Football

Delaware Valley College 36, Widener University 21
Aggies Notch Second Straight Undefeated Season

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Quarterback Adam Knoblauch and wideout Don Marshall connected for two, fourth-quarter touchdowns to break a 21-21 tie and lift Delaware Valley College to a 36-21 victory over visiting Widener University and its second straight undefeated season.

With the win, the Aggies, ranked seventh nationally in pair of Division III polls, won their 21st consecutive regular-season game and improved to 10-0 overall and 9-0 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). Last week, they clinched the MAC crown and Saturday gave them the outright title for the second year in a row. They will await word tomorrow to see where they are seeded in the East Region (Delaware Valley was first in the regional rankings heading into the game) and who they will meet in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs next week.

The win also gave the Keystone Cup - which goes to the victory of annual game between the two rivals - to the Aggies for the third year in a row.

Widener (7-3, 6-3) tied the game at 21-21 just 77 seconds into the fourth quarter as quarterback Mike Lomas hit Jon Steever for a 20-yard touchdown to cap a three-play, 79-yard drive (Frank Vinci extra point).

However, the Aggies responded with an 11-play, 76-yard drive that took more than five minutes off the clock. They converted a pair of fourth-down plays, including a fourth-and-five from the Pioneer 31 when Knoblauch hit a wide open Marshall over the middle for the touchdown. Bill Miller added the point after for a 28-21 lead with 8:39 to go.

Widener was forced to punt on its next drive and Delaware Valley took over on its own 36. It was another 11-play drive for the Aggies that took 4:26 off the clock and ended with Knoblauch's 12-yard strike to Marshall to put the game away. Miller clanked the extra-point attempt off the right upright, leaving the score at 34-21 with 2:08 remaining.

Knoblauch finished the day 24-for-41 for 261 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing 13 times for 76 yards. The senior moved into fourth place on the all-time Division III list with 11,857 yards of total offense while his 10,484 passing yards ranks sixth. Marshall ended the day with six grabs for 87 yards and the two scores.

Delaware Valley got its remaining points on a safety as Anthony Silver sacked Lomas twice in the ensuing drive, including one in the end zone with 1:25 remaining. Silver finished the day with 10 tackles and two sacks as the junior moved into second place on the Aggie all-time list with 18 career sacks.

Widener struck first in the game as a Todd Fairlie 24-yard interception return set up a 31-yard scoring drive. The drive was capped by Khalee Prothro's seven-yard touchdown run and Vinci added the extra-point for a 7-0 lead with 6:43 to go in the first quarter.

Delaware Valley was stopped at the Pioneer 44-yard line on its next drive, but freshman Dave Gerena downed fellow rookie Jim Rice's punt at the one-yard line. Two plays later, Lomas tried a screen pass, but junior linebacker Justin Porter stepped in front of it and returned the interception two yards for the touchdown. Miller's extra-point made it 7-7 with 3:30 left in the first quarter.

The Aggies got the lone points of the second quarter as Sean Raftery drilled Lomas as he was throwing the ball and Porter intercepted it at the Widener 43. Seven plays later, Knoblauch hit tight end Sean McMahon for a five-yard score. Miller's kick made it 14-7 with 6:26 remaining in the half.

The Pioneers tied the game on its second drive of the second half as Carroll Dixon picked off a Knoblauch pass and returned it two yards to the Aggie 25. On third down, Lomas hit Mike Schmidt for a 21-yard touchdown. Vinci's point-after made it a 14-14 ballgame with 13:39 left in the third quarter.

However, Delaware Valley went to its back of tricks on the ensuing drive as Steve Cook took a pitch from Knoblach and threw it back across the field to Knoblauch. Knoblauch was behind the line of scrimmage and he threw a bomb downfield to David Carmon for a 64-yard touchdown. Miller added the extra point for a 21-14 Aggies advantage just 17 seconds after Widener's score.

Carmon finished the day with five catches for 90 yards and the one score. Cook paced the Delaware Valley ground attack with 89 yards on 25 carries. Defensively, Porter with four tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Raftery also had a big afternoon with six stops, one sack and the one hit that led to an interception.

Lomas, a senior, was 11-for-29 for 164 yards and two touchdowns and became Widener's all-time leading passer in the process. He has thrown for 7,897 yards and passed Mike Grantao (7,824) for the top spots. Schmidt hauled in four passes for 54 yards and the one score. Prothro ran 20 times for a game-high 145 yards and one trip to the end zone. Fairlie led all defenders with 16 tackles while also adding an interception and a blocked kick.