OCTOBER 11, 2003
BOB ZIADIE
KING’S KNOCKS DELAWARE VALLEY FROM RANKS OF THE
UNBEATEN, 35-23
DOYLESTOWN -- For the second straight week, the
King's College football team proved its not how you start a game, its how
you finish.
Junior tailback Richard Jackson rushed for a
season-high 223 yards on 40 carries and King’s overcame a significant
first-half deficit for the second consecutive week as the Monarchs scored
29 unanswered points to knock off previously unbeaten Delaware Valley
College 35-23 Saturday at James Work Memorial Stadium in Doylestown.
With the win King’s improved to 4-2 overall and
3-2 in the MAC while Delaware Valley, which was off to its best start
since 1957, fell to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the MAC.
Just like it did against Moravian a week earlier
when the Monarchs fell behind 19-0, the Aggies put King’s in a 21-6 hole
early in the second quarter.
On its first possession of the game, sophomore
tailback Steve Cook took a third-down handoff and burst through the middle
75 yards to the King’s one-yard line. Adam Knoblauch then scored on a
quarterback sneak to give Delaware Valley a 7-0 lead with 12:56 left in
the first quarter.
King’s would counter later in the quarter when the
Monarchs took over at their own 35 following a punt. After moving to the
Aggie 31, runs of 10 and 20 yards by Jackson moved the ball to the
one-yard line. From there, David Hessler scored on a quarterback sneak to
complete an eight-play, 65-yard drive. Matt VonTanhausen missed the
extra-point, though, and the Monarchs trailed 7-6 with 3:31 left in the
first quarter.
The Aggies would later capitalize on a King’s
mistake when Andrew Erby picked off Hessler at the Monarch 35. Three plays
later Knoblauch would drop back to pass before deciding to run and
outraced a King’s defender eight yards into the end zone. Miller’s conversion kick
pushed the Aggie advantage to 14-6 with 11:52 remaining in the half.
On its ensuing drive, the Monarchs would again turn
the ball over when Jackson fumbled the handoff from Hessler, giving the
Aggies possession at the King’s 20.
After a holding penalty on Delaware Valley pushed
the ball back to the 30. Knoblauch would rush for five yards, then avoided
a sack for 16 more yards to the King’s nine. The Monarchs were then
flagged for a face-mask penalty, moving the ball to the four. On the next
play, Cook broke a tackle at the three and hit the end zone to extend the
lead. Miller’s kick would increase the Aggie advantage to 21-6 with 9:44
left in the second quarter.
From there, however, King's would respond as it had
seven days earlier and dominated the remainder of the contest.
King’s answered with a 12-play, 92-yard drive.
Jackson would carry for 12 yards on successive plays before Hessler found
Julian Walker for 16 yards and a first down at the 39. Jackson would then
rush for 18 yards to the Aggie 43, then added 18 more two plays later to
give the Monarchs a first down at the Aggie 18. Jackson continued the
assault with a six-yard run to the 11 before T.D. Callahan picked up eight
yards and a first down at the Aggie three. On the next play, Callahan ran
over an Aggie defender at the two and plowed into the end zone for a
Monarch score. King’s would attempt a two-point conversion and Hessler
found fullback Mike Novia alone in the end zone to bring the Monarchs to within 21-14
with 1:42 left in the half.
King’s would immediately hold and force an Aggie
punt, assuming possession at is own 23 with 1:06 left in the half. Jackson
carried for seven yards before Hessler found Walker for 32 yards to the Aggie 38
with 0:49 left on the clock. After Jackson rushed for five yards, Hessler
hit Matt Nicodemus for 25 yards to the eight. The Monarchs would then be
penalized five yards for delay of game, pushing the ball back to the 13.
On the next play, Hessler found Walker at the one-yard line and the
Monarch sophomore fought his way into the end zone for a King’s
touchdown.
VonTanhausen’s kick would then knot the score at 21-21 with 0:17 left in
the half.
King’s continued the onslaught when it received
the second-half kickoff marched 72 yards. Hessler hit Jimmy Snelling for
12 yards before Jackson broke free for 28 yards to the Aggie 30. Hessler
then ran a bootleg for 21 yards for a first down at the nine. After two
short runs set up a third-and-goal from the three, Jackson raced untouched
into the end zone to put the Monarchs on top for the first time in the
game. VonTanhausen’s kick gave King’s a 28-21 advantage with 11:59
left in the third quarter.
Later in the quarter, King’s linebacker Geoff
Ashton picked off a Knoblauch pass and returned the ball 23 yards to the
Aggie 45-yard line. Jackson would rush three straight times for 28 yards
before Hessler scampered for four yards to set up a third-and-one from the
14. Jackson would pick up a first down with four more yards to give the
Monarchs first-and-goal from the 10. Two plays later, Hessler lofted a
pass to Walker who made a one-handed catch in the end zone for a
seven-yard King’s touchdown. VonTanhausen’s kick pushed the Monarch
advantage to 35-21 with 5:38 left in the third quarter.
King’s dominated the third-quarter of play,
out-gaining Delaware Valley 118-to-3 in total yardage in the 15:00 period.
Neither team would threaten again until the later
stages of the fourth quarter. Knoblauch moved the Aggies 57 yards to the
King’s three-yard line where Delaware Valley would face a fourth-and-one
play. From there, Cook took the handoff and was stopped for a one-yard loss by Derek Zambino to
end the scoring threat with 3:01 left in the contest.
The Aggies would not score again until 0:43
remainder when VonTanhausen would take a safety rather than punt and risk a block, bringing the score to 35-23.
Jackson, who bettered his previous season-high of
182 yards last week, registered 144 yards on 23 carries in the first half
thanks to the blocking of offensive lineman Jeremy Snyder, Todd Nelson,
Jim Baird, Corey Diehl, and Jason Kelly, along with fullback Novia
who took over the game in the second quarter.
King's amassed 407 yards of total offense, including
325 on the ground.
