The Delaware Valley University football team will put its 50-game winning streak against Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) teams on the line when it takes on Stevenson University for a conference showdown at home on Saturday, October 28. Kickoff at Robert A. Lipinski Field in Doylestown is set for 12 p.m.

The win-streak is the longest is the longest of its kind in the MAC's 70-year history of football and it reached 50 with last week's thrilling 21-17 homecoming victory over Lebanon Valley College. The Aggies trailed the Dutchmen, 17-14, with 52 seconds left, no timeouts and the ball in their hands at the LVC 44-yard line. On second down, starting quarterback Louie Barrios IV found wide receiver Luan Avdijaj over the middle for a 29-yard gain to put the ball at the 15. After a short completion and a spike to stop the clock, DelVal faced a 3^rd-and-5 from the 10-yard line. The Dutchmen sent a blitz up the middle and Avdijaj snuck behind it; Barrios hit him with a perfect pass as defenders closed in on him and Avdijaj hauled it in and dove into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds left in regulation. When the defense secured one final stop, the DelVal sideline and the large homecoming crowd of Aggie faithful erupted in celebration of the 21-17 triumph, the 50^th in-a-row against MAC teams.

DelVal Football's last loss before the win-streak came at the hands of Stevenson on October 22, 2016 when the Aggies were shutout by the Mustangs, 16-0, in Owings Mills, Maryland. It was the only time in the 12 meetings between the two programs that Stevenson beat Delaware Valley. The Aggies have won each of the last five contests, including last year's convincing 26-7 win on the road.

This week's game marks a battle of the top-two teams in the conference this season. In the preseason coaches' poll, DelVal earned all of the first-place votes and was the unanimous choice to win its sixth-straight conference title, while the Mustangs were picked to finish second.

The Aggies five consecutive MAC Championships upped the program's total to 14 overall and 11 titles in the last 18 seasons.

Through six conference games this season, the Aggies are in first place with an unblemished 6-0 record. Stevenson is tied for second place with King's at 5-1. The Mustangs lone loss came at home against Lebanon Valley. The Dutchmen built a 45-38 lead midway through the fourth quarter before a storm moved into the area and forced the contest to end early, giving Lebanon Valley the win despite over eight minutes left still in the game. NCAA football games are official after three quarters have been completed.  

This week's game will also pair the league's top-ranked offense against its top-ranked defense. Stevenson's offense leads the MAC in scoring with 34.9 points per game and total offense with 387.4 yards per game. On the other side of the ball is the Aggie defense that allows just 12.4 points per showing and 208 yards per game.

Ironically, Delaware Valley leads the league in rushing offense while Stevenson's defense has performed the best while defending the run. The Aggies are averaging 211.7 yards per game on the ground and the Mustangs allow just 62 yards per game. However, in conference games only, DelVal's defense holds the top mark against the run with 57.3 yards per game allowed compared to Stevenson's 63.8 yards per game against.

Tickets for all DelVal Football home games are $5 and must be purchased on-stie at the ticket booth outside the stadium. Ticket booths will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday. In addition, parking for all football games is $5 for all vehicles. All parking and ticket purchases are cash only.

If you cannot make it to the game, you can watch it live on MACtv at gomacsports.tv/delvalaggies with DelVal's own Gordon Mann on the call!

Live stats will be available via the official website of the Aggies – athletics.delval.edu.

 

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

DelVal football enters this game 6-1 overall and has maintained its ranking among the best teams in all of Division III. The Aggies rank 24^th in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Coaches' Poll and 25^th in the D3football.com top-25. This marks the 67^th consecutive week inside the top-25 for the Aggies.

DelVal's lone loss this season came on the road in week one against nationally ranked SUNY-Cortland.

Head Coach Duke Greco '03 and his staff, in their ninth season, enter their 103^rd game with an 88-14 (.863) overall record and a 79-8 (.908) mark in regular season games.

DelVal's offense secured last week's win with a five-play, 44-yard drive that took 38 seconds and resulted in the game-winning touchdown that made it 21-17 with just 14 seconds left in the game. Barrios was 3-for-4 for 44 yards on that drive and connected with Avdijaj for two completions of 29 and 10 yards.

