Sept. 5, 2009

Box Score

DOYLESTOWN, PA - In a game featuring two teams that received their fair share of preseason accolades, it was host Delaware Valley, ranked in the top five in a pair of preseason polls, that capitalized on a key Johns Hopkins turnover early in the third quarter to pull away for a 23-7 win over the Blue Jays Saturday afternoon.

With the game tied at 7-7 early in the third quarter, the Blue Jay defense forced a three-and-out and JHU was poised to get great field position, but Corey Heard's punt was mishandled by Tucker Michels and recovered by the Aggies at the Blue Jay 42-yard line. Two plays later Delaware Valley quarterback Mike Isgro fired a strike to Chad Peterman inside the five-yard line and Peterman eased into the end zone to give the Aggies a 13-7 lead that they would never relinquish.

Johns Hopkins had several chances later in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but the Delaware Valley defense stiffened and the Aggies finally put the game away with a 29-yard field goal by Jake Sobchak with 3:51 remaining in the fourth quarter and an eight-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Hall with 71 seconds remaining. Sobchak actually shanked his field goal attempt, but it snuck just inside the left upright for what would prove to be the decisive score.

Johns Hopkins drove the length of the field on the closing drive of the game before fumbling the ball away inside the Aggie 10-yard line as time expired.

The first 30 minutes solved nothing as the teams went to the half tied at 7-7 and the total yardage was nearly even. The Aggies struck first when Isgro connected with classmate Butch Whiteside on a 25-yard scoring play late in the first quarter. Whiteside broke free just past the line of scrimmage and Isgro hit him in stride at the five-yard line to cap a nine-play, 72-yard drive.

The Blue Jays answered seven minutes later when a nifty 14-yard punt return by junior Michels set JHU up at midfield. Sophomore Hewitt Tomlin wasted no time going to work as he fired a 46-yard strike to junior Dan Crowley on first down to set the Blue Jays up inside the Aggie five-yard line. Three plays later Tomlin and the Blue Jays ran a perfect screen to the short-side of the field and senior Andrew Kase eased his way into the end zone to tie the game.

Both teams had scoring chances later in the second quarter, but junior Mike Mahon intercepted an Isgro pass in the end zone to kill a Delaware Valley scoring drive. The Blue Jays promptly moved the ball from their 20 to the Aggie 31 in the final minutes of the half, but junior Alex Lachman was just short from 48 yards out with less than 20 seconds remaining to account for the 7-7 tie at intermission.

Notes: Kase rushed for a team-high 63 yards and topped the 3,000 yard mark for his career (3,017) ... Crowley had a career-high six receptions for 93 yards ... Ryan Piatek posted a game and career-high 14 tackles to lead the JHU defense ... Tomlin was 25-of-38 for 208 yards with the one touchdown - he went over 2,000 yards passing for his career in the game (2,055).

- 30 -