Football

Delaware Valley 56, Widener University 55 (OT)
Aggies Rally From 18-Point Deficit, Win On Two-Point Conversion In Overtime

CHESTER (PA) - Delaware Valley College Taylor Ramos converted the two-point conversion on a rush to lead the Aggies to a 56-55, come-from-behind overtime victory at Widener University in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC).

The win improved Delaware Valley to a school record-tying 8-2 overall, 7-2 and tied for second place in the MAC with Wilkes. Lycoming captured the conference championship and the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 38-0 victory over Susquehanna.

The victory gave Delaware Valley the Keystone Cup, symbolic of Division III excellence in the Philadelphia area, for only the second time since the Cup's inception in 1981. Delaware Valley snapped a 12-game Widener winning streak in the series as the Pioneers fell to 5-5 overall, 4-5 in the MAC.

The Aggies now wait word as to whether or not they will get one of the six Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southern Championship bids and appear in the one of its three bowl games. The pairings are announced on Monday, November 17 - one day after the 28-team, NCAA playoff field is announced.

Widener received the ball first in overtime and Raymond Keshel ran the ball on all five of Widener's offensive plays. The final play was a one-yard touchdown run and Frank Vinci followed with the extra-point and a 48-41 advantage.

Delaware Valley took its possession and drove down to the four-yard line where it faced a third-and-three situation. Sophomore quarterback Adam Knoblauch then found freshman in the end zone for a touchdown. Following timeouts by both teams, Aggie head coach G.A. Mangus decided to go for the two-point conversion and the win. With the ball on the right hash mark, Ramos took the handoff on a fake reverse, got to the outside and went untouched by the left pile-on for the two-point conversion and the win.

Delaware Valley overcame two different 18-point deficits in the second half and rattled off 21 unanswered points during an eight-minute span in the fourth quarter, which included the go-ahead tally with 1:36 left to play. The Aggies tied the game at 41-41 with 5:57 left to play when Knoblauch completed his second touchdown of the game and first to senior tight end Kevin Moloney for 18 yards. Bill Miller followed with the extra point.

Widener drove down the field and got into scoring position, but junior linebacker Andrew Erby intercepted a Mike Lomas pass in the end zone and ran it back to the five-yard line. Delaware Valley then went on a six-play, 95-yard scoring drive to take its first lead of the game, 48-41 with 96 seconds remaining. The drive began with a 26-yard pass from Knoblauch to freshman Don Marshall and later saw another Knoblauch pass go 23 yards to freshman fullback Chase Lauth. Ramos, who ran 10 times for 72 yards, converted his longest run of the day with a 25-yard scamper and his fourth touchdown of the game.

However, it took Widener only 25 seconds to knot the game at 48-48. Tyreak Saviour returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards to the Delaware Valley 16-yard line and, following two incomplete passes, Lomas hit Clayton Devine with the touchdown pass with 1:05 left to play. Widener was penalized 15 yards on the extra point as a result of a conduct flag, but Vinci nailed the long extra point to tie the game for the second time in a five-minute span.

Widener led 10-0 after the first quarter, but the Aggies made it a three-point game with 11:32 left in the half as Knoblauch scored the first of his touchdown runs on a four-yard carry. The Pioneers answered with a touchdown just 79 seconds later to up the lead back to 10.

With 5:52 to go before halftime, Ramos fielded a punt on the fly at his own 43 and returned it 57 yards for his second punt return touchdown of the season. The extra-point attempt was blocked leaving the score at 17-13.

Widener increased the lead to 31-13 as the Pioneers scored two touchdown in the final 2:32 of the half. Michael Gandy had a 12-yard scoring run while Tyreak Savior took a pass from Lomas and went 58 yards with just 14 seconds left in the half.

Delaware Valley kicked off to start the second half and the boot hit a Widener player and deflected high in the air. Freshman Justin Porter recovered the ball for the Aggie at the Pioneer 40-yard line and, eight plays later, Ramos scored on a two-yard run for a 31-20 score.

Widener answered right back as Keshel scored on a two-yard run for another 18-point lead. That set the stage for Delaware Valley's fourth-quarter comeback and overtime heroics.

The two teams combined for 990 yards of total offense, including 459 yards on 83 plays by the Aggies. Knoblauch hit 23-of-44 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and became the first quarterback in school history to post two, 2,000-yard seasons (2,214 yards last year and 2,206 yards this season). He also rushed for 38 yards and two scores.

Ramos finished with 211 all-purpose yards and the four scores, including 75 yards on three punt returns. Nick Brady (67 yards) and Lenzie Davis (41 yards) each pulled in six catches while Marshall (61 yards) and Moloney (53 yards) had four receptions apiece. Defensively, Erby had a game-high 13 tackles and the crucial interception

Lomas completed 17-of-35 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns for Widener. Saviour pulled in seven catches for a career-high 190 yards and a touchdown. Keshel carried the ball 18 times for 85 yards and scored twice while Gandy ran for a game-high 87 yards on 18 attempts and also scored a touchdown.