3 victory.

Patrick O'Day also provided a strong second-half effort, creating pressure with a line break and multiple tackles behind the gain line. Freshman Mateo Rolon provided another dimension with his kicking, consistently helping Davenport gain territory and maintain favorable field position.

The Panthers will return home on Sept. 19 to host Aquinas College in their 2026 home opener at 1 PM at Pappas Stadium.