For the season, Barrios has attempted the fewest passes in the league with a mark of 46 completions on 105 attempts. He has 616 yards and three touchdowns through the air with three interceptions. The dual threat quarterback is one the top rushers in the conference, ranking eighth with 51.1 yards per game. He averages 4.8 yards per rush and has two rushing scores.

In three games since taking over as the lead running back, sophomore Jack Fallon has 385 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He has over 100 yards and two touchdowns in every game. The native of Doylestown, and Central Bucks West alumna, leads the MAC with eight rushing touchdowns this season, his 5.1 yards per carry ranks second and he is third overall with 476 rushing yards. As a team, offensive line coach Greg Fedick and his unit have led the Aggies to over 200 yards rushing in six straight games and have allowed just eight sacks, second best in the league behind Stevenson. The Mustang's defense is third in the MAC in sacks this season with 20 in seven games.

The offense is 24-for-78 on third down, 6-for-11 on fourth down, and 20-for-27 in the red zone with 19 touchdowns. The Aggies have fumbled the ball 15 times but lost just six of them and have thrown four interceptions.

The DelVal defense is the number one unit in the MAC and has held every conference opponent under 100 yards rushing this season while allowing just five total touchdowns in six games. The Aggies have two shutouts this season. Last week against Lebanon Valley, they surrendered 92 rushing yards on 33 attempts and 122 passing yards on 10 completions. Half of the receiving yards came on one play, a 61-yard halfback pass for a touchdown. DelVal has allowed just two receiving touchdowns in six conference games, and both have been from trick plays that went for over 60 yards. They are second in the MAC against the pass with 116.3 yards per game allowed and second in the league in sacks with 26, two behind Widener. Junior defensive lineman Jacquez Mabin leads the conference and is tied-3^rd in all of Division III with 9.5 sacks this year. He is 16^th in the nation in tackles for loss with 13.

Senior linebackers Nick Chapman and Anthony Puntolillo lead the defense with 64 and 53 tackles, respectively. Chapman is behind Mabin with nine tackles for loss and Puntolillo ranks second on the team with 6.5 sacks. Puntolillo also has two interceptions and two forced fumbles this year, tied for the team lead.

On special teams, Nick Arcaroli averages 35.3 yards on 21 punts and has pinned the opponent inside their own 20 seven times. First-year Patrick Bilello made his second appearance of the season last week and averages 40 yards per punt on five punts this year. First-year Mike Bartley is 1-for-2 on field goal attempts with a make from 38 yards and is 12-for-14 on PAT kicks.

 

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

Head Coach Ed Hottle and the Mustangs have won five games in a row and sit at 6-1 overall and 5-1 in MAC play. Last week, they defeated Misericordia at home, 33-21. Stevenson trailed the Cougars by one at the half and still trailed 21-13 midway through the third quarter. It closed the game with 20 unanswered points including a 65-yard pick-six to seal the victory.

The Mustang's top-ranked offense is led by junior quarterback Nyaire Wilson who completes 57-percent of his passes (93-of-163) for 131.5 yards per game and eight touchdowns. He is second in the league in interceptions thrown with nine through seven games. Junior running back Louis Clouser ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 43 carries last week against Misericordia and averages 78.3 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. The team's second leading rusher, Elijah Marquez, has not played since week four but had eight touchdowns before going down. Maurice Hammond has seen an increased workload and is averaging 4.8 yards per touch with five touchdowns. Wilson, the quarterback, averages just 20.6 yards per game on the ground.

Senior wide receiver Pat Gorman got off to a hot start to the season, going over 100 yards in three of the first four games, but has since been held to nine catches for 53 yards in the last three games combined.

Defensively, linebacker Gavin Shields leads the team with 43 tackles and seven tackles for loss including three sacks to go with an interception. The team has 20 sacks, seven interceptions, and just three forced fumbles, but five fumbles recovered, this season.

Gavin Hunter handles the punting and averages 32.1 yards per attempt with a long of 43. Brody Campbell is a threat in the kicking game with 6-of-9 field goals made and a long of 42 yards. Zachary Rutsch will handle kickoffs and has 13 touchbacks.