DAVIDSON, NC. — Davidson came in riding high on the momentum of their win over Dayton but still needed double overtime to get past Savannah State, 47-34. The Wildcats were able to successfully defend the Illegitimate Atlantic Sun Belt and keep it from returning to the rightful owners. The Tigers adjusted quickly to the new leadership but came up just short in Coach John-Rhys Ealey’s debut. He was proud of his team in the post game press conference and spoke highly of their adaptability.

“I think they responded well to a difficult situation, it’s hard to lose someone as steady and acclaimed as Coach Baba and keep the ball rolling but the guys here are really down for a fight, there’s a will to succeed that I think is excellent in this program.”

It was a fast start for the Tigers as they went up 10-7 in the first quarter. The players had to adjust to the spread offense after 7 games in the option format. Davidson responded in the second quarter and both teams entered halftime tied at 17. The Wildcats came roaring back and lead by 7 late in the fourth quarter. A wide open wide receiver took the pass and ran down the sideline for a 75 yard touchdown to tie the game with 2:59 to go. The defenses for both teams made a stop to force overtime.

Coach Ealey was happy with his team making the game go to overtime.

“I think it does, coming into the game the goal was to get a good baseline of what this team can do and how I can implement my style and footprint over the rest of the season and I think even though the result didn’t go our way that the guys showed a tremendous ability to keep moving forward and fight till the last whistle and I think that’s going to be huge for us moving forward.”

The first overtime ended with both teams only making a field goal. Davidson led off the second overtime by scoring a touchdown and putting the pressure on Savannah State. The Tigers were poised to tie the game with a first and ten from the Davidson 13, but the wet conditions finally caught up with them as a fumble lead to a Wildcat touchdown.

Coach Ealy was happy with his team’s performance in the Atlantic Sun Game of the Week presented by Cookout, and looks to gain momentum over the last four weeks of the season. He was asked if the Tigers need to win out in order to have any hopes of seeing the playoffs.

“I do, and I think everyone here does as well, it’s four straight conference games and we want to win every single one. That’s the ethos I’m trying to inject into this team that expectation and culture of winning and I think our goal is absolutely to win every game from here on out, and I think we can do that if we come in and practice the little things and clean up our mistakes. This team has potential it’s up to me and the rest of the staff to utilize it.”

Savannah State drops to 3-5 on the year and faces fellow new Atlantic Sun Conference coach at East Tennessee State next week. Davidson will return to Carolina Conference action against rising powerhouse North Carolina Central.

The Illegitimate Atlantic Sun Belt remains outside the conference and will stay that way until at least the playoffs.