ASHLAND, Ohio - The Davenport football team hung around with one of the heavy hitters in NCAA Division II on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers made sure last week's tough loss against Ferris State didn't creep into the clash with Ashland. The Panthers jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter, but could not quite finish it off in a 30-27 defeat on the Eagles' homecoming game. DU is now 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the GLIAC. Ashland improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

The start couldn't have been better for the visiting Panthers. Neither team could put any points on the board in the first quarter. Davenport gained 61 yards while Ashland gained 57 yards as both teams were feeling each other out.

DU took over the ball with 10:59 left in the second quarter and marched for their first touchdown. 10 plays covered 71 yards in 5:09 and Keion Powers rushed from two yards with 5:55 left in the quarter. Chris Ahmed's extra point attempt was blocked for a 6-0 lead.

The Eagles pinned the ball down to the one-yard line on their next punt, but that set up the longest pass play you can have. Deondre Ford lofted one over the middle and Ulice Gillard caught it and raced 99 yards for a school record. Davenport had a 13-0 lead to silence the home crowd.

Ashland answered right away however as on the next offensive play it was a 75-yard pass from Austin Brenner to Logan Bolin. Bolin was the hero a week ago with a hail-mary catch on the final play at Grand Valley State. Satchel Denton missed the extra point and it was 13-6 with 3:01 left until halftime.

Ahmed had a 50-yard field goal blocked on DU's next drive and the Eagles took over at their own 44. Two pass plays set up a 36-yard field goal by Denton as time expired for a 13-9 score at halftime.

Ashland came out strong much like Ferris State a week ago in the third quarter. They scored on back-to-back drives to take a 23-13 lead. Gei'vonni Washington ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run at the 11:09 mark to take a 16-13 lead. After a three-and-out by Davenport, the Eagles marched 54 yards in 10 plays. Washington scored again on the ground from four yards with 5:10 remaining in the quarter.

Davenport drove to the Ashland 27 late in the third quarter but was stopped on fourth-and-4. The long pass play struck again for the Panthers early in the fourth quarter to put them back into the game. Ford connected with Marquian Johnson on a 92-yard touchdown to make it 23-20.

Davenport took over the ball with 7:26 left at their own 4 and then a costly turnover happened as Johnson caught a pass and fumbled at the eight-yard line recovered by Ashland's Clay Shreve. The Eagles capitalized on fourth-and-goal at the two-yard line as Hunter Williams bulldozed his way into the end zone for a 30-20 lead with 5:22 to play.

Davenport got within a score with a 66-yard drive on their next possession. Ford completed four passes to four different receivers on the drive and then found Daronte Powers on a 21-yard strike with 4:07 to play. Ashland never gave the ball back as a 15-yard penalty derailed any chance of getting the ball when Ashland was faced with a third-and-9 at their own 36.

NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Deondre Ford set the school record with 390 passing yards. He completed 19-of-36 with no interceptions and three touchdowns. The previous record was 280 yards by Haiden Majewski against Wayne State in 2017.
- For the first time in school history, Davenport had two players with 100-yard receiving days. Marquian Johnson caught four passes for 121 yards. Ulice Gillard caught two passes for 100 yards.
- Austin Brenner had a nice day not only throwing the ball (206 yards), but he also punted the ball five times for an average of 52.2 yards. He is the first opposing punter to average 50-plus yards in a game in the last two seasons.
- Chris Ahmed came into the game without missing a kick, but had a PAT blocked on DU's first touchdown and then had a 50-yard field goal blocked late in the second quarter.
- The Eagles rushed for 188 yards on 46 carries. Gei'vonni Washington carried 31 times for 134 yards and two scores. It was the first 100-yard rusher allowed by DU this season.
- Jalen Robinson led the defense with a career-high 12 tackles. It is the second straight week he had 10-plus tackles.
- The Panthers finished 7-of-15 on third down and limited the Eagles to 3-of-12.

POSTGAME COMMENTS - SPARKY McEWEN
"I can't say enough how proud I am of our football team. We stood toe to toe with a perennial power with a chance to win. We have to continue to work on the small things to get us over the hump. It was a very well played game, but special teams and a few other opportunities hurt us. We will take this lesson and learn from it. We still have a lot of football to play and the focus must be on finishing the job."