Football

NCAA DIVISION III PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND
Delaware Valley College 37, Curry College 22

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Delaware Valley College senior quarterback Adam Knoblauch threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns while his 67-yard touchdown run with 1:37 remaining sealed the deal in the Aggies' 37-22 victory over visiting Curry College in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

With the win, the Aggies (11-0), who are the top seed in the East Region, will host fourth seeded Hobart College (NY) next Saturday, November 26 at 12:00 p.m. Hobart advanced to the second round with a narrow, 23-22 victory over Cortland State College. The loss ended Curry's season as the eighth-seeded Colonels finished 9-3 and their third straight New England Football Conference championship.

Down 14-7 in the third quarter, Delaware Valley scored 30 of the game's final 38 points for the victory. The Aggies tied the contest with 5:35 remaining in the quarter as Knoblauch hit Joel Foreman for a 40-yard touchdown pass to cap an eight-play, 92-yard drive.

Delaware Valley stopped Curry on its next possession and drove down to the Colonel 14 as time ran out in the quarter. Facing a third-and-four, the Aggies opened the final quarter with a trick play as Jake Sheffield took a pitch and threw into the end zone where senior tight end Jason Rorer made a one-handed grab in the corner for the go-ahead touchdown. Bill Miller added the extra-point for a 21-14 Delaware Valley advantage - its first lead of the game - with 14:54 remaining.

The teams exchanged possessions and Curry was stopped deep in its own territory on its second drive of the quarter. In punt formation, the center's snap sailed over David Vincent's head and out of the end zone for a safety and a 23-14 Aggie lead with 10:21 remaining.

Sheffield returned the short free kick 24 yards to the Colonel 38. Five plays later, Delaware Valley faced a third-and-four from the nine-yard line, but Knoblauch found Sheffield in the end zone for a touchdown. Miller's point after upped the score to 30-14 with 6:17 to go in the contest.

Curry came right back and made it a one-possession game just 71 seconds later as Kevin Holleran's 14-yard touchdown pass to Jim Pascarelli concluded an eight-play, 54-yard drive. Holleran then found Brent Ingwenagu for the two-point conversion and a 30-22 ballgame.

The Colonels stopped Delaware Valley on its next drive and took over at midfield with 3:26 remaining. They reached the Aggie 30-yard line, but Holleran threw an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-one to give the ball to Delaware Valley.

Curry then forced the Aggies into a third-and-seven situation from the 33, but, on a designed run, Knoblauch got to the right sideline and went untouched for 67 yards and the game-clinching touchdown. Knoblauch, only one of seven quarterbacks in NCAA history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career, finished with 95 rushing yards on 10 carries while completing 20 of 32 passes.

Curry struck first in the game as Holleran hit Charles Gibbs for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 7:46 remaining. Delaware Valley tied the game on its first play after the Colonel score as David Carmon caught a pass from Knoblauch at midfield, broke two tackles and went the distance for a 73-yard score. The game stayed tied through halftime and into the early moments of the third quarter until Holleran hit Frank Pacheco for a one-yard touchdown and a 14-7 Curry lead with 11:29 left in the quarter.

Holleran completed just 19 of 34 passes, but they went for 197 yards and three scores. Jim Pascarelli was his leading receiver with four grabs for 64 yards and one touchdown. Jarrad Jordan led the Colonel ground attack with 80 yards on 26 carries.

Carmon made four receptions for 117 yards and one score for the Aggies while Foreman finished with 72 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Steve Cook led all running backs with 137 yards on 17 carries while also adding a game-high six catches for 26 yards. John Pursell led the defensive charge with nine tackles while Anthony Silver added eight tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble.