DAYTON — The Dayton Flyers got their first win under new head football coach Trevor Andrews Saturday afternoon at Welcome Stadium.
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Michael Neel rushed for a career-high 125 yards and a 70-yard touchdown run while Dante Casciola threw two first-quarter touchdown passes as the Flyers beat the Central State Marauders, 62-24.
Dayton improves to 1-1 on the season.
UD jumped ahead 20-0 in the first quarter. Casciola threw a 26-yard touchdown to Gavin Lochow to put Dayton ahead, 7-0. He then fired a 45-yard touchdown strike to Alec Keathley and Neel’s touchdown run capped the first quarter scoring.
Cole Dow found Joey Swanson for a six-yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 27-0. The Marauders got on the scoreboard on a 10-yard catch by Jeremiah Flores and a 32-yard field goal by Jose Chaires made the halftime score, 27-10, in the Flyers’ favor.
>>New era of Dayton football begins today at Illinois State
UD opened the second half with a 10-play, 72-yard drive that was capped off by a 16-yard touchdown catch by Sam Bubonics to increase it to 34-10. Michael Franks tackled a Central State running back in the end zone for a safety.
The Marauders scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to cut it to 36-24. Sam Webster’s 47-yard field put Dayton ahead, 39-24 at the end of three quarters.
Webster’s second field goal of the game opened the scoring in the fourth quarter as they led, 42-24.
The Flyers got some big plays on defense to seal the game. Mason Henry strip-sacked Alec Lewis and Chase Brown picked it up and ran 32 yards for a touchdown. Logan Miller intercepted a pass, and it led to a Cole Dow one-yard touchdown run. Jacob Schacte read a bubble screen and intercepted it going 76-yards for a score.
Dayton’s next game will be next Saturday, September 16, when they host Taylor at Welcome Stadium at 1 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on WHIO Radio and also here on WHIO.com.
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