The quarterbacks split time throughout the first half. Casciola ran the offense on the first two drives of the second half. Dow got the ball on the next three drives. Casciola led the offense on the final drive of the game.
Dayton (0-1) will play Central State (1-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Welcome Stadium with a similar plan.
“Both of those guys were neck and neck through camp,” Andrews said Wednesday. “Both of them have some different skill sets that we felt we could utilize in different situations, and I wanted to get them both out there and see how they both performed against some tough competition. Right now we’re planning to keep working with both of those guys and and see how they progress.
“They work well together. Anytime we have a quarterback battle like that, usually there’s some animosity and jealousy, but these guys have actually become closer as teammates. It’s been really fun to watch them compete.”
Casciola completed 7 of 11 passes for 43 yards. Dow completed 10 of 20 passes for 63 yards and rushed 12 times for 54 yards. Dayton was shut out for the second time in the last two seasons after going 44 seasons without a shutout loss.
The offense had three drives of 10 or more plays in the first half. Two ended with missed field-goal attempts.
“We just want to finish finish drives and get touchdowns,” running back Michael Neel said.
Dayton leads the series against Central State 7-1. The Marauders won the first matchup 28-25 in 1974. Dayton has won the last seven games. The teams last met in 2016 when Dayton won 31-19.
Central State opened the season with a 24-21 victory against Mississippi Valley State in the Chicago Classic at Soldier Field. The Marauders tied the game with an 80-yard touchdown on a hook-and-ladder pass play with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter and won the game on a late field goal.
This is the second season for coach Kevin Porter. The Marauders were 3-7 last season.
“They’ve really improved from year one to year two, and coach Porter has done a great job,” Andrews said. “They run and hit on defense. They’ve got defensive ends and a linebacker who do a great job. Offensively, they brought in a transfer quarterback from Northern Colorado who’s a very good player. They’ll spread you out. There are different ways to create a roster in college football now, and coach Porter has done a great job of finding some pieces in the junior college ranks and the transfer portal.”
This will be the first home game for Andrews since his senior year at UD in 1997.
“The last time I was at a game at Welcome Stadium was Senior Day my senior year,” he said. “I was with my mother and the rest of my senior teammates. We’re going to have a bunch of those guys back in town this week, so that’ll be really fun. Guys are flying in from all over the country. I’m excited about that and excited to see those guys, but my focus has got to be on our team and Central State. What a great game for the Dayton area and the community. I’m excited because you don’t often have a game this close in college football, and you can get two teams from across town get together and compete and try to get a win on Saturday.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Central State at Dayton, 1 p.m., 1290, 95.7
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