Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Sophomore quarterback Jeff Farrah set career highs with 307 passing yards and four touchdowns to lead Stevenson University to a 38-14 victory over visiting Lycoming College in the Middle Atlantic Conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Mustang Stadium.
Stevenson, which generated 409 yards of total offense, will take a 2-0 overall record and 1-0 MAC mark into its Sept. 19 conference matchup at Lebanon Valley. Lycoming fell to 0-2, 0-1 MAC entering its Sept. 19 league game with visiting Wilkes.
Stevenson utilized a big-play offense and an opportunistic defense to defeat Lycoming for the first time in five tries. Despite a steady downpour, Farrah hooked up with senior Neil Harps for touchdown passes of 66 and 13 yards, and found senior Seth Jordan on scoring throws of 50 and 49 yards.
After Lycoming took a 7-0 lead on Blake Bowman's one-yard scoring run, the Stevenson defense contributed a momentum-changing play. Mustang sophomore defensive back Antonio Johnson started an unanswered 38-point run when he intercepted a Chase Whiteman pass and raced for a 57-yard touchdown.
With the score tied at 7-7 late in the first quarter, Farrah found the streaking Harps beyond the Lycoming defense and hit him in stride for a 66-yard score that gave Stevenson the lead for good. The Farrah-to-Harps combination worked again at the 7:28 mark of the second quarter, when Harps made a diving catch in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. The Mustangs expanded the margin on their next drive, when Farrah completed a 50-yard scoring pass to Jordan to give Stevenson a 28-7 halftime lead.
Midway through the third quarter, Farrah and Jordan connected for Stevenson's final touchdown on a 49-yard catch-and-run. Junior kicker Tim Sternfeld's 21-yard field goal with 7:18 remaining in the game completed the Mustangs' domination. Lycoming closed the scoring on a 17-yard scoring pass from reserve quarterback Collin Wright to wide receiver Ryan Umpleby, who led the Warriors with seven catches for 86 yards.
Stevenson's running game was also a factor in the victory. Freshman running back Kiandre Burrell, who didn't have a carry in the Mustangs' season-opening 20-9 win at North Carolina Wesleyan, rushed for a team-high 69 yards in 22 attempts.
But it was the passing game that made the difference for Stevenson. Farrah completed 13 of 22 passes for 307 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Jordan finished with four catches for 135 yards, while Harps' three receptions netted 89 yards. Senior tight end Andrew Wysocki added three catches for 48 yards.
The Mustang defense was stout for a second consecutive week. In addition to his two interceptions, Johnson made a team-high seven tackles. Senior linebacker Brady Kempa also recorded seven tackles, while senior defensive back Billy Lewis recorded an interception. Stevenson's seven sacks included two each by junior linebacker Cory Pietrzyk and junior defensive lineman Austin Meyers.
Lycoming running back Scott Palmer was the game's top rusher, with 112 yards on 15 carries.