DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – The Delaware Valley University football team hosted Anna Maria College in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Playoffs and fell behind early, but quickly found its bearings and posted over 600 yards of offense en route to a 62-10 triumph to advance to the second round.
WHERE THEY STAND
- The Aggies improved to 11-0 on the year and will play Muhlenberg College in round two. The Mules defeated Framingham State at home in their first round game, 45-0. The location of the second round contest is expected to be announced Sunday.
- The AMCATS finished their season 7-3 overall after their first conference championship and NCAA Playoff appearance.
COIN TOSS
- DelVal won the toss and elected to defer. Anna Maria received the opening kick going right to left.
FIRST QUARTER
- Justin McMillian received the opening kickoff for Anna Maria at their own 18-yard line and weaved his way to the far sideline where he sprinted past the defense for an early touchdown. Ryan Kent's PAT made it 7-0, visitors.
- The Aggies began their opening drive at the AMCATS' 23-yard line after a 32 yard return by Justin Harris and a 15-yard horse collar penalty at the end of the play.
- From there, DelVal needed just 2:15 and six plays to tie the score. The MAC Offensive Player of the Year, senior tailback Donte Simmons, punched in a one-yard rushing touchdown and Pat Moran converted the extra point to tie it at 7-7 with 12:19 left in the first.
- Anna Maria broke off a 24-yard run on its first play from scrimmage, but two plays later junior cornerback Jamir Prevard picked off quarterback Alex Cohen's pass for the first turnover of the game.
- The Aggies got the ball back at their own 30-yard line and needed just nine plays to go 70 yards and extend their lead. Senior Aaron Nelson had three catches for 32 yards and Bohannan finished the drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown. Moran's second PAT made it 14-0.
- The AMCATS were driven back for a loss of six yards on their second drive thanks to a sack by Shymere Vessels and the Aggies forced a punt.
- DelVal wasted no time driving back down the field for another score. Bohannan found Nahsir Morgan for a 10-yard reception on the first play and finished the drive with a beautiful 19-yard strike over the middle to Morgan in the end zone. The Aggies led, 21-7, with under two minutes left in the first.
- Before the end of the quarter, Anna Maria was forced to punt again but pinned DelVal inside its own five-yard line.
- The Aggies gained 157 yards on 24 plays in the first while the AMCATS gained 34 yards on 10 plays.
SECOND QUARTER
- Anna Maria forced a turnover early in the second as Danny George stripped Simmons and Elijah Allston recovered at the DelVal 46.
- The AMCATS were halted at the Aggies 20-yard line and forced to attempt a field goal. Ryan Kent's kick from 30 yards was good and cut DelVal's lead to 21-10 with 11:48 left in the half.
- On the ensuing kickoff, Jacob Buccola stripped Harris and Carl St. Paul recovered for Anna Maria to put the offense back on the field at the DelVal 49.
- The Aggies turned the AMCATS over on downs and took over at their own 33-yard line. After picking up a pair of first downs, Bohannan launched a deep ball to the end zone where Nelson out-worked his defender and hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked at the line of scrimmage and DelVal's lead was 27-10 with 7:32 left in the half.
- Anna Maria gained 47 yards on their next drive, but facing 3rd-and-9 from the Aggie 17, Vessels applied heavy pressure and Cohen was forced to launch a ball high in the air toward the end zone. On the other end of the prayer was Prevard for his second interception of the game with just 1:05 remaining in the half.
- Looking for a quick score before the break, Bohannan found Morgan for 13 yards then hit Barksdale for a 37-yard catch and run to get into Anna Maria territory. Two plays later, Bohannan found Simmons deep down the middle and he made an incredible catch down at the AMCATS 3-yard line. Bohannan punched it in on the next play and DelVal led, 34-10, at halftime.
- The Aggies gained 183 yards on 15 plays in the second including 158 yards through the air. Anna Maria gained 85 yards on 21 plays.
THIRD QUARTER
- The AMCATS attempted an onside kick to open the second half, but was unsuccessful and DelVal started its drive at the opponent 35-yard line.
- The Aggies needed just seven plays to score their six touchdown of the game. This time, Simmons punched home a one-yard touchdown run and DelVal's lead grew to 41-10.
- The Aggies picked off Anna Maria two more times in the quarter with Harris getting one and Prevard getting his third of the afternoon late in the stanza.
- First-year tailback Julian White broke free for an 80-yard touchdown run that gave DelVal a 48-10 lead with 7:24 left in the third.
- The Aggies posted another 175 yards on 17 plays in the third and held Anna Maria to 40 yards on 17 plays.
FOURTH QUARTER
- Early in the fourth senior quarterback Casey Decker replaced Bohannan and he hit Barksdale for a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it a 55-10 game.
- Senior tailback Ralph Hyland added a 12-yard touchdown run with 4:34 left in regulation for the 62-10 final.
- DelVal had 88 yards on 11 plays in the fourth, and Anna Maria went for 87 yards on 15 plays.
KEY STATS
(DVU) TEAM – 67 plays, 603 yards, 306 rushing yards, 297 passing yards
(AMC) TEAM – 63 plays, 246 yards, 188 passing yards, 58 rushing yards
(DVU) Bohannan – 14-of-22, 250 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 10 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD
(DVU) White – 4 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD
(DVU) Simmons – 13 carries, 55 yards, 2 TD
(DVU) Barksdale – 4 rec, 73 yards, 1 TD, 2 carries, 19 yards
(DVU) Nelson – 5 rec, 86 yards, 1 TD
(DVU) Prevard – 3 interceptions, 3 tackles, 1 pass breakup
(DVU) Tedesco – 5 tackles
(DVU) Aladinov – 4 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack
(DVU) Mason – 5 tackles, 1 TFL
(AMC) Cohen – 16-of-26, 161 yards, 2 INT, 5 carries, 11 yards
(AMC) Pino – 6 carries 31 yards
(AMC) McMillian – 6 receptions, 32 yards
Takeaways
DVU – 4 takeaways – 4 interceptions
AMC - 2 takeaways - 2 fumbles
Time of Possession
DVU – 31:22
ANNA MARIA – 28:38
Notables
- Head Coach Duke Greco moved to 70-11 all-time, the most wins by any head coach in program history.
- White ran over 100 yards for the first time in his career.
- Prevard's 3 interceptions ties the record for most in a single-game. He now has nine interceptions this season and 14 for his career. He is second all-time in single-season interceptions and two away from tying the career mark.
- The Aggies completed just the fourth perfect regular season in program history.
- 62 points is the most DelVal Football has posted since a 70-0 win against Misericordia on October 20, 2012.
UP NEXT
DelVal will take on Muhlenberg College for the first time since the Mules upset the Aggies on their home turf in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Playoffs.
