KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The 2022 season began with a bang on Saturday afternoon with a 20-19 road win at Truman State. The new-look Panthers avenged last year's season-opening loss to the Bulldogs by shutting out the home team in the second half and getting the only points of the second half on a touchdown pass with 2:11 left to gain a one-point lead.
Ferris State transfer Sy Barnett excelled in his first game at Davenport. He caught a pair of touchdown passes with one in the first and fourth quarters. Barnett finished with nine catches for 99 yards and also punted three times for an average of 48.3 yards including a 75-yard boot. Sy also had two punt returns for 22 yards and two kickoffs on the day.
Johnny Saavedra got the start at quarterback and went 16-of-29 throught the air for 200 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Jason Whittaker completed 6-of-9 passes for 43 yards and the game-winning pass to Barnett with 2:11 left in the game.
Davenport got out to a 13-0 start in the first quarter. Barnett caught a four-yard touchdown from Saavedra with 11:32 on the clock. Brandon Gielow missed his first extra-point attempt for a 6-0 lead. Following a three-and-out, DU marched 33 yards in seven plays to take a 13-0 lead. Caleef Jenkins pounded it in from two yards out on second-and-goal with 5:35 left in the opening quarter.
Truman State would then score the next 19 points to go into the halftime locker room. Nolan Hair connected with Zach Zerwig on a five-yard touchdown with 59 seconds left in the first quarter to make it 13-7. The Panthers fumbled the ensuing kick and the Bulldogs recovered at the 20-yard line. Jake Tuttle scored four plays later on a nine-yard touchdown run with 14:14 left in the second quarter for a 14-13 lead.
The Bulldogs got a safety with 9:49 on the clock as Saavedra took a bad snap and had to land on it in the end zone for a 16-13 lead. Truman State went up 19-13 with 8:05 left in the quarter as Grant Ross booted a 45-yard field goal.
Neither team accounted for a score in the third quarter as Davenport gained 137 yards and Truman State gained 37 yards. The turning point came in the fourth quarter as Tuttle fumbled on the DU 26-yard line with 3:34 remaining as Jalen Robinson recovered it. Whittaker led the team into the end zone in four plays and completed three passes on the game-winning drive.
Davenport finished with 285 total yards compared to 235 for the Bulldogs. The Panthers were 7-of-14 on third downs compared to 7-of-17 for Truman State.
