Marist football traveled to Davidson, North Carolina today hoping to get their first victory of the season against Pioneer Football League rival Davidson. Squandered offensive opportunities combined with a failure to contain the Wildcats’ potent rushing attack were too much for the Red Foxes to overcome as they lost 42-19, falling to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in PFL play.
Entering today’s game, Marist had never lost a game in the state of North Carolina, holding an 11-0 record–including a perfect 7-0 at Richardson Stadium, the former home of the Wildcats.
Today was the Red Foxes’ first opportunity to mark their territory at the new Davidson College Stadium, but they could not continue their past success.
Davidson had opened its new home stadium in style–after losing their first game of the season on the road against Georgetown, the Wildcats have responded with four consecutive wins in front of the home crowd and catapulted themselves to the top of the PFL standings.
With redshirt sophomore quarterback Enzo Arjona still sidelined with a right-hand injury, redshirt sophomore Sonny Mannino made his second start for the Red Foxes.
Similarly for Davidson, sophomore Andrew Frazier made his second career start at quarterback after being listed as a slot receiver to start the season. The Wildcats have had five quarterbacks take snaps at the position due to a plethora of injuries.
Despite their precarious quarterback situation, the Wildcats remain poised for offensive success, due to a prolific rushing offense that ranks among the nation’s best. Containing Davidson’s rushing attack is no easy task–the Wildcats entered today’s game with the best rushing attack in the FCS, averaging 365 yards per game on the ground which is 46 yards more per game than the next closest team.
The backfield is led by junior running back Mari Adams, who was named to the Preseason All-PFL Team as well as the preseason watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS football.
Adams ran for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries against the Red Foxes.
Frazier is not just a product of the strong supporting cast however. He has been efficient through the air and complemented the already dangerous rushing attack with his own dual-threat ability.
Last week, Frazier had a strong showing in his first start at quarterback, going 8-for-10 with 159 yards and a touchdown against Presbyterian. He added 50 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Frazier followed that up with another efficient performance today, going 8-for-10 with 144 yards and two touchdown passes against the Red Foxes, as well as an astounding 115 yards on the ground.
The Red Foxes had no answers for the most dangerous rushing attack in the FCS. Davidson ran for a combined 384 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Wildcats controlled the time of possession and progressively wore down the Red Foxes’ defense with 65 rushing attempts.
The Red Foxes had chances to convert points in Davidson territory but came up short on multiple occasions. On their first drive of the game, already down 7-0, the Red Foxes drove into the red zone with a chance to respond. A missed 39-yard field goal attempt by freshman kicker Connor Mendini cost the Red Foxes crucial points on the opening drive.
On their second drive, Marist once again drove deep into Davidson territory, but Mannino’s pass was deflected and intercepted, and the Wildcats would eventually take a 14-0 lead. Against an opponent as strong as Davidson, squandering these early scoring chances is difficult to overcome.
Facing a 28-7 deficit in the third quarter, the Red Foxes refused to quit and clawed their way back into the game. A pair of late touchdown passes from Mannino cut the deficit to just 28-19 with 6:36 remaining.
After a failed two-point conversion effectively ended the game, Davidson recovered Marist’s onside kick and executed a back-breaking scoring drive to put the dagger in the Red Foxes.
There are no moral victories, but the Red Foxes demonstrated a lot of resilience throughout the game, and there were several players who stood out with strong performances.
Mannino, in just his second career start, stepped up and threw for an impressive 312 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target, redshirt freshman Jackson Connors-McCarthy continued his strong season, notching five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, while picking up an additional 29 yards on the ground.
The Red Foxes, still in search of their first victory, return home for a PFL contest against St. Thomas next Saturday at noon.
Edited by Jimmy Tsiantoulas
Photo from Tom Tricoli
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