Football

Delaware Valley College 12, Juniata College 7

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Steve Cook carried the ball 30 times for a career-high 145 yards and Adam Knoblauch threw a pair of touchdowns to lead Delaware Valley College to a 12-7 victory over visiting Juniata College in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) game.

The game was played in adverse conditions thanks to a steady downpour. Nonetheless, the Aggies escaped with the win while other MAC favorites fell and they improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference. The Eagles fell to 0-3, 0-2.

Cook had just 21 yards on nine carries in the first half but his running in the second half helping Delaware Valley control the ball for more than 17 minutes. The junior's previous career high was a 127-yard effort against Albright last season.

Knoblauch's two touchdown passes came in the second quarter to erase a 7-0 deficit. The junior also became Delaware Valley's all-time leader with 52 scoring tosses, breaking the previous mark of 50 by 2000 grad Joey Shenko. Knoblauch finished the day 11-for-33 for 113 yards.

Down by seven, the Aggies went on a 17-play, 81-yard scoring drive capped by Knoblauch's 18-yard touchdown pass to David Carmon. Carmon went up in the air to grab the ball and fell into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season. The two-point conversion failed and Delaware Valley trailed 7-6 with 10:10 left in the first half.

Late in the half, Rob Wilkins came in for a sack and forced a fumble by Juniata quarterback Jeffrey Hayes. Wilkins then came up with the ball, giving Delaware Valley a first-and-goal situation from the Eagle 8.

The Aggies were penalized 10 yards for an illegal block but, two plays later, Knoblauch threw a fade and Don Marshall came down with it for the 18-yard score. The two-point conversion failed but Delaware Valley had the 12-7 advantage with 2:01 to go before intermission.

From there, the Aggie defense took over and they allowed just 72 yards of total offense on 58 Juniata plays, including just nine rushing yards on 24 attempts. The Eagles, who were without starting quarterback Greg Troutman for the second straight week, were held to under 150 yards for the first time since a game against King's in 2001.

Hayes finished 10-for-34 for 63 yards and one interception, but he did score Juniata's lone touchdown on a seven-yard run with 4:26 left in the first quarter. The drive was set up by Paul Evans' interception that he returned seven yards to the Delaware Valley 5. Dan Heinlein kicked the extra-point for the 7-0 lead.

Defensively, Andrew Erby had 11 tackles to pace the Aggies. Clint LaStella made six stops while Wilkins finished with three tackles and two sacks. Kevin Bliss intercepted his first pass of the season.