Football

NCAA DIVISION III PLAYOFFS - QUARTERFINALS
Rowan University 27, Delaware Valley College 21

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Rowan University scored 27 unanswered points in the second half and then held off a late Delaware Valley College rally as the visiting Profs won the NCAA Division III East Region title and advanced to the national semifinals with a 27-21 victory.

Rowan, the third seed in the region improved to 11-1 on the season and will now play in the Final Four for the 10th time in its storied history. The Profs will travel to Mount Union College next Saturday. The Aggies, who were 2-8 in 2002, finished another year to remember with a 12-1 record, a second Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship and a second trip to the NCAA quarterfinals. Last year's run also ended against Rowan with a 56-7 loss.

This year's game came down to the final moments as Delaware Valley took over on the Prof 36 -yard line down 27-21 with 3:01 remaining after an Aaron McCord got caught in the wind and went just eight yards. Three plays later, the Aggies faced fourth-and-four from the 30, but quarterback Adam Knoblauch hit tailback Jake Sheffield for an 11-yard pass play and a first down at the 19.

A draw play to Steve Cook lost a yard and Knoblauch was sacked by Ed Kunder for a loss of three on second down. Knoblauch's third down pass just missed wideout Don Marshall, setting up a fourth-and-14 situation from the Rowan 23 with 39 seconds remaining. Knoblauch's pass into the end zone for Joel Foreman was knocked away by Eric Bailey and the Profs had to kneel down just one time for the win.

Delaware Valley took a 14-0 lead into the intermission with two touchdowns in the last 2:51 of the half. Knoblauch completed a six-play, 52-yard scoring drive with a 22-yard scamper into the end zone. Bill Miller's extra-point made it 7-0.

Rowan went three-and-out and the Aggies took over on their own 44-yard line with 1:29 left in the half and they moved it to the Prof 22-yard line with eight ticks to go. On third-and-five, Knoblauch hit David Carmon inside the 10 and he leaped into the end zone for the touchdown with three seconds to go. It was Knoblauch's 100th career scoring pass making the senior just the 10th player in Division III history to reach the milestone. Bill Miller added the point after for a 14-0 lead.

However, the second half saw the Rowan defense force three turnovers on Delaware Valley's first three possession of the second half. The Profs converted two of those miscues into touchdowns for a 14-14 ballgame.

On the first drive, Randy Tosh sacked Knoblauch and forced the ball lose. Kunder recovered at the Aggie 38 and Rowan drove down to the eight-yard line. However, Delaware Valley held on fourth-and-seven as Joe Rankin hit Sakeem Wright for a five-yard pass.

Delaware Valley reached the 26-yard line and tried a reverse, but Marshall fumbled the ball, picked it up and fumbled it again as Tosh hit him. Keith Heimerl recovered the ball at the 12 for Rowan. The Aggies forced a fourth-and-five at the seven, but Rankin hit Brad Stys for the touchdown. Matias Spahn's point-after made it 14-7 with 8:42 remaining in the third.

On the ensuing possession, Knoblauch's third down pass was intercepted by Heimerl and he returned it 12 yards to the Delaware Valley 33. Seven plays later, Rankin and Stys connected again, this time from 13 yards out. Spahn's extra-point tied the game at 14-14 with 4:56 left in the third.

Delaware Valley was stopped on its next possession and, following a 13-yard punt into the wind, Rowan took over on its own 38. On third-and-eight, Rankin found a wide open Joe D'Imperio for a 60-yard touchdown. Spahn's extra-point missed wide right, but Rowan had a 20-14 advantage with 53 seconds left in the third.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Profs added to their lead as Rankin ended a nine-play, 57-yard scoring drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Brian Jenkins. Spahn's point-after made it 27-14 with 6:29 remaining.

However, Delaware Valley, known for its late-game heroics over the last two years, made it a one-possession game as, on fourth-and-10, Knoblauch hit a wide-open Foreman for a 36-yard touchdown. Miller's extra-point put the Aggies to within six, 27-21, with 4:44 remaining. Delaware Valley's defense forced a three-and-out, setting the stage for a final drive that came up short.
After managing just 78 yards of total offense in the first half, Rowan notched 229 yards in the final 30 minutes. Meanwhile the Prof defense limited the Aggies to 127 yards in the second half, after a 239-yard in the first stanza.

After a 5-for-17, 36-yard first half, Rankin completed 10 of 18 passes for 131 yards and four touchdowns in the second stanza. Sakeem Wright finished with six catches for 50 yards while Stys added five receptions for 43 yards and two scores. Todd Trout and Zach Garren had 11 tackle apiece while Tosh finished with 10 tackles, two forced fumbles and two sacks.

Knoblauch ended one of the most memorable careers in Division III history as he completed 23 of 41 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 45 yards and one score. He finished second all-time in Division III with 12,833 yards of total offense while his 11,284 passing yards ranks fifth on the career list. Knoblauch also owns or shares 17 school records and is a Gaglairdi Trophy finalist for the Division III Player of the Year.

Cook, also a senior, rank 19 times for a game-high 76 yards while also catching six passes for another 37 yards. He wrapped up his career as the school's all-time leader in rushing (3,530), overall touchdowns (33) and all-purpose yards (4,416) while tying Knoblauch for the all-time lead in rushing touchdowns with 29.

Carmon caught five passes for 52 yards and one score while Foreman finished with four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. A.J Neal paced the Aggie defense with nine tackles.