DAVIDSON, N.C. – Redshirt senior Reid Sinnett threw for five touchdowns spread among four different receivers while the San Diego defense shut out its opponent in the second half for the second straight game as the Toreros downed Davidson, 37-17, on Saturday at Richardson Stadium.
 
USD (3-2, 2-0 PFL) extended its conference winning streak to 31 games – the longest active streak in all of Division I – by dominating both sides of the ball in the second half to pull away from a tie game at halftime. Sinnett threw for 358 yards in the game and connected with nine different receivers for his 27 completions, led by senior Michael Bandy and his nine receptions and 118 yards. The defense, meanwhile, surrendered 107 yards in the second half to help hold the Wildcats (4-2, 1-1 PFL) scoreless in the final 30 minutes.
 
Sinnett, who threw for 300+ yards in a game for the fourth time in five contests this year, was extraordinarily accurate in the win, completing 84.4% of his passes (27-of-32). In the second half alone, he was 12-of-14 (85.7%) for 187 yards and three touchdowns.
 
With Sinnett piloting the attack, the Toreros accumulated 469 total yards against a Davidson defense that entered the game second-best in the FCS for average total yards allowed (251.4). The Wildcats also entered the day allowing a PFL-best 17.8 points per game, an average in which the Toreros more than doubled on Saturday as they have now scored 30+ points in all five games this season.
 
While the offense beat the averages of the Davidson defense, the defense of the Toreros did much of the same. USD held the Wildcat option offense to 142 rushing yards on 53 carries, the lowest output by the Davidson run game this year. The Wildcats came into Saturday averaging 330.8 rushing yards, the best mark in the PFL and fifth-highest in the FCS.
 
Both sides traded points on their first drives to start the game as USD had to answer a field goal and two touchdowns by Davidson in the first half to force the 17-17 tie at the break. After the Wildcats used drives of 7:05 and 6:08 to take a 10-3 lead with 11:30 remaining the second quarter, Sinnett completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Michael Carner to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive that tied the game at 10-10. The touchdown reception was the first of Carner's career.
 
Davidson regained the lead four-and-a-half minutes later on a one-yard rush by Wesley Dugger, but the Toreros once again answered with an eight-play, 69-yard drive that resulted in a 30-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field from Sinnett to Bandy. The touchdown catch was Bandy's first since September 21 against Harvard.
 
Sinnett later found Bandy early in the second half to give the Toreros their first lead of the game. With Bandy in motion and cutting into the flat, Sinnett threw it down to the senior receiver for a four-yard touchdown completion. It helped Bandy record his second multi-touchdown game of the season and fifth of his career.
 
The game was broken open when Sinnett found sophomore Dalton Kincaid for a short pass, but the tight end broke several Davidson tackles and ran 70 yards down the sideline to help make it 30-17 with 2:39 remaining in the third.
 
Sinnett completed his five-touchdown day in the fourth quarter when he connected with Bennett Dondoyano for an 11-yard touchdown pass that made it 37-17. Joining Carner, Dondoyano became the second Torero receiver on Saturday to record his first career touchdown.
 
With a 20-point lead, the USD defense put the game away with the help of Nick Friedel's two sacks on the final Davidson drive of the day. The second sack was on fourth down as the Toreros stopped the Wildcats in their final three fourth-down conversion attempts after surrendering three straight to start the day. The first two helped set up the three points on the opening drive.
 
USD will put its 31-game conference winning streak as well as its 35-game conference home winning streak on the line when it hosts Valparaiso on October 19 at 2 p.m. at Torero Stadium.
 
 
NOTES
The Toreros have scored 30+ points in eight straight games dating back to last year.
 
Bandy moved into 10th place on USD's all-time career receptions list with the help of his nine catches on Saturday. He is already fifth in career receiving yards and 10th in touchdowns.
 
Bandy's nine-catch, 118-yard day was his fifth career 100+ yard, 2+ touchdowns effort of his career. It was also his sixth career game with 9+ receptions.
 
Sinnett's 84.4 completion percentage was the best in a game by a Torero since Anthony Lawrence went 27-of-32 (84.4%) vs. Stetson on September 29, 2018.
 
In last year's meeting, Davidson ran for an NCAA record 789 yards in USD's 56-52 comeback win. This year, USD held the Wildcats to 142 yards.
 
USD's defense has held its last three opponents to a combined 2.4 yards per carry (240 yards, 99 rushes).
 
Friedel's sacks in the fourth quarter were the first allowed by Davidson all season.