OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Several program records fell as Stevenson University cruised to a 65-7 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) football victory over Misericordia University Saturday afternoon at Mustang Stadium.
Stevenson's (3-2, 3-1 MAC) 65 points were a single-game record, eclipsing the 57 scored in a 57-0 win over FDU-Florham in 2014. The 58-point margin of victory was also a record, as was the 677 yards of total offense, surpassing the 653 rolled up against FDU-Florham in 2015.
Individually, junior quarterback Dan Williams surpassed his own single-game passing record for yardage, as he threw for 396 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. Freshman kicker Ian Gould finished with 16 points on the day, going 3-3 on field goals and converting all seven PAT tries, another record, surpassing Tim Sternfeld's record of 12 points set three times.
Stevenson scored on its first 10 drives of the day, not punting until 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, and on 11 of 12 drives.
Misericordia (1-4, 1-3) took the opening kickoff and engineered an 11-play, 66-yard drive that got it down to the Stevenson 8, but a 25-yard field goal attempt missed wide right. Taking over at the 20, Stevenson drove 58 yards and a 39-yard field goal by Gould got the Mustangs on the board with 6:15 left in the first.
The Mustangs took a 10-0 lead with 2:17 left in the first as Williams found senior Dequan Ellison for a 32-yard completion to cap a six-play, 59-yard drive. Misericordia responded 10 seconds into the second half as a Brady Williams two-yard run finished off a 66-yard drive and made it 10-7.
A 23-yard completion from Dan Williams to senior Devin Salisbury on Stevenson's next drive made it 17-7 with 9:24 left in the second quarter. Following a Cougar three-and-out, the Mustangs drove 53 yards and extended the lead to 20-7 on a Gould 26-yard field goal with 3:47 left. A 54-yard strike from Williams to senior Preston Addo 1:08 before intermission extended the hosts' lead to 27-7 at the break.
Stevenson put the game out of reach with three touchdowns in the first 7:03 of the third quarter. Just 1:02 into the second half, Williams found Riley Hodge, who ran 57 yards for his first career touchdown. Misericordia fumbled on the opening play of its next drive, with the Mustangs' Ashton Leschke recovering at the Cougar 38. A 27-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Addo made it 41-7, and another unsuccessful Misericordia drive, a one-yard run by Daqwan Hill capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive with 7:57 on the clock to make it 48-7.
On Misericordia's next drive, Brady Williams was intercepted by JT Arias in Mustang territory, who returned it 33 yards to the MU 43. Gould's third field goal of the game, this one from 33 yards out, made it 51-7.
The Mustangs got a pair of fourth quarter scores, as a three-yard pass from Steve Shanley to Vincent Lee gave Lee his first career TD with 10:41 left. At the 44-second mark, Shanley had a 51-yard completion to Sebastian Vainqueur for his first career TD.
Salisbury finished with nine catches for 105 yards, while Addo had six grabs for 118 yards as 10 different players had at least one catch on the afternoon. Ellison also had four catches for 53 yards. Junior Isaiah Austin had 10 rushes for 62 yards, while Hill had nine carries for 55 yards.
Defensively, DJ Broxton finished with 12 tackles, while Leschke had nine stops and a fumble recovery. Arias added six tackles.
For Misericordia, Brady Williams was 14-30 passing for 162 yards, with James Jackson catching six balls. The Cougars were outgained 674-281 as the Mustangs averaged 9.6 yards per play. The Mustangs held the ball for 32:41, winning the time of possession battle for the fourth straight week.
Stevenson is idle next weekend, and returns to action Saturday, October 14 when it travels to Lebanon Valley College for a 1:00 Middle Atlantic Conference contest.