DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Another game, another record-setting performance by Delaware Valley College senior wide receiver Rasheed Bailey as he caught nine passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns in the Aggies' 56-24 home rout of Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) foe Albright College.
The win improved Delaware Valley to a perfect 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the MAC. It also sets up an epic showdown next Saturday, October 11 (12:00 pm kickoff) when the Aggies host undefeated Lycoming College (5-0, 4-0 MAC) for Homecoming. The two, along with Widener University (5-0, 4-0 MAC), are the lone remaining undefeated teams in the conference after Lycoming handed Stevenson University its first loss with a 31-10 home victory on Saturday.
Bailey has tied or set new school single-game receiving marks in three of Delaware Valley's first four games this season. In the opener at Montclair State University, he tied the record for catches in a game with 11. Last Saturday's win at Lebanon Valley College saw him tie the receiving touchdown record with four.
Saturday's performance against Albright had Bailey break the single-game mark of receiving yards as he surpassed the late Don Marshall's total of 251 yards in a 2005 game at Juniata College. And he tied the mark for receiving touchdowns for the second straight week as he caught scoring tosses of 11, 35, 52 and 53 yards. For the season, Bailey has 28 catches for 708 yards (25.3 avg) and nine trips to the end zone. He entered the game second in all of Division III in receiving yards per game and seventh in touchdowns catches.
The Lions (1-4, 0-4 MAC) forced a turnover on the first play from scrimmage as Jamal Hayden sacked Aggie quarterback Aaron Wilmer and forced the ball loose. Mark Capetola was there for the recovery and returned it two yards to the Delaware Valley 14-yard line. Five plays later Chris Dawson scored from a yard out and Daniel Sobolewski added the point-after for a 7-0 lead just 2:13 into the contest.
The Aggies took over on their 25 on the ensuing possession and used a balanced attack to move the ball to the Albright 1 for second-and-goal. Wilmer called his own number and was headed for the score, but Hayden forced the ball loose. It went into the end zone and Delaware Valley tight end Max Stella fell on it for the touchdown. Brandon Snyder's extra-point tied it at 7-7 with 8:43 left in the quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Aggies went on a 10-play, 86-yard scoring drive that was capped when Wilmer lofted a fade pass into the end zone and Bailey made an acrobatic catch with a defender draped all over him for the 11-yard touchdown. Snyder hit the extra-point for a 14-7 advantage with just 26 ticks to go in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, Sobolewski connected on a 34-yard field goal for the Lions. The teams then combined for three touchdowns on three consecutive drives in just 5 minutes, 26 seconds of play. First it was Delaware Valley, which went 78 yards on three plays, including a 35-yard scoring strike from Wilmer to Bailey. Four minutes later, Albright found the end zone as a Dwayne Randall two-yard touchdown run ended a seven-play, 64-yard drive.
However, the Aggies had 97 seconds to work with and four plays of 15 or more yards plus a personal foul penalty on Albright helped put the ball at the Lions' one-yard line. Wilmer went up in the air and put the ball out and it was knocked loose by a defender. However, the officials ruled that Wilmer had already crossed the goal line for the touchdown with eight seconds left in the half and a 28-17 Delaware Valley advantage.
The Aggie defense permitted just seven points in the second half and the offense continued to click. On their first possession of the third quarter, Wilmer hit Bailey for a 52-yard touchdown pass and the two later connected with 2:56 left in the third for a 53-yard scoring bomb for a 42-17 lead.
The Lions got their last score of the day with 12:10 remaining as Randall scored from two yards out. Delaware Valley answered with a 59-yard drive that tailback Chris Smallwood capped with a six-yard touchdown run with 8:15 to go. Then with 3:15 on the clock, senior Aaron Davis ran in from one-yard out for his first collegiate touchdown and the 56-24 final.
The Aggies went over the 50-point mark for the third straight game (54 vs Wilkes, 59 at Lebanon Valley), the first time in program history that that feat was accomplished. The offense also finished the day with 554 total yards on just 63 plays (8.8 avg).
Wilmer completed 14 of 19 passes for 308 yards and the four touchdown tosses to Bailey. He also ran for 48 yards and a score. Smallwood carried the ball 21 times for 150 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, the Delaware Valley defense permitted just 303 yards and notched four sacks as well as two interceptions. Chris Kitchen made his first collegiate start and the freshman linebacker had a team-high 10 tackles. Danny Wynne added eight stops, one interception and one sack.
For Albright, quarterbacks Pat Wise, Ryan Wader and Alec Vignola combined to go 21-for-39 for 207 yards and two picks. Randall had 39 yards and two scores on 10 carries. Colton Ryan led the defensive charge with 11 tackles and a forced fumble.