Davidson quarterback roulette lands on Lucky 8

Andrew Frazier graduated from Havelock High in spring 2023 as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in school history.

His 8,538 career passing yards, 102 passing touchdowns and 10,255 total offensive yards each ranked first on the Rams’ all-time leaderboard. Frazier helped pilot Havelock to three conference championships and a state runner-up finish at the Class 3A level in 2021.

Frazier committed to Davidson during his senior season at Havelock but threw no passes and carried the ball just once for 13 yards as a true freshman last fall. Coming into this season, he still found himself behind incumbents Coulter Cleland and Luke Durkin on the QB depth chart, so he shifted to slot receiver. That’s where he played in the spring game.

A lot has happened since then. This past Sunday, he was thrust into quarterback duty once again and got his first start. And going forward, it may be hard to unseat him as the leader of the Wildcats’ offense.

In a game moved from Saturday to Sunday — and to Davidson’s new Field 76 due to the effects of Hurricane Helene — Frazier burst onto the scene. He completed 8-of-10 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for another 51 yards and two more scores. The Wildcats toppled Presbyterian 48-37 to jump to a 1-0 start in Pioneer Football League action.

“I was really pleased with how he played, but not surprised,” Davidson coach Scott Abell said during his weekly Coaches Corner podcast. “Andrew had a decorated high school career at quarterback. What I would want everybody to know is he had fully transitioned to slot receiver and had come back to learn the quarterback room just two weeks ago. What a credit to him but really a credit to our entire offensive personnel around him.”

Frazier is the fourth quarterback to take a snap for Davidson (3-1) this season. He proved a perfect third option for a run-heavy offense that has two featured backs (Mari Adams and Mason Sheron) capable of 100-yard games on any given week.

Frazier found the end zone from 16 yards away midway through the first quarter against Presbyterian for the opening points. He later tossed a 60-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Maione and then helped put the game on ice with 3:01 left, scoring on an eight-yard keeper. That made the score 48-31.

Davidson finished with 514 total yards, including 355 on the ground.

“To Andrew’s credit, we really didn’t miss a beat,” Abell said. “We ran our option game at a high level. We were able to throw the football effectively, and we really made Presbyterian defend so much.”

FCS Rushing Leaders, Again

Under Abell’s tutelage, Davidson has led all of FCS in rushing yards-per-game for multiple seasons. The ‘Cats top the list again this fall, averaging 364.8 yards per game after five weeks of games. The next closest teams are Montana State (318.2) and Montana (283.2).

Adams, a junior who rushed for more than 1,000 yards a year ago, ranks third in FCS in yards-per-attempt, 8.23. He’s 12th in total yards (510) and fifth in yards-per-game (127.5).

Home, Sweet Home

Davidson will play in its new stadium for the fourth time this season on Saturday. Marist (0-4) comes to town for a 1 p.m. PFL contest.

Abell said the Red Foxes’ winless record is deceiving. Marist has played a tough schedule so far, including a loss to nationally ranked Lafayette (56-14) and a 47-14 conference defeat to Dayton last weekend.

Davidson and Marist share one common opponent. Both lost to Georgetown in the early going — the Wildcats by a 46-24 count on Aug. 31 and the Red Foxes by a 31-10 score the following week.

Marist allows 437.0 yards of offense per game, including 167.5 on the ground. Davidson will look to gash the Foxes defense by land and by air as it seeks its fourth-straight overall win and second-straight in conference play.

“They are searching for that first win. That makes them incredibly hungry, incredibly dangerous,” Abell said. “They are a much better team than their record indicates. They are a talented bunch. They play hard. They are very physical. We have to be ready for that type of physicality every snap.”

Record-Setting Play

Davidson will look to shore up its own defense after surrendering 37 points to Presbyterian and allowing an average of 27.23 points per contest in its first four games.

One major defensive bright spot last weekend came midway through the second quarter, with Presbyterian trailing 14-0 and on the ‘Cats’ doorstep. TJ Magee stepped in front of a Blue Hose pass and returned it 98 yards the other direction for a touchdown. Instead of a potential one-score lead, Davidson took a commanding 21-0 advantage.

As it turns out, Magee’s lengthy pick-six broke a long-standing school record. Jake Wade had held the school mark since 1949 after recording a 94-yard INT return against NC State.

Davidson Notebook

Coach Scott Abell tied the Davidson record for career wins last week against Presbyterian. He’s now 44-24 all-time with the Wildcats. A win on Saturday gives him the record outright. William Younger won 44 games with Davidson from 1923-31…

Marist leads the all-time series against Davidson 11-2. The Wildcats won last year’s meeting 49-21, getting 303 passing yards and five touchdown passes from Cleland … Davidson is 0-7 on its home field against Marist. Abell is 1-2 against the Red Foxes.