By Pat Cummings
D3sports.com
WINCHESTER, Va. -- "Live from beautiful Shentel Stadium: Hereeeeee's Marcus."
Through the first 16 minutes of Saturday's win over Shenandoah, senior running back Marcus Washington took center stage. Two rushing touchdowns on the first two Eagles' drives preceded two passing touchdowns on trick plays in the following two drives, propelling the Eagles to a 28-6 lead.
Two Hornets touchdowns narrowed the gap to eight as the teams retired for the half. Shenandoah fumbled the second-half kickoff after returning the ball to midfield and lost what momentum they had gained from their second quarter scores.
Cue Mr. Washington.
The senior took the first play from scrimmage 49 yards to the house for his third rushing touchdown of the game, and fifth overall for the evening. Combined with his four first-half touchdowns from Week 1, Washington has erupted as Bridgewater's multi-tasker. For the evening, Washington carried 15 times for 98 yards and completed both of his passing attempts.
"When Winston Young went down, Marcus knew what we were going to need from him," BC coach Mike Clark said after the win.
"He has played up to this level. I remember three years ago when he was 159 pounds and now he is 195. Great physical preparation this summer, knowing he was going to carry the load, put him in this position."
One wonders if Washington also delivered the pizza to the press box at Shentel Stadium and parked cars before the game.
A sensational start to the game followed by consistent offensive production keyed the Eagles win. You can't have a much more effective first quarter than what the Eagles showed. 23 plays, 172 yards, 5-for-5 passing on attempts from three players: quarterback Jacob Lewis, wide receiver Brian Awkard's 50-yard strike to Blake Warring, and a touchdown from Washington to Lewis.
"He threw two great balls tonight," Lewis opined, "but I'm not too worried about my job."
Lewis' last touchdown reception came in his sophomore year of high school when he was playing wide receiver. The senior, starting in just his second game, certainly didn't mind adding another one to his résumé.
After a shaky first week in which Lewis tossed four interceptions and was sacked on three occasions, the BC signal-caller was noticeably more comfortable under center.
"It was good to get one under my belt last week," Lewis panned. "There is a great atmosphere here at Shenandoah and they have a great defensive philosophy, but I wanted to take what they gave me rather than force it, which is what I did last week."
"Jacob learned from his mistakes," added Clark. "He studied how (McDaniel quarterback) Brad Baer operated last week and how to get out of trouble. This week, Jacob didn't panic and used the playmakers he has around him."
For the night, the Eagles were a perfect 6-for-6 inside the red zone. Week three presents a quick turnaround for BC as the Eagles travel to Hanover (1-1).
Offense aplenty
The final scores tell the story:
Delaware Valley 49, FDU-Florham 3
Hampden-Sydney 56, Gettysburg 40
Christopher Newport 53, Maryville (Tenn.) 2
It was a fun weekend for the ever-important scoreboard operators throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Del Val's senior quarterback Adam Knoblauch tossed three first half touchdowns while running for another, pacing the Aggies (2-0) to a 35-3 halftime lead, en route to the 46-point win. Knoblauch, far from flashy, got the job done in throwing for 281 yards while adding a second-half scoring pass. The Aggies get Wilkes (1-1) in their home opener next week.
Brett Elliott has some significant competition this season for the top quarterback spot in the land. Granted, the Tigers of Hampden-Sydney (2-0) often open up with some weaker competition than most, but Ricca has shown no ill effects from a broken wrist in 2004. Once again, Ricca tossed for over 490 yards, connecting with his receivers for six touchdowns. Gettysburg (1-1) certainly didn't lay down in the 16-point defeat, but after falling to a 35-14 deficit at halftime, the Bullets never got closer than 15. Through two weeks, Ricca has passed for 985 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Tigers enjoy an off week before traveling to Guilford (0-2).
(Note to self: At the end of the year, find starting quarterbacks in the region who do not pass for those amounts over an entire ten-game season. Yes, I meant to print that).
I'd hate to be the football statistics auditor for Christopher Newport; the numbers just haven't seemed to add up. Two weeks and two crazy box scores.
Despite only gaining 271 total yards, the Captains demolished the Maryville (Tenn.) Fighting Scots (0-2), 53-2. Two Jonathon Hill field goals got the ball rolling for CNU (1-1), who followed those three-pointers with a 21-yard touchdown run sandwiched between two fumble recoveries for touchdowns. All of that in less than an eight-minute span of the first quarter.
After allowing over 600 yards to Rowan last week, the Captains bucked up on defense and kept the Scots from any offensive points. On the afternoon, Matt Kelchner's squad held Maryville to just 70 total yards of total offense.
