Gators Pick Up Second Shutout of 2007

Oct 13, 2007

Box Score

GAMBIER, Ohio – The Allegheny College Gators held one of the NCAA’s top scoring offenses off of the scoreboard, picking up a 24-0 victory over the Kenyon College Lords. Senior quarterback Drew Stelzer (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) was 28-of-35 passing for 279 yards and a touchdown, while Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria) hauled in 12 passes, the third highest single-game total in school history, for 141 yards.

The Gators (4-2, 2-1 NCAC) reached the scoreboard first in the opening quarter when Rodney Still (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) plunged into the end zone from 10 yards away on the team’s second possession of the game, completing a nine-play 59-yard drive that ate up just under two and a half minutes of clock time. The game remained 6-0 after a missed extra point.

The teams would ensue with a defensive battle until backup running back Matt Deivert (Russell, Pa./Eisenhower) broke free from a group of tackles before racing 63 yards for a touchdown, giving the Gators a 12-0 lead. The Gators took the lead to 14-0 when holder Pat Kahle (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) took the snap and tossed the ball to kicker Josh Brannan (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe), who beat the defenders around the end for the two-point conversion.

The Gators pushed the first-half lead to 17-0 when Brannan booted his first collegiate field goal, from 30 yards away, as the defenses held for the remainder of the half, sending Allegheny into the locker room with a 17-point halftime lead.

The Blue and Gold needed their second drive of the second quarter to score their final points, when Stelzer found classmate Lieb from four yards out, giving the Gators a 24-0 lead.

Neither team would be able to reach the scoreboard for the final 21 minutes of the game, giving the Gators their second shutout of the 2007 season, and holding the Lord offense scoreless for the first time since the end of the 2002 season, when they fell to Wittenberg 79-0.

Deivert rushed five times for a game-high 82 yards, with Still grounding out 75 yards on 26 carries, each with a touchdown. Stelzer gained 31 yards on eight total carries, while not being sacked in the contest. Kenyon quarterback Rafael Sanchez, the NCAC’s leading rusher heading into the game, was held to 27 yards on 10 carries, while Joey Konieczny and Kyle Toot rushed for 22 and 21 yards on six and 11 carries, respectively.

Stelzer completed passes to nine different receivers, completing three passes each to B.J. Baran (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), Shane Sullivan (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township), Pete Obourn (Farmington, N.Y./Victor) and Still. Baran led that group with 45 yards, while Sullivan and Obourn had 22 and 18, respectively.

The Kenyon quarterbacks completed 18-of-38 passes for 229 yards, 205 of those coming from the arm of Rafael Sanchez. The duo completed 10 passes to Carlin Shoemaker, who gained 133 yards, with Konieczny catching three passes for 13 yards.

Defensively the team was led by Andy Toner (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), who had eight tackles, with Ross Simcoe (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) and Billy Jones (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) each picking up six stops. Kenyon was led by Mike Chase who had 14 stops with Dan Runnals adding 10 in the losing effort.

The Gators next take to the gridiron on Saturday, October 20 when they play host to the Fighting Scots of the College of Wooster starting at 1:00 p.m.

Printable Version