WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — No. 11 Lycoming had its homecoming spoiled in
stunning fashion as Delaware Valley College upset the Warriors, 38-27. The
Aggies scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat
Lycoming for the first time since 1982. Delaware Valley improves to 5-1
overall and 4-1 in the Middle Atlantic Conference. The Warriors fall to
4-1 both overall and in the conference.
Lycoming led 21-17 at the
end of the third quarter and had the Aggies facing a third-and-17 from
their own 32. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Adam Knoblauch
rolled out of the pocket to his left and found Nick Brady behind the
Warrior defense for a 68-yard scoring strike.
On the ensuing
possession, Delaware Valley defensive back Carlo D'Angelo intercepted his
second pass of the game and returned it 17 yards to the Lycoming 48-yard
line. The Aggies found the end zone again seven plays later to push their
lead to 31-21 with 9:59 to play.
Delaware Valley's defense held on
two consecutive Warrior possessions, forcing the home team to turn the
ball over on downs. Following the second stand with 5:34 to play, the
Aggies went to the ground and rushed on six consecutive plays for 62 yards
and a touchdown that was the final nail in Lycoming's coffin.
The
Aggies took advantage of four turnovers by the Warriors, converting three
of them into touchdowns. Knoblauch led Delaware Valley by completing 20 of
36 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 13 times for 33
yards and one touchdown. Rob Wallace and Brady led the Aggie receivers
with four catches for 83 yards, and three catches for 81 yards,
respectively. Each also scored once. Taylor Ramos was Delaware Valley's
leading rusher with 39 yards on seven carries.
Defensively, Andrew
Erby led the Aggies with nine tackles. D'Angelo added seven stops and two
interceptions.
For Lycoming, Phil Mann led the offense, completing
30 of a school-record 50 pass attempts for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
He also ran for 25 yards on six carries. Ricky Lannetti set a single-game
record for the Warriors with 16 receptions in the contest for 106 yards
and two touchdowns. Robert Miller led Lycoming's rushing attack with 53
yards on nine carries, including one touchdown.
Brian Kaspick led
the Warrior defense with seven tackles. Tim Schmidt added six stops,
including one sack.
Lycoming got on the board first with an
impressive drive to open the game. The Warriors ran 15 plays, went 70
yards, and took 8:32 off the clock with Miller eventually going into the
end zone from a yard out. That lead would hold up until late in the second
quarter when Delaware Valley forced and recovered a fumble at Lycoming's
26-yard line. Two plays later, Knoblauch found Wallace for a 24-yard
touchdown. The point after knotted the game at 7-7 at the
half.
Midway through the third quarter, the Aggies' Bill Miller
connected on a 27-yard field goal to give Delaware Valley their first lead
of the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Brandon Tolbert forced a fumble and
Dwight Campbell recovered it to give the Aggies possession at the Warrior
18. Knoblauch needed just one play to find Kevin Maloney for a scoring
strike and a 17-7 lead.
Lycoming, however, would answer with two
quick scores of their own. On their next possession, the Warriors marched
65 yards on 11 plays to climb within 17-14. Mann found Sean Hennigar from
6 yards out for the scoring play. Chris Schrader added the extra point.
Lycoming's defense then came up with a fumble recovery by Damien
Burton on the first play of the following drive. The Warriors took
advantage, scoring to regain the lead on just three plays when Mann found
Lannetti for a 14-yard touchdown pass. That made the score 21-17 in favor
of Lycoming and set the stage for Delaware Valley's fourth quarter
outburst.
The Warriors added another touchdown in the final minute
of the game when Mann again hooked up with Lannetti from 6 yards out. The
play capped a 12-play, 74-yard drive. Schrader's extra point attempt was
blocked.
Delaware Valley had not beaten Lycoming since 1982
(21-15).