DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Delaware Valley University scored 42 consecutive points, including touchdown on offense, defense and special teams, en route to a 49-14, Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) victory over visiting Albright College.
The win was the 18th consecutive conference win for the defending MAC champions as the Aggies improved to 7-1 overall and 6-0 in the league. They remained tied for first in the conference standings with Misericordia University with two games remaining in the regular season. DelVal and Misericordia do not meet on the gridiron this season due to the conference's 11-team, eight-game unbalanced schedule. The Aggies currently hold the tiebreaker for the NCAA berth due to conference strength of schedule.
Albright (0-8, 0-7 MAC) took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards on 11 plays. The final 19 yards came on a fourth-and-one play as quarterback Jimmy Lahay hit Kyle Dickerson for a touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.
The rest of the afternoon belonged to DelVal, starting with the ensuing drive that started at midfield due to unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Lion and a kickoff that went out of bounds. The Aggies quickly moved the ball and then found the end zone when quarterback Dashawn Darden called his own number and scored from three yards out. Nick Restaino added the extra-point for a 7-7 score with 7:46 left in the first.
Albright entered DelVal territory on its next drive but an incomplete pass on fourth down gave the Aggies the ball at their own 33. On the first play after the turnover on downs, Darden hit Dan Allen for a short pass and Allen did the rest for a 67-yard touchdown and a 14-7 advantage with 4:16 left on the clock.
After the Lions went three-and-out, DelVal had the ball on the Albright 49 to start its next possession. Another short pass resulted in a touchdown as Juwan Manigo took the grab and went the distance. Restaino's boot upped the lead to 21-7 with 2:47 remaining in the opening quarter.
Early in the second, Lahay had a pass intercepted by the Aggies' Anthony Thomas and he returned it 44 yards for his first collegiate touchdown and a 28-7 score.
DelVal added another touchdown just before halftime, but it was first set up by a fake punt as All-American Stephen Adams took the snap on a fourth-and-15 and ran for 18 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Darden scored from eight yards out with 12 seconds left to complete the seven-play, 60-yard drive.
Special teams got into the scoring act for the Aggies as Shaveiz Stewart fielded a punt at midfield, broke several tackles and found the end zone. It was his second punt return touchdown of the year, tying both the school's single-season and career record.
The teams exchanged touchdowns later in the third as Lahay and Dickerson teamed up for a 56-yard score while Quadir Strothers added a three-yard scoring run for DelVal. In the fourth, fullback Austin O'Neill went over the pile for the senior's first collegiate touchdown and the 49-14 final.
The Aggies notched 418 yards of total offense while holding the Lions to 245 yards. Darden was 9-for-16 for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the air and had 27 yards and two scores on the ground. Mario Nigro registered the first, 100-yard game of his career as he bulled his way to 107 yards on 15 carries. Defensively, Anthony Nobile had 10 tackles and half a sack while Anthony Tedesco tallied eight stops and 1.5 sacks.
For Albright, Lahay was 12-for-26 for 184 yards and two touchdowns with Dickerson hauling in six passes for 107 yards and both scores. Jaylan Lawson and Nate Steffen notched nine tackles apiece.