DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – The Delaware Valley University football team will take to the road in search of its 25^th consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) victory, and fifth-straight win this season, as it heads to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. to battle the undefeated Wilkes University Colonels at 1:00 p.m. inside Schmidt Stadium.

The Aggies enter the contest 5-1 on the year, 4-0 in league play. They moved up one spot in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll to number 12, but fell three spots to number 16 in the D3Football.com rankings after last week's 28-13 triumph over King's College on homecoming weekend in Doylestown. DelVal's lone setback on the schedule came at home in a, 24-18, four-overtime loss to Wesley College in week two. The Wolverines are currently 15^th in the D3Football.com poll and six spots behind DelVal in the AFCA rankings after suffering a 45-38 loss at #11/12 Salisbury last week.

The Aggies have faced the Colonels football team 57 times since 1948 with Wilkes holding a 32-25 edge in the all-time series. However, DelVal has won nine of the last 10 meetings of the past decade including a 21-10 victory at home a year ago. That game was tied 7-7 early in the second quarter before Quadir Strothers ran one in from two yards out to put the Aggies ahead for good. The Colonels last win in the series came in a 12-7 contest in 2015.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
DelVal owns the top-ranked defense in the MAC and continues to rank among the best in the country. In the division III rankings they are sixth in total defense (204.5 avg. yds/gm.), fourth in tackles for loss (56), tied-fifth in interceptions (11), sixth in sacks (24), sixth in rush defense (47.3 avg. yds/gm.), 12^th in rush defense (55.6 avg. yds/gm.), and 25th in points allowed (13.2 ppg).

In last week's win over King's, the unit permitted just 196 yards of total offense, including a staggering six yards on the ground to the league's leading rusher Jordan Downes.  They forced three turnovers for the second straight week as safety Blaine Netterman (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial) led the way with a pair of interceptions to go with five tackles, en route to earning a spot on the D3Football.com Team of the Week.

Sophomore defensive end Michael Nobile (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial) was held to two tackles on Saturday, but they were both in the back field, and one was a sack, to up his to up his Division-III leading total of TFL to 16.5. He leads the team this season with six sacks to go with 35 tackles.

Nobile is joined on the front line by nose guard Kenyonn Jones (Burlington, Nj./Glassboro) who leads the squad with 38 tackles and recorded a team-high six against the Monarchs. Yusuf Aladinov (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./William Tennent) rounds out the d-line and he has recorded three tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown in the last two weeks.

The defense has forced nine interceptions this season, led by two apiece from Justin Harris (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter), Rashiek Harvard (Edison, Nj./John P. Stevens), and Netterman.

The linebacking corps flaunts four upper classmen that have combined for 91 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and three forced turnovers in Ryan Barrett (Willow Grove, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Vincent DiLeo (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt), Anthony Tedesco (Ocean, Nj./Ocean Twp.), and Billy Walsh (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial).

Offensively, DelVal averages 34.5 points per game with 384.3 yards of total offense. The balanced attack is putting up 221.3 yards per game through the air and another 163 yards on the ground, but they have turned the ball over 11 times with four interceptions and seven lost fumbles.

Four different players scored in Saturday's win over King's, marking the fifth straight week that no one player has scored multiple touchdowns for the Aggies as they continue to spread the ball. Senior quarterback Anthony Fontana (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial) completed 21-of-27 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. On the year, he has completed 61-percent (83-of-136) of his passes for 1,159 yards and 12 touchdowns, to go with 183 yards rushing and four scores.

Returning All-American tight-end Dan Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Wood) leads the team with 18 receptions for 290 yards and four touchdowns while senior Aaron Nelson (Hampstead, Md./North Carroll) follows with 16 catches for 322 yards and three scores. Fellow senior Juwan Manigo (Windsor Mill, Md./Perry Hall) has hauled in 11 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns.  

Two running backs have split primary duties out of the backfield with Mario Nigro (South River, Nj./South River) averaging 4.8 yards per carry with four touchdowns and Donte Simmons (Bristol, Pa./Bristol) is going for 4.7 yards per attempt with two scores.

On special teams, freshman Tahmir Barksdale (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood) is averaging 15.53 yards per punt return with one return for a touchdown. Jamir Prevard (Galloway, Nj./Atlantic City) has returned eight kick-offs for 204 yards (25.5 avg. per return).

Senior kicker Nick Restaino (Bloomfield, Nj./Bloomfield) became the program's all-time leader in extra points made this season, he has converted 26-of-28 attempts but is just 1-for-5 on field goals.
 
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
The Colonels are 5-0 for the first time since 2006 after a fourth quarter comeback in a 42-40 win at Albright College last Saturday. Wilkes began MAC play with a 24-17 double overtime victory at Lycoming in week three and then trounced Alvernia, 45-12, at home last week.  

The offense leads the conference in scoring (35.8 pts/gm.), is third in total offense (417.4 yds/gm.), sixth in rushing offense (131.6 yds/gm.), and third in passing offense (285.8 yds/gm.). Senior quarterback Jose Tabora went 17-for-29 for 185 yards and three touchdowns through the air and rushed for a season-high 91 yards on 16 carries in the victory against Albright. He also capped off a game-winning fourth quarter drive that spanned 8:59 with a 2-yard touchdown run that gave Wilkes the 42-40 victory. Tabora rushed for a season-high 91 yards on 16 carries in the game. The Second Team All-MAC selection from a season ago currently ranks third in the conference, and 21st in Division III, with 280 passing yards per game.

Junior wideout Nick Yanik caught six passes for 65 yards and two scores last week and he leads the team with 37 catches for 580 yards and four scores on the year. Derek Nelson follows with 23 catches for 340 yards and three touchdowns. While Tabora is the team's leading rusher this year, sophomore full back Jeremiah Acker has toted the rock 46 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns while freshman Kamaal Reed has also found pay dirt three times and boasts 5.4 yards per carry.

The defense is fourth in scoring defense (22.8), fourth in total defense (310.6), third in rushing defense (102.4), and fifth in passing defense (208.2) amongst the conference.
Sophomore cornerback Zack Nesheiwat secured the victory for the Colonels last week as he picked off a pass in the end zone with 1:41 remaining in the game and the Colonels clinging to a two-point lead. He added a career-high 10 tackles and was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Senior linebacker Bud Moyer made a team-high 12 tackles against Albright and currently ranks fourth in the conference with 8.6 tackles-per-game. He was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week when the Colonels defeated Lycoming. 

As a unit, the defense has gotten to the quarterback for six sacks this season and forced nine turnovers including seven interceptions.

Freshman Nate Whitaker took a kickoff 85 yards to the house in last week's win over Albright and has 207 total return yards on the year. Alexander DeSpirito is 4-for-10 on field goal attempts and 15-for-18 on extra point tries.  

Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Schmidt Stadium.