2019 NCAA Division I College Football Team Previews: Davidson Wildcats
Davidson Wildcats
Location: Davidson, NC
Coach: Scott Abell (6-5) 2nd season at Davidson
Stadium: Richardson Stadium (Capacity: 6,000)
CSJ Projections:
6th: Pioneer
14th: North Carolina
110th: FCS
240th: Division I
2018 In A Sentence: Say what you want about the Wildcats and their feather-light schedule – Davidson was a mighty entertaining football team last year. Under first-year head coach Scott Abell, the Runnin’ Cats ran roughshod over opposing defenses, leading the FCS statistically in rushing yards per game (442.9 per game). Against D-III Guilford, Davidson set FCS records with 964 total yards and 685 rushing yards in a 91-61 victory. Their 6-5 record was their first winning season since 2007.
Biggest Shoes to Fill: One of the big bodies that carved out that running game was OL Nick Nolting, a 6’8 280 lb lineman that started 10 of 11 games last season and was a PFL honorable all-League mention.
Key Player: The Wildcats have a stable of running backs that run over their opposition, but the lead stallion of the stable is RB Wesley Dugger, who led Davidson with 1,246 yards and 16 touchdowns. Already a vocal leader, he’s actually in a position to expand his running game even further as the injury that sidelined him his senior year in high school becomes an even more distant memory.
Fearless Prediction: If Davidson can upset surprising Georgetown at home to start the season, the Wildcats will be in very good position to finish above .500 once again for the season. A home date against defending PFL champs San Diego in mid-October will definitely have title implications, something that even a couple years ago seemed utterly unbelievable.
Chuck has been writing about Lehigh football since the dawn of the internet, or perhaps it only seems like it. He’s executive editor of the College Sports Journal and has also written a book, The Rivalry: How Two Schools Started the Most Played College Football Series.
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