MADISON (NJ) – Sophomore tailback Kyle Schuberth carried the ball 12 times for 110 yards and scored three of Delaware Valley College's six rushing touchdowns as the 25th-ranked Aggies routed host FDU-Florham, 50-7, in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) game.
With the win, Delaware Valley improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference. It is the fourth time in the last nine years that the Aggies have won the first four contests to start a season. The Devils saw its mark fall to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the MAC.
Schuberth led an Aggie ground attack that finished with 310 yards and had four separate players net at least 50 yards. He scored on runs of seven, three and six yards and went over the 100-yard plateau for a second consecutive week (139 yards against Lebanon Valley).
Ironically, the lone non-rushing touchdown of the day was the first score and it was provided by the Delaware Valley defense. Senior inside linebacker Chris James picked off a Ryan Cushman pass, received some blocks down field and returned it 34 yards for the second touchdown of his career. Jake Sobchak added the extra-point for a 7-0 advantage with 6:25 left in the opening quarter.
The Aggie defense notched another turnover as nose guard Amadeus Hall recovered a fumble on the FDU-Florham 45-yard line. Schuberth did most of the damage from there and capped the drive by bouncing off a pair of defenders and finding the end zone from seven yards out. Sobchak's extra-point attempt bounced off the upright to leave it at 13-0 with 2:54 remaining in the first.
Midway through the second quarter, the Aggies needed just three plays to go 48 yards and up their lead to 20-0 lead with 6:03 on the clock. The big play on the drive was a 27-yard diving catch by Rodney Blango and Schuberth followed with a three-yard scamper.
Later in the half, FDU-Florham forced a fumble on an Aggie pass play and took over at the Delaware Valley 35 with 2:35 to go before the intermission. However, the Aggie defense forced a three-and-out and they went into break with the 20-0 advantage.
The Devils, who were kicking off at their 45-yard line due to a Delaware Valley penalty, tried an onsides kick to start the second half, but the Aggies recovered at their own 43-yard line. Tyler Neal gained seven yards on his first carry and the senior then exploded for 50 yards and a touchdown on his second touch. Sobchak added the point-after to make it 27-0 just 41 seconds into the stanza.
On the ensuing drive, FDU-Florham tried a pass behind the line of scrimmage, but linebacker Cory Armstrong came in on a blitz and batted it away. The ball was live and Armstrong scooped it up and lugged it 44 yards to the Devil seven-yard line. After a loss of one, Schuberth went into the end zone untouched from eight yards out for touchdown number three and a 34-0 score with 11:41 left in the third.
The Aggies added three more points on their next drive as an Isaiah Hall 54-yard run set up a 22-yard field goal by Sobchak. Senior quarterback Cory Almasy made it 44-0 and reached the end zone for the first time in his career on a three-yard keeper on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Devils avoided the shutout with a four-yard touchdown run by Nick Miranda with 3:49 remaining. Sophomore tailback Johnny Mayi gave Delaware Valley its final points of the day with a 40-yard burst with 69 seconds to go.
The Aggies finished with 472 yards of total offense and averaged nearly seven yards per play. In addition to Schuberth, Neal had a strong game on the ground as he finished with 63 yards and a score on 10 attempts. Isaiah Hall netted 50 yards on three carries while Mayi came in in the fourth quarter and carried the ball five times for 68 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Aaron Wilmer completed 11 of 18 passes for 137 yards with Blango hauling in five balls for 90 yards.
The defense held FDU-Florham to 161 total yards (55 rushing, 106 passing), including just 109 yards over the first three quarters. Armstrong's first career start saw him rack up six tackles, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and half a sack. Jared Pattinson made five tackles while Amadeus Hall had four stops and a fumble recovery.
Cushman was 14-for-30 for 96 yards and one interception for FDU-Florham. Michael Mancino was the leading tackler with a game-best 10 stops.