DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – The Delaware Valley University football team completed its perfect 10-0 regular season with a 27-0 shutout over Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) rival Widener University on a rainy and windy Saturday in Doylestown. The four-time defending conference champion Aggies are headed to the NCAA Playoffs for the fourth year in a row. In addition, the annual Keystone Cup rivalry trophy presented to the winner of the game between the Aggies and the Pride is staying in Doylestown for another year.
DelVal extended its conference win streak to 36 games dating back to October 28, 2016. The four consecutive MAC championships ties a program record as DelVal also claimed four-straight from 2008-2011.
COIN TOSS
- DelVal won the toss and elected to receive going right to left.
WHERE THEY STAND
- The Aggies came into today ranked 7th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll and 10th in the D3football.com top-25. DelVal was ranked number one in the second NCAA Region I rankings and are the only undefeated team in the region.
- Widener fell to 7-3 overall and 5-3 in MAC games.
FIRST QUARTER
- Jamir Prevard, coming off D3football.com Team of the Week honors, took the opening kickoff and returned it 51 yards to the Pride 35 yard line to start the game.
- The Aggies needed just six plays and 3:22 to get on the scoreboard. Senior running back Donte Simmons carried the ball five times for 30 yards including a one-yard touchdown run. Jack Hughes PAT gave DelVal a 7-0 lead.
- Widener's first drive was halted after an Anthony Nobile sack on third down. Nobile is coming off back-to-back Team of the Week performances.
- On the first play of the Aggies third drive of the game, senior quarterback Daquan Bohannan hit Tahmir Barksdale over the middle and he shed a tackle and sprinted 55 yards for a touchdown. Hughes' PAT gave DelVal a 14-0 lead with 2:36 left in the first.
- The Pride got to the Aggie 34-yard line on their final drive of the stanza but were forced to punt which resulted in a touchback.
- DelVal posted 141 yards on 14 plays including 78 rushing yards. Widener was held to 29 yards on 12 plays as the Aggies maintained the 14-0 lead after one.
SECOND QUARTER
- Early in the second with the Pride punting from their own 45-yard line, Barksdale received the kick at his own 16, made a few people miss down the sideline, and sprinted down the middle of the field for an 84-yard return touchdown. It was Barksdale's second return touchdown this year and program record fifth of his career. The Aggies led, 21-0, with 8:26 left in the half.
- Junior defensive end Yusuf Aladinov got a sack to end Widener's next drive, but Bohannan was intercepted deep in the Pride territory just before the close of the half.
- DelVal held onto the three-score lead at the break. The Aggies ran 20 plays in the second and gained 85 yards while Widener was held to nine plays for just 21 yards. The Pride managed just 50 yards of offense in the first half.
THIRD QUARTER
- Torrential rains and winds arrived for the second half and play got choppy. On Widener's opening drive, Aladinov knocked the ball out of the running back's hand and Blaine Netterman recovered for the Aggies deep in Pride territory.
- DelVal could not cash in on that drive as it was held to six yards after six plays and a false start penalty.
- After a Widener, three-and-out, the Aggies got the ball back at the Widener 45. Three straight runs went for 43 yards and set the team up at the 2-yard line where Simmons punched it in for his second of the game. The PAT attempt into the wind was no good and DelVal led, 27-0, with 7:15 left in the third.
- The Aggies forced another fumble on the next drive with Sean Balckom getting credit for the force and Anthony Puntolillo jumping on the recovery.
- DelVal drove into Widener territory near midfield before the quarter ended. The Aggies had 94 yards on 18 plays in the third and held the Pride to just nine yards on eight plays as the home team took its 27-0 lead into the fourth.
FOURTH QUARTER
- Neither team scored in the fourth, nor did either move the ball very far. DelVal ran 16 plays for 20 yards while Widener went for just 15 yards on seven plays. The Aggies held the ball for 11:23 of the fourth quarter and came away with the shutout victory as the defense forced another two turnovers via fumble.
KEY STATS
(DVU) TEAM – 68 plays, 340 yards, 191 rush yards, 149 pass yards
(WU) TEAM – 36 plays, 74 yards, 60 rush yards, 14 pass yards
(DVU) Simmons – 17 carries, 92 yards, 5.2 avg., 2 TD
(DVU) Bohannan – 10-of-19, 149 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 8 carries, 42 yards
(DVU) Barksdale – 2 rec, 53 yards, 1 TD, 3 returns, 114 yards, 1 TD, 166 all-purpose yards
(DVU) Nelson – 3 rec, 28 yards
(DVU) A. Nobile – 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
(DVU) Puntolillo – 5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
(DVU) Aladinov – 4 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
(DVU) Fulmore – 1 tackle, 1 forced fumble
(WU) Paoletti – 2-for-6, 14 yards, 8 carries, -3 yards
(WU) Dutkiewicz – 9 carries, 40 yards
(WU) Gillespie – 1 rec., 11 yards
(WU) Davis – 12 tackles, 3 TFL
(WU) Thompson – 9 tackles, 2 TFL
Takeaways
DVU – 4 takeaways – 4 fumbles
WU - 1 takeaway – 1 fumble
Time of Possession
DVU – 39:23
WIDENER – 20:37
Notables
- Head Coach Duke Greco moved to 69-11 all-time, the most wins by any head coach in program history.
- Simmons reached the 1,000 yard single-season plateau becoming the first Aggie to do so since 2017.
- Barksdale extended his program record for return touchdowns in a career to 5.
- The Aggies completed just the fourth perfect regular season in program history.
UP NEXT
DelVal will be watching the NCAA Division III Playoff selection show tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. to see who and where they will play in round one.
