DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – So close.
Shenandoah University took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon of its NCAA first round playoff game against Delaware Valley, but the Aggies made another of their patented fourth quarter comebacks in a 21-17 victory.
Shenandoah (7-4) led 17-8 as the fourth quarter dawned, but DVC (11-0) scored at the 13:06 and 1:53 marks to steal the victory. The Aggies will now move on to face St. John Fisher in the second round next Saturday afternoon.
Steve Cook got what proved to be the game winning touchdown with 1:53 left when he capped a six play, 58 yard drive with a five-yard scamper around left end.
The Hornets started their ensuing possession on its own 45 and gained nine yards on first down, but threw an incomplete pass on second down, lost four yards on a third down draw play and then wasn't able to convert the fourth and five. Del Val then ran out the remaining time.
Junior Anthony Frates (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) led the visitors with a game high 141 yards rushing on 33 carries. He finishes his season with a school record 1142 yards and 12 touchdowns.
DVC outgained the Hornets 423 to 304, mostly on the arm and legs of junior quarterback Adam Knoblauch. Knoblauch was 18 for 31 for 229 yards through the air and added another 87 on 11 rushes. Cook backed him up with 102 yards rushing.
Shenandoah had seized control of the game with 10 points in third period. Down 8-7 to start the second half after taking a team safety with just over three minutes to go in the first, SU drove 63 yards on its first possession of the final 30 minutes of play to take a 14-8 lead. Sophomore Maurice Coleman (Woodbridge, Va/CD Hylton) capped the 13 play drive with a five-yard touchdown reception, his sixth of the year.
The Hornets drove 56 yards on their next possession and appeared to have a third and goal from the Aggies 2, but an unsportsmanlike penalty against the visitors pushed the ball back to the 17, where SU gained one yard to set Bryce Harrington (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island) up for a 33-yard field goal.
Unfortunately, this would be the final time that Shenandoah would score in the 2004 season.
The start of the game appeared to be setting up a high scoring affair; Delaware Valley struck just 2:35 to the game by going 51 yards in six plays to take a 6-0 lead. Knoblauch completed the drive with a 16-yard draw play touchdown on 2nd down and 12.
After Shenandoah's opening drive stalled, they got the first big break of the game three plays into the Aggies next drive. With Del Val appearing to be moving the ball deep into SU territory for the second time in as many possessions, a trio of Hornet seniors came to the rescue.
Defensive end Jesse Levenson (Wardensville, W. Va./East Hardy) stripped Knoblauch at the DVC 46, where linebacker Eddie Freeman (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline County) picked it up and lateraled to safety George Hewan (Lanham, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) five yards downfield. Hewan took the ball all the way to the Aggie 7 before being knocked out of bounds.
Three plays later, SU quarterback Jon Hoffman (Woodbridge, Va./Gar-Field) hit Mike McVearry (Bowie, Md./South River) for a nine-yard TD pass and a Bryce Harrington (PAT gave the visitors the 7-6 advantage. The score remained there until the team safety just before the end of the second quarter.
Box Score/Play by Play
Shenandoah opens the 2005 season at Catholic University.
