Football

NCAA DIVISION III PLAYOFFS - SECOND ROUND
Delaware Valley 26, St. John Fisher College 20

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. Junior quarterback Adam Knoblauch ran for a two-yard touchdown with just nine seconds remaining as Delaware Valley College scored two times in the final 62 seconds to defeat St. John Fisher College, 26-20, in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

It was the sixth, fourth-quarter comeback for the Aggies this season as they won their 14th game in a row (dating back to last season) and improved to 12-0 on the year. The second-seeded Aggies will travel to No. 1 Rowan University for the NCAA Division III quarterfinals (regional finals) next Saturday, December 4 (12:00 p.m. kickoff).

St. John Fisher, which was in the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time in school history, ended its season with 10-2 record.

The Cardinals took a 20-12 lead with 3:02 remaining as Mark Robinson capped a 60-yard scoring drive with a 12-yard touchdown run and Will Bean's extra point.

With its season on the line, Delaware Valley drove 65 yards on 10 plays, ending with a Knoblauch 16-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver David Carmon with 1:02 left to make it 20-18. On the two-point conversion play, Knoblauch hit sophomore wide receiver John Kiphorn to tie the contest.

On the ensuing drive, the Cardinals drove to their own 32, before quarterback Curt Fitzpatrick threw a short pass to the sideline which was picked off by junior defensive back Kevin Bliss and returned to the 26.

Knoblauch then threw a 17-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Lenzie Davis that put the Aggies at the Cardinal 9. After Knoblauch rushed for seven yards, he spiked the ball with 13 seconds left before running for the game winning score.

The Cardinals attempted several laterals on the ensuing kickoff, but the Aggies stopped them 80 yards from the end zone.

Delaware Valley finished with 614 yards in total offense on 102 plays, outgaining the Cardinals 614-288. The Aggies also had the advantage in first downs (28-13) and passing yardage (423-43). Knoblauch set school single-game records for completions (36), passing attempts (59) and yards (423) with Kiphorn tying a mark with 11 catches for 125 yards. Carmon hauled nine passes for 94 yards and Don Marshall added six catches for a game-high 138 yards.

St. John Fisher took an early 3-0 lead with 7:32 left in the first quarter as Bean kicked a 43-yard field goal, which capped a five-play, 13-yard drive. Delaware Valley took a 6-3 lead with 4:16 left in the quarter as Knoblauch threw a 38-yard touchdown pass that Marshall grabbed over two defenders. The Aggies then failed on the two-point conversion try, as Knoblauch could not get into the end zone.

The Aggies built the lead to 12-3 as Knoblauch tossed a 20-yard pass to Carmon with 11:20 left in the second quarter. St. John Fisher cut the lead to 12-6 on the ensuing drive as Bean connected on a 19-yard field goal with 9:33 left. It stayed that way at the intermission despite many opportunities by Delaware Valley to add to the lead, including a drive that ended at the St. John Fisher one-yard line when the officials ruled that time ran out in the half despite the clock showing two seconds.

Midway through the third quarter, Delaware Valley punter Rich Loveless had a kick blocked by Brandon Banks and St. John Fisher took over at the Aggie 39. The Cardinals capitalized by going 39 yards on seven plays, capped by Robinson's four yard touchdown run with 6:12 left. Robinson finished the contest with 254 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries.

Fitpatrick was just 5-for-18 for 43 yards and the one costly pick for St. John Fisher. Mike Fox finished with a game-high 13 stops for the Cardinals while teammate Reynaldo Tajon had 11 solo stops.

Defensively, Anthony Silver had three sacks for Delaware Valley for a total loss of 29 yards. A.J. Neal had nine stops while Joe Whitesell, Kyle Mancuso and Rob Wilkins each had eight tackles.