Allegheny Powers Past Kenyon, 31-17
GAMBIER, Ohio – Jordan Fowler delivered a career day though the air, and the Gators' special teams and defensive units manufactured several big plays as Allegheny raced to a 31-17 victory at Kenyon on Saturday. The Gators moved in front, 24-3, one minute into the fourth quarter and never looked back en route to the NCAC road win.
Ahead 10-3 late in the second quarter, Fowler pieced together a near-perfect two-minute drill to give the Gators (3-3, 1-1 NCAC) a comfortable advantage heading into the break. Fowler, who finished the day with a career-high 271 yards, was 8-of-10 on the drive while targeting five different receivers. On second down and with 25 seconds left in the frame, Fowler hooked up with Matt Griffith for a 16-yard score to extend the lead to two touchdowns.
Special teams and defense fueled the Gators' last two scores. After a quiet offensive third quarter for both teams, sophomore Zach Hill re-energized the visiting sideline with a blocked punt deep in Kenyon (0-5, 0-2) territory on the last play of the period. Rookie Raysean Glenn scooped up the ball at the 12-yard line and returned it 10 yards to the Kenyon two. The play marked the first blocked punt by an Allegheny player since Sept. 30, 2006. Two plays and a penalty later, Fowler connected with Griffith in the end zone for the second time as Allegheny's advantage swelled to a game-high 21 points.
Although Kenyon sliced into the lead with a 13-play, 90-yard touchdown drive midway through the quarter, junior defensive back Colin Hartford solidified the victory with a 32-yard touchdown return for touchdown with just over three minutes left in regulation. The spectacular individual effort resulted in Hartford's second pick-six of the season.
Fowler set career highs for completions and attempts (25-of-39) while leading the Gators to their sixth win in a row versus Kenyon and their 19th win in the last 20 meetings of the series. Brian Tamburlin, who caught nine balls for 66 yards, was the team's top target and finished with the most catches in a single game since Jake Vite hauled in 11 passes on Oct. 24, 2009. Tamburlin also rushed for a team-high 53 yards and a touchdown to finish with 119 all-purpose yards. Griffith added six catches for 84 yards, including the pair of scores, while Sean Griffin had five receptions covering 80 yards.
Defensively the Gators were paced by Brad Burkley, who made eight tackles, including a career-high six solo stops. Trevor Colvin and Doug Williams each closed with seven tackles, while Drew Perry picked off Kenyon starter Dan Shannon midway through the third.
Allegheny scored the first 10 points of the game after orchestrating two strong drives early. Tamburlin rushed four straight times in delivering the opening touchdown, and senior placekicker Ryan Zipf added a 42-yard field goal on the third play of the second quarter.
