Oct 20, 2007
EDWARDSVILLE, PA
— Sophomore quarterback Tanner Kelly threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns to lead Albright College to a 35-25 win over Wilkes University in a Middle Atlantic Conference football game on Saturday afternoon at Ralston Field.
The win improved the Lions to 6-1 overall. Albright also remained in a tie for the conference lead with Delaware Valley College and Widener University with a perfect 4-0 record. Wilkes saw their overall record slide to 2-5 and watched their MAC mark even at 2-2.
After a scoreless first quarter Albright would get on the board on the second play of the second stanza. Kelly hooked up with Stephen Asay for a 16-yard touchdown to cap an eight play, 57 yard drive. John Whelan added the extra point to give the Lions a 7-0 advantage.
Albright would force a Wilkes punt on the Colonels ensuing possession and took over on their own 17-yard line. After picking up a first down on the Wilkes 27, the Colonels defense stopped Nate Romig for a two-yard loss and forced Kelly into an incompletion to set up a third-and-12 from the 25. Kelly went to the air and found Nate Romig down the middle of the field for a 75-yard touchdown toss with 9:14 left in the half. Whelan's PAT extended the lead to 14-0.
Wilkes got a jolt of energy when Ray Taylor took the ensuing kickoff and raced 74 yards to the Albright 15-yard line. Alex Pearson would do the rest, weaving his way for five yards on first down and then picking his way for a 10-yard touchdown with 8:29 showing on the clock. The extra point by Mario Della Fortuna was off the mark and Wilkes trailed 14-6.
Once again Albright would come up with a big play to add to their lead. The Lions got a 20-yard kickoff return from William Alston to begin their next drive on their own 36. It took only one play for Albright to reach the endzone thanks to Kelly's 64-yard strike to Asay just 17 seconds after the Wilkes touchdown. Whelan was once again perfect with the extra point and the Lions held a 21-6 lead.
A short kickoff gave the Colonels the ball on their own 39-yard line to begin their next drive. Behind the running of Pearson, who carried the ball on the first six plays and gained 46 yards, Wilkes was able to march to the Albright 15. Quarterback Jonathan Stroup would keep the drive alive with a quarterback sneak on a fourth-and-one play that gave the Colonels a first down at the 11. On third-and-eight from the nine Stroup called his own number and went around right end for the touchdown jaunt with 4:25 left before halftime. Della Fortuna would convert the point after and Wilkes trimmed the lead to 21-13 at halftime.
Both defenses would stiffen during the majority of the third quarter before a turnover turned the tide for Albright. Wilkes had a second-and-one from their own 28 when Matt Christ forced a fumble by Jamar Beverly and Jonathan Linn pounced on the loose ball at the Colonels 29 to give the Lions great field position.
On the first play following the turnover Kelly went to the air and hit Asay on a fade route down the right sideline for a 29-yard touchdown with 5:23 left in the third quarter. The extra point by Whelan made it 28-13.
Wilkes would take the kick following the score and gained a first down at their own 28. But, on third-and-eight from the 30-yard line Stroup had his pass intercepted by Christ, who went untouched for a 32-yard score at the 3:14 mark. Whelan's extra point pushed the Albright lead to 35-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
Albright would march to the Wilkes 15 early in the fourth quarter, but had the drive thwarted when Jason Acquaye broke through to block a 32-yard field goal attempt by Whelan.
The Colonels would carry that momentum on a 14 play, 75 yard drive to add to their point total. Rob Johnson, who came on to replace Stroup at quarterback, completed six-of-eight passes during the drive for 47 yards, including a 10-yard hookup with Rob Pietrucha on a second-and goal play from the Lions' 11 that placed the ball on the one. Sean Madden would get the call from their and plowed his way into the endzone with 3:51 left in the game. Della Fortuna's extra point sailed wide and Albright still led 35-19.
On the Lions first play of their following drive Acquaye stripped the ball loose from Jason Mundie and the Colonels' Augusto Lombana recovered at the Albright 39. A 35-yard pass from Johnson to Jason Prushinski would move the ball to the four-yard line. Johnson then connected with Rocky D'Aconti in the corner of the endzone for a four-yard touchdown with 3:04 left. Johnson's pass attempt for the two-point conversion to Pietrucha came up short and Albright claimed the 35-25 win.
Albright was held to just 12 yards rushing on 30 attempts. However, thanks to the arm of Kelly they were able to amass 364 yards in total offense. Asay caught 11 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, while Romig added seven receptions for 151 yards to pace the attack.
Wilkes finished with 345 yards in total offense, including 194 yards on the ground. Pearson carried the ball 33 times for 154 yards and a touchdown, his second 100-yard game of the season. Johnson completed 11-of-18 passes for 103 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Prushinski was the top target with four catches for 90 yards.
Christ had 12 tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble to lead Albright defensively. Andrew Kibler was next on the list with eight tackles, while Taylor Ruddy, Sean Sullivan and Brett Gaul had seven stops apiece.
Kyle Follweiler went over the 400 tackle mark for his career by finishing with 11 tackles for Wilkes. The senior linebacker now has 401 stops during his four seasons. Corey Tucker chipped in with eight tackles, while Justin Friedel had six tackles.
Press release submitted by Wilkes on Oct 20 2007 at 06:19 PM