Marist football took care of Davidson in their final home game, 37-10.
Coming off a gritty one-point win against nationally-ranked Presbyterian, the Davidson Wildcats came into Poughkeepsie riding high despite their 2-8 record. The Marist Red Foxes stood tall at home and prevailed on their senior day on the back of 27 unanswered points in the second half.
“The best way to send your seniors out on a high note is for them to win their last game at home,” said head coach Mike Willis.
Graduate student tight end Connor Hulstein was the primary weapon for Marist this afternoon, tallying 92 yards and a score. His touchdown marked his sixth on the year, making him the FCS leader in touchdowns at the tight end position.
“Having a good connection with my teammates is key,” said Hulstein. “It helps everything move smoothly, and with that comes production.”
The Wildcats have a star senior wideout themselves in Ivan Hoyt, who featured heavily on offense in this contest—in the slot, on screen passes and even in the backfield. He finished the game with eight catches for 88 yards.
Hoyt’s strong play started early, as he put the Wildcats up late in the first quarter on an out-route that he hauled in with graduate student cornerback Lamont Narcisse draped all over him. He finished the first half with seven catches for 60 yards.
Redshirt junior quarterback Sonny Mannino and the offense looked flat in the first half, and it became clear that Davidson’s game plan involved throwing a plethora of different defensive looks at the Red Foxes; that all starts with senior captain, do-it-all utility man, Dominic Njoku.
Njoku lines up all over the field. He can be seen in the slot, in the box and up top. His versatility adds a completely new dimension to the Wildcat defense.
The inaugural drive of the second quarter saw two straight first-down passes to redshirt senior receiver Reed Shumpert. Shumpert offers good post-catch elusiveness, as well as some really crisp route running. He finished his afternoon with 90 yards on five catches.
The drive ended with a 36-yard field goal by freshman Samer Layous to put Marist on the board 7-3.
In a crucial two-minute drill on what Marist thought would end the first half, Mannino fired a missile to the game’s superstar in Hulstein for 56 yards. A seven-yard touchdown run by redshirt junior tailback Carter James capped the drive as Marist took a 10-7 lead.
Davidson answered this with just over a minute on the clock, as senior quarterback Coulter Cleland led his team down the field and set up junior kicker Christos Tzoumakas for a field goal that tied the game at 10 going into the half.
Dink-and-dunk short passes began the first half for the Marist offense, until Mannino found a wide-open Hulstein for 17 yards. The Red Foxes capped off the seven-minute drive with a QB-sneak that saw Mannino and his line get into the endzone, making the score 17-10.
A botched punt set Marist up at the 45-yard line, and they took advantage of the nice field position. It started with a quick toss to James, who used all of his 225-pound frame to break a few tackles and pick up a Marist first down.
“The lane was flat-out open,” said James on his boatload of receiving work out of the backfield today. “We had everyone blocking; receivers, tight ends and even linemen. It really opened up the field.”
With that said, the Red Foxes’ penalty woes took over this drive. False starts negated two consecutive 10-plus yard gains, yet Marist continued to chip away and get closer to making it a two-score game.
A first down catch for Shumpert set up the Red Foxes inside the five, where they shoveled a screen pass to Hulstein and he found paydirt. This score put the Red Foxes up 24-10.
After a failed fourth-down play, Marist got the ball on their own 20-yard line. Martinez caught a drag route over the middle of the field and took it for 63 yards, which put the Red Foxes in prime scoring position.
Senior captain offensive lineman Dominic Perricone made a key block on the play, allowing Mannino more time to scan the field.
“The O-lione is a gritty, do-it-all position,” said Perricone. “I am so happy to get this win on senior day and continue to grow as an entire team. It really means the world to me, you know, just how much we have grown.”
The fast-paced drive concluded with James scurrying away from defenders and calling the endzone home for the second time, putting the Red Foxes up by 20 points after a failed fake extra point attempt.
The Red Foxes extended the lead to 37-10 after a Ja’Cyion Cox run up the middle scored. The freshman running back has seen limited action, but has been effective late in games.
With this win, Marist moves to 5-6 on the season. Davidson drops to 2-9 and will conclude a season they likely want to forget next week at home against Dayton. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
This Red Foxes team has proved that they can hang with anyone, and their toughest test yet comes next week at Presbyterian. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Clinton, South Carolina.
Edited by August Lieberman
Photo and Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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