All in all, it makes CNU difficult to assess two games into the season. The Captains allowed nearly a half-mile of offense to the Profs and only 21 points. Seven days later, CNU plops 53 points on the board while managing only 271 yards itself.
The defense is right there, no doubt. But if the Captains find themselves in a struggle where 271 yards of offense nets fewer points, they might end up in familiar territory: without an outright USAC title.
We have found the offense
Johns Hopkins (2-0) struggled with its offense in Week 1 against Rochester but found the touch with a 24-0 win over Randolph-Macon (0-2). The Blue Jays notched 28 first downs while converting 11 of 19 third down opportunities and held the ball for over 38 minutes. Conversely, the JHU defense held stout once again, allowing only eight Yellow Jackets first downs as R-MC converted just one of 11 third downs.
Bears frighten Lions in first half, go into hibernation
Just 58 seconds into the second quarter, Ursinus (0-2) led Albright 24-0. The Lions (1-0) would then score the next 26 points en route to the narrowest of wins, 34-33. Preseason All-American second-team quarterback John Port managed an average afternoon in the 2005 lid-lifter for the Lions, completing 17 of 33 passes for 246 yards with three touchdowns to one interception.
Four fumbles from the Albright return men marred the afternoon and nearly cost the Lions the game. Ursinus scored 14 points off of the fumbles and another three from Port's interception. When the Lions got rolling, the Bears folded, but their lone non-conference game was nearly disastrous. Conference action kicks off for the Lions next week when they travel to Susquehanna (1-1). Ursinus takes on D1-AA LaSalle.
Wenrich pitches for Baer
Junior backup quarterback Tom Wenrich spelled Brad Baer at the quarterback position in McDaniel's (2-0) 28-9 win over Seton Hill on Saturday. Wenrich, a pitcher for the Green Terror baseball team, missed the entire 2004 football season with an injury, although he did recuperate to pitch last year. Baer suffered a separated shoulder during McDaniel's come-from-behind win over Bridgewater in Week 1 and is expected to be out for another two weeks.
Wenrich completed 12 of 29 passes for 149 yards in the 19-point win against Seton Hill, playing just its second game in the program's history.
Generals exact revenge on Saxons
After spinning their offensive wheels for sixty minutes against Alfred in 2004, Washington and Lee (1-0) exacted its revenge with a 36-22 win over the Saxons (0-1). Seven Alfred turnovers translated into 26 points for the Generals who notched their first victory in a season-opener since 2002.
We mentioned in the Kickoff that 10 returning defensive starters for the Generals could key their season. Certainly off to a good start.
F&M's travel schedule
For those who missed it last week, I had mentioned that F&M (0-1) would have a rough road in front of them having to travel to Hobart after the long ride to Bethany (1-1), made worse by their embarrassing loss. What I may have failed to mention was that F&M did have this week off in between. Regardless, they do serve as the visiting squad for Hobart's (1-0) home opener this weekend.
Random stat pack fact of the week
Dickinson junior cornerback Andrew Ackley intercepted Hobart's Shawn Mizro in the first quarter of the 21-0 Statesmen win to tally his fourth interception of the young season. Ackley's 12th career pick was his fourth in two weeks after taking three from Juniata last week. The Red Devils (1-1), who were amongst the leaders in takeaways in 2004, now sport six interceptions through the first two games.
Mid-Atlantic Region Top 5
1. Delaware Valley
2. Hampden-Sydney
3. Christopher Newport
4. Bridgewater
5. McDaniel
No change in the top two, although H-SC should be concerned about allowing 40 points against Gettysburg. CNU moves up after its win as McDaniel drops down in their Brad Baer-less, average win against Seton Hill. Bridgewater shows up having rallied from a tough loss against McDaniel with the blowout of Shenandoah. Muhlenberg (1-0) drops off the list after New Jersey's loss at the hands of Cortland State, slightly diminishing the significance of the Mules' Week 1 victory.
What to watch this week
Lycoming at Widener, Leslie Quick Stadium, Chester, Pa., 1:00 p.m.: I was certainly surprised to see that Widener was shut out by Wilkes last week in the MAC opener for both. The Pioneers look to rebound against Lycoming in a heated rivalry. I'll be there to confirm whether or not cows fly, because given the history of these two, anything is possible.
Salisbury at Christopher Newport, POMOCO Stadium, Newport News, Va., 1:30 p.m.: The third of four consecutive home games for the Captains is the rematch of last year's first round playoff win for CNU. Leroy Satchell and the explosive Salisbury rushing attack will attempt to turn the tables, this time on the road.
