College Football Team Sets Insane Record, Somehow Still Loses Game
The Davidson Wildcats accomplished a feat on Saturday against San Diego that’s really hard to fathom.
Davidson rushed for an NCAA-record 789 yards against San Diego — and still lost.
.@USDFootball clinches outright @PFLNews title with 56-52 win over @DavidsonFB.
Some incredible stats:
Davidson: 789 rushing yards (Dugger 231, Wicks 197, Phelps 153, Brown 150)
San Diego: Lawrence (24 of 36, 556 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INT); Bandy (10 receptions, 324 yards, 4 TDs)— FCS Football (@FCS_STATS) November 11, 2018
Davidson had four players who each rushed for over 150 yards, another NCAA record according to ESPN, led by Wesley Dugger who rushed for 231 yards and a touchdown.
William Wicks had 197 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback Tyler Phelps had 159 yards on the ground and running back Keylan Brown had 150 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Throw in another 50 yards from Eli Turner, Jr.
Dugger had a touchdown run of 94 yards, while Wicks had a 90-yard TD run and Brown scored on an 80-yard run.
Dugger has TWO rushes for 158 yards… Something special is brewing in SoCal!#CatsAreWild #WE pic.twitter.com/O7jzC7o3yB
— Davidson Football (@DavidsonFB) November 10, 2018
Davidson broke the NCAA Div. 1 record set by Oklahoma in 1988 when the Sooners rushed for 768 yards against Kansas, according to ESPN.
And yet, San Diego prevailed 56-52 in Pioneer League action.
San Diego quarterback Anthony Lawrence had quite the day himself, throwing for 556 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s well short of Patrick Mahomes’ NCAA record 734 yards set in 2016 with Texas Tech, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
And San Diego wide receiver Michael Bandy had 324 yards in receiving yards on 10 catches, including four touchdowns. One of those touchdown catches was for 99 yards. The single-game Div. 1 record for receiving yardage is 405 yards set by Louisiana Tech’s Troy Edwards in 1998.
FINAL | Wildcats set a new FCS record for rushing yards in a game (789) in a valiant road loss at @PFLNews winning San Diego.
Full recap to come.#WE #CatsAreWild pic.twitter.com/4KUOaQYG2t
— Davidson Football (@DavidsonFB) November 11, 2018
The two teams combined for 1,447 yards in total offense, which fell short of the Div. 1 record of 1,549.
Earlier this year, Davidson rushed for 685 yards in a 91-61 win over Guilford. The two teams had a combined 1,662 in total yards, but because Guilford is Div. 3 it doesn’t count as an Div. 1 record.
When asked after the game about giving up 789 yards on the ground, San Diego coach Dale Lindsey said, “Well, stats are for losers. Check the scoreboard,” reported the San Diego Union-Tribune.
.@Scott_AbellFB‘s message after a record setting day in a setback at San Diego. #WE pic.twitter.com/jx6xxx3Fp4
— Davidson Football (@DavidsonFB) November 11, 2018
Davidson coach Scott Abell said he couldn’t ask anything more of his team offensively.
“I understand we broke some records … that’s remarkable,” said Abell. “I’m so proud of these guys and the way they executed tonight and the way we dominated the line of scrimmage. If we continue to do that, great things will happen for us.”
San Diego improved to 8-2 and 7-0 in the conference. Davidson fell to 5-5 and 2-5 in the conference.
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