ANNVILLE (PA) – Delaware Valley College freshman tailback Alquann Jones rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries while the Aggie defense forced six turnovers in a 31-10, Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) victory over host Lebanon Valley College.
It was the sixth win in a row for Delaware Valley as it improved to 6-2 overall and 6-1 in the MAC. The squad remained tied with Lycoming College for second place in the conference, just one game behind Widener University. The Aggies host Wilkes University next Saturday before the trip to Chester and a meeting with Widener for the regular-season finale on November 10. Lebanon Valley fell to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in the MAC.
Both of Jones' touchdowns came in the second half, including one to put Delaware Valley ahead for good midway through the third quarter. The Flying Dutchmen had just tied the game at 10-10 on a Sean Fakete 32-yard field goal and their defense had already forced two turnovers early in the half. The Aggies converted a key third down to put the ball at their own 44 and, on the next play, Jones burst right up the middle for a 56-yard touchdown run and a 17-10 advantage with 7:59 left in the quarter.
It remained a one-touchdown game heading into the fourth and Delaware Valley faced a fourth-and-four from the Lebanon Valley 48-yard line. Head coach Jim Clements decided to keep the offense on the field and the unit came through as quarterback Aaron Wilmer hit Rasheed Bailey over the middle for 22 yards and a first down. A penalty and a sack later in the drive forced them to punt and the Flying Dutchmen took over at their own 25-yard line following the punt and a penalty with 11:27 remaining.
On the second play, freshman safety Shaquille Lee came in on a safety blitz and hit Lebanon Valley quarterback Leo Kyte as he threw the ball. Linebacker Chad Wisniewski then made a diving catch on the floater for an interception at the Lebanon Valley 32-yard line. A pair of clutch receptions by wideout Lewis Vincent gave the Aggies a first-and-goal from the four. Tailback Kyle Schuberth then broke a tackle, got outside and scored his 13th rushing touchdown of the year (14th overall). Snyder's extra-point gave Delaware Valley a 24-10 lead with 8:29 left on the clock.
Lebanon Valley used its hurry-up offense and drove down to the Aggie 12-yard with close to five minutes remaining. Under pressure, Kyte threw into traffic near the goal line and Lee was there to pick it off for the defense's fourth turnover of the half and sixth of the game. Lee returned it 33 yards with Lebanon Valley penalty added at the end. The offense then moved quickly down the field and the five-play, 52-yard drive was culminated by Jones' six-yard run into the end zone and a 31-10 score with 2:30 remaining. Lebanon Valley didn't threaten on its next drive and the Aggies took a knee for their 10th straight win over the Flying Dutchmen.
Lebanon Valley drove into Aggie territory on the first possession of the game, but turned it over as Lee stripped the ball free and Chris Vega recovered. Delaware Valley picked up one first down before punting the ball back.
The Flying Dutchmen punted from midfield, but Delaware Valley's Aaron Boyd fumbled the fair catch and Lebanon Valley recovered it at the Aggie 13-yard line. The Flying Dutchmen moved the ball to the one and Kyte snuck it in from there for the touchdown. Fakete added the extra-point for a 7-0 Lebanon Valley lead with 6:50 remaining in the first quarter. It was the first touchdown allowed by the Aggies in the opening quarter this year and the first time they trailed since the second week of the season.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff put Delaware Valley at its own 11-yard line. It drove to the Lebanon Valley 42-yard line, but was forced to punt and it went to the end zone for a touchback. They moved the ball the way down to the Aggie 25 and a Fakete 42-yard field goal attempt clanked off the left upright.
Delaware Valley faced a third-and-six when Wilmer eluded two defenders behind the line of scrimmage and floated a pass to Chris Ruiz and the senior hauled in at the sideline for a first down at midfield. Jones followed with a 20-yard run and the unit eventually moved the ball to the Flying Dutchmen five for a first-and-goal. A two-yard gain by Schuberth was followed by a three-yard run into the end zone by Wilmer, who made a move on a defender again behind the line to get free. Brandon Snyder capped the 10-play, 75-yard drive with the extra-point to tie the contest at 7-7 with 7:03 left in the first half.
A pair of penalties moved the Flying Dutchmen back into a first-and-39 situation deep in their own territory when safety John Robinson stripped and recovered the ball at the Lebanon Valley 12-yard line. They reached the six and Snyder's 23-yard field goal put Delaware Valley on top, 10-7, with 1:53 remaining before the intermission.
The Aggies had the ball to start the second half, but, on the first play, Wilmer scrambled and was hit from behind. The ball popped loose and the Flying Dutchmen recovered at the Delaware Valley 36-yard line. They faced a third-and-five when Robinson stepped in front of a pass and intercepted it. He couldn't stay on his feet to go the distance and that loomed even larger when Schuberth fumbled the ball right back to Lebanon Valley at the Aggie 34. The Flying Dutchmen converted that into three points and a tied game with Fakete's field goal. However, the rest of the game belonged to Delaware Valley for the big road win.
The Aggies finished with 412 yards of total offense, including 272 in the second half. Schuberth had 90 yards and a score on 21 carries while Wilmer rushed for 76 yards and a score and threw for 136 yards on a 10-for-14 effort.
Defensively, Robinson had nine tackles, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. Terrance Osborne and Cory Armstrong finished with 10 and nine stops respectively while Lee had seven tackles, one forced fumble and an interception.
Kyte was 16-for-28 for 180 yards, but was picked off four times. Joey Miller hauled in eight passes for 90 yards. Bryan Kasper had a game-high 11 tackles in the loss.