DAVIDSON, NC — San Diego football (1-4, 1-1 PFL) was within a point of Davidson (3-2, 2-0 PFL) at halftime on Saturday afternoon but could not withstand a second-half Wildcat surge, dropping a tough 55-33 decision as Pioneer Football League play continued at Richardson Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Davidson struck first for a touchdown on the opening possession of the game but San Diego immediately answered with a furious drive down the field, gaining ground on key rushes from Isaiah Williams and Re-al Mitchell before quarterback Grant Sergent found Josh Heverly for a touchdown pass. The Toreros' point after attempt was no good, leaving them trailing by a one-point, 7-6 margin early on.
• The Wildcats responded with a 22-yard touchdown as the first quarter wound down, pushing their lead to four at 10-6.
• Running back Isaiah Williams did not allow USD to trail for long, capping a touchdown drive with a one-yard rush into the end zone to give San Diego a 13-10 advantage that marked its first lead of the afternoon.
• A three-yard rush touchdown rush from Davidson midway through the second quarter then pushed it back in front by a 17-13 margin.
• After the Toreros failed to score on their ensuing possession, the San Diego defense stood strong, forcing Davidson to punt from its own 23-yard line with a third down stand.
• USD nearly pulled back ahead in the final moments of the second quarter but was forced to settle for a field goal, cutting the Davidson lead to just one point at 17-16 when Aidan Lehman converted from 33 yards out as time expired in the half.
• Davidson extended its lead early in the second half after a Torero fumble, capitalizing on the turnover by recording a 38-yard touchdown run to make it 24-16 in the Wildcats' favor.
• San Diego went for it on 4th and 3 on the Davidson 22-yard line but could not convert, suffering a turnover on downs with 6:01 remaining in the third quarter.
• The Wildcats immediately scored upon receiving the ball back, making it 31-16 in their favor on a 78-yard touchdown run.
• Lehman followed with his second field goal of the afternoon — this time from 38 yards with 2:37 remaining in the third — but Davidson shot back with yet another rushing touchdown as the quarter wound down to move the score to 38-19.
• Davidson scored two more rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter — stretching its advantage to a 52-19 margin — before San Diego fought back with a 12-yard passing touchdown from Sergent to Ja'seem Reed and a two-point conversion from Sergent to Josh Heverly with 7:44 remaining.
• USD answered a Wildcat field goal with a late-game 39-yard touchdown completion from Sergent to Heverly — cutting the deficit to 55-33 — but got no closer, suffering a tough defeat by the same score at Richardson Stadium.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Sergent was sacked six times as he completed 22 of 39 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns.
• Led by a 61-yard reception from Re-al Mitchell, San Diego put together four passing plays of 30 yards or more on Saturday.
• Isaiah Williams led the USD rushing game with 74 yards on 13 carries, and Mitchell paced the San Diego passing game with 132 yards on seven receptions.
• Heverly scored a team-high two touchdowns to go with his 83 receiving yards, followed by Reed, who scored once alongside 109 yards.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will enjoy a BYE week next Saturday before resuming PFL play at Marist. Kickoff on October 14 at Tenney Stadium is set for 9:00 a.m. PST.