DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – There are only 16 NCAA Division III teams still playing for a chance to win a national championship, and the #8/#14 ranked Delaware Valley University football team will look to advance to the round of eight with a win over visiting #14/#16 Randolph-Macon College on Saturday.
The Aggies and the Yellow Jackets will kick off at noon eastern at Robert A. Lipinski Field in Doylestown. General admission to the game is $8 and $4 for students with college ID. The game will be broadcast on MACtv starting at 11:45 a.m. and live stats will be available on the official website of the Aggies.
DelVal is 11-0 for the second-straight season and earned its way to this year's NCAA Playoffs with its fifth consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship title. The Aggies cruised through conference play with an 8-0 mark to improve its MAC record win-streak to 44 games dating back to 2016.
DelVal football is 13-10 all-time in NCAA Playoff games including an 11-7 mark at home. A win will advance the Aggies to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 and the fifth time in program history (2019, 2017, 2004, 2005).
Head coach Duke Greco is 81-12 all-time with a 6-4 mark in the NCAA Playoffs and a 4-3 record in home playoff games.
The DelVal and Randolph-Macon football programs have played each other just two times before with each team winning once. In 1983, the Aggies defeated the Yellow Jackets, 33-0. Randolph-Macon avenged the loss the very next season with a 34-23 win.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
Delaware Valley is coming off a 59-0 dismantling of Gallaudet University in the first round of the playoffs at home last Saturday. The Aggies scored on each of their first four drives and took a 25-0 lead into halftime. The offense scored twice in the third and the fourth, and the defense capped the day with a 26-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery in the waning moments. DelVal ran the ball 47 times for 304 yards and seven touchdowns while the defense allowed just 83 yards of total offense on 47 plays and forced four turnovers. Gallaudet's best chance to get on the board came with a 1st-and-goal at the Aggies' two-yard line, but DelVal stuffed two rush attempts before Tyler Fulmore picked off a pass in the end zone to halt the threat.
Through 11 games this year the Aggies average 31.45 points per game and 390.8 yards per game. The offense will show multiple looks and a balanced attack that produces 189.4 yards per game passing and 201.5 per game on the ground. DelVal has turned the ball over 14 times with an even split of fumbles lost and interceptions. The offensive line has been stellar with just seven sacks allowed.
On third down, the offense converts at a 34-percent clip (46-of-135) and on fourth down they convert two-thirds of attempts (18-for-27).
Sophomore quarterback Louie Barrios IV has six rushing touchdowns in the last three games, and 15 carries for 205 yards. He has averaged 42.1 yards per game on the ground this season and leads the team with 12 rushing scores. Through the air, Barrios completes 56.3% of his passes (125-of-222) and has thrown 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Last week against Gallaudet, he completed 8-of-15 passes for 129 yards with six runs for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore running back Jay White eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season with 143 yards on 14 carries last week. He found pay dirt twice and added two receptions for 33 yards in the win. White averages just over 98 yards per game on the ground with four games over 100 yards. He has scored 10 touchdowns through 11 games and averages 6.1 yards per carry.
Barrios has completed a pass to 13 different receivers this season with his number one target, junior Tahmir Barksdale, hauling in 49 passes for 693 yards and four touchdowns. A dual threat, Barksdale has two rushing touchdowns this year and 184 yards on 30 carries.
Barrios, Barksdale, and White were all named first team all-conference honorees along with offensive linemen Bam Bannavti and Shane Newell, and full back Walt Truxell. Junior wide out Nahsir Morgan was an honorable mention and leads the team in receiving touchdowns with five. He has caught 21 passes this year for 353 yards.
DelVal football's identity is its stubborn defense that ranks second in the country with just 170.9 yards per game allowed and 5.9 points per game against. The run defense is ninth in the nation with 58.1 yards per game allowed and against the pass they are the best in the country with 112.8 yards against per showing. The third down defense ranks third with opponents converting just 23.6% of the time. The Aggies have recovered 15 fumbles through 11 games, the third most in Division III, and their red zone defense is fourth-best.
