Davidson football snaps University of San Diego’s long win streak
Davidson College will remember this one for a while — not only for the record-busting victory, but for the fact that it may help lift the Wildcats into the the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in this awkward COVID-shortened season in springtime.
Tyler Phelps threw for 189 and three touchdowns and Dylan Sparks rumbled for 133 yards and another score as Davidson stunned San Diego 31-25 on Saturday, snapping USD’s FCS record-tying conference win streak at 39 games and giving the Wildcats the inside track for the conference’s automatic FCS playoff berth.
And as nice as those offensive stats are, perhaps the defining plays of the game belonged to linebacker Jalen Jefferson, who had two well-timed interceptions Saturday to crush San Diego’s momentum at opportune times for the Wildcats.
With the win, Davidson moved to 4-0 in Pioneer League play and 4-1 on the season. San Diego dropped its first game of the season and moved to 3-1 overall, 2-1 in conference play. Valparaiso and Presbyterian each also have only one Pioneer League loss, but with the unblemished conference record, Davidson has the inside track to the playoff bid.
In Saturday’s game, Davidson jumped out to a 14-7 lead after the first quarter, largely on the back of Sparks, who broke an 83-yard touchdown run just 3:10 into the game. Emilio Martinez replied for San Diego five minutes later with a 1-yard plunge to even things up at 7-7.
Phelps connected with Bradyn Oakley for a 28-yard strike with 5:09 to play in the opening quarter to push the lead back to seven.
The next possession turned the tide. Jefferson picked off Mason Randall to give Davidson the ball back to end the first frame, and the Wildcats extended their lead to 21-7 on a Satchel Moore grab with 11:02 to play in the first half.
USD scratched out a field goal on its next possession, but in the final minute of the first half, Davidson struck with what turned out to be the winning points — a Phelps-to-Jalen Staples 27-yard strike and subsequent extra point to give the visitors a commanding 28-10 halftime edge.
San Diego mustered a touchdown in the third quarter to pull within 11 points, and added another midway through the fourth — and a two-point conversion — to get within a field goal.
Davidson pushed the lead back to six with a field goal at the 2:25 mark, but it took another Jefferson pick to seal the win in the game’s final minutes. Jefferson finished with two interceptions and five tackles, second on the team to Brian Jacobs.
San Diego had not lost a PFL game since 2015, a feat that tied Duquesne’s run in the MAAC from 1999-2006.
Davidson returns to the field Saturday, April 10 at Presbyterian. Kickoff from Clinton, S.C., is slated for 1 p.m.
This story was originally published April 3, 2021 at 7:27 PM.