The veteran defensive line of seniors Yusuf Aladinov, Anthony Nobile, and Michael Nobile set the tone. All three were first team all-conference honorees this season and were preseason All-Americans coming into the year.
Michael Nobile was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in his career and was recently named a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist. The Gagliardi Trophy is awarded each year to the most outstanding college football player in Division III. Nobile is just the second DelVal football player to be named a semifinalist in program history. Among active college football players, across all divisions, Michael Nobile has more sacks (48.5) and tackles for loss (92.5) than anyone. He ranks fourth all-time in Division III for career tackles for loss and fifth for sacks.
Anthony Nobile is coming off a seven-tackle performance against Gallaudet in which he made four stops behind the line of scrimmage and recovered a fumble.
Three all-MAC linebackers, Ahmad Jones, Anthony Puntolillo, and Nick Chapman, lead the team in tackles this season with 58 or more apiece. Jones has a team-best 59 tackles to go with seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Puntolillo has made 9.5 tackles for loss this season including two in last week's victory.
Senior Blaine Netterman, a four-time first team all-conference safety and the team's captain, has 52 tackles this season and a team-best two interceptions with four pass breakups.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Head Coach Pedro Arruza is in his 19th season with Randolph-Macon and his team won its fourth Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship in the last seven seasons to punch their ticket to this year's NCAA Playoffs.
The Yellow Jackets are 11-0 for the first time in program history and ranked 14th in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Coaches' Poll and 16th in the D3football.com top 25.
In its round one game last week, Randolph-Macon hosted SUNY-Cortland and overcame a 28-21 halftime deficit to earn a 35-28 win. The Yellow Jackets shutout the Red Dragons in the second half and scored once in the third and once in the fourth en route to the victory. They completed 22-of-31 pass attempts in the game for 318 yards, but ran the ball for just 67 yards and two yards per carry.
The team is charged by its junior quarterback Drew Campanale who was named the ODAC Offensive Player of the Year and has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country this season. He leads the nation in completion percentage (.781), passing efficiency (221.8) and yards per pass attempt (12.4), and has completed 143 of 183 passes for 2,274 yards and 23 touchdowns with two interceptions. Campanale has five rushing touchdowns this year and averages 20.6 yards per game with his legs.
Campanale's number one target is senior David Wallis. Wallis had just two receptions last week against Cortland, but produced 121 yards and a touchdown. For the season, he ranks third in the nation with 28.7 yards per catch on 39 receptions, 10th in the country with 112.1 receiving yards per game, and leads the team with 12 receiving touchdowns. In total, 18 different players have caught a pass this year and six have caught touchdown passes.
The running game is propelled by an offensive line that has four all-conference honorees that has allowed just four sacks through 11 games, and blocks for a host of different runners. Junior Kwesi Clark has the most rushing yards this season with 858 to go with six touchdowns, senior tailback Nick Hale has the most attempts with 144 to go with 11 touchdowns, and senior all-purpose back Andrew Ihle leads the team with 14 rushing scores on 69 attempts. Ihle is also a threat to throw the ball when is in the game as he has 10 completions on 15 attempts and a touchdown. For the season, the team runs the game for an average of 253 yards per game and has 41 rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, the team has six all-conference players including three first teamers. In last week's win they got to the quarterback for six sacks and two interceptions with another eight tackles for loss.
Senior defensive back Cade Jones leads the team with 47 tackles this season and two interceptions while sophomore defensive tackle Wade Grubbs has a team-high 11 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Junior linebacker Jackson Deaver is another player to watch as he has 45 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and an interception this season. Defensive tackles Jacob Hutchinson and KU Htoo combined for 15.5 tackles for loss and have 3.5 sacks apiece this year. The team has just one fumble recovery this year and 14 interceptions.
Kyle Ihle has made 50-of-55 extra point kicks this season and 2-of-3 field goal attempts with a long of 33 yards. He will also handle the punting duties for a team that rarely punts. The Yellow Jackets have punted just 15 times this season and six times have pinned their opponent inside the 20-yard line.
