#39 Junior DB Tanner Troutman with another interception |
The Warriors (4-2 overall, 4-1 MAC) were hampered by an aggressive Lebanon Valley (5-1 overall, 4-1 MAC) defense throughout the game, as they were picked off three times and sacked 10, but still managed to net 289 yards of offense.
Junior quarterback Tyler Jenny (Coalport, Pa./Glendale) completed 16-of-27 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown. Junior Matt Atkinson (Media, Pa./Penncrest) caught eight of those for a career-high 109 yards and sophomore Ryan Umpleby (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) added four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Lycoming’s running game was held to just 50 yards on 35 attempts, with junior Craig Needhammer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) rushing 20 times for 52 yards.
In the first half, the Warriors saw their first two drives end on with an interception before the next three ended with a punt. The last punt, with 10:09 remaining in the second half, started an eight-play 94-yard drive for the Flying Dutchmen that ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Brian Murphy to Jake Zeigler with 6:31 left.
Lycoming went on its own 57-yard drive in response, reaching the Lebanon Valley 11-yard line, but the drive ended when a field goal went wide, sending the game into the break with the Dutchmen holding a 6-0 lead.
The Warriors took the lead with their first drive of the second half, as Jenny completed 4-of-5 passing for 39 yards on an eight-play, 71-yard drive that was capped when he found Umpleby in the right corner for a 16-yard touchdown.
From there, each team had a pair of stalled drives, sending the game into the fourth quarter, when Jenny was picked off by Brian Kasper at midfield and Kasper brought it back to the Lycoming 27. Three plays later, Murphy found Joey Miller for the winning score.
The Warriors had a pair of drives, reaching the Lebanon Valley 39 on the first before a false start penalty and a sack ended it, and then getting to the 20 on the second after a 17-yard rush by Jenny as the clock moved near 1:00 left. However, two holding penalties backed Lycoming up to 1-and-30, and three straight sacks helped Lebanon Valley secure the upset.
Murphy finished 10-of-16 for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Miller caught three passes for 79 yards and a touchdown and Tyler George caught four for 62. Austin Hartman ran 24 times for 93 yards.
Defensively, Lycoming was led by senior Dwight Hentz (Halifax, Pa./Halifax), who notched nine tackles, three for loss. Junior Kyle Sullivan (Coatesville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) added nine tackles and junior Tanner Troutman (Hegins, Pa./Tri-Valley) posted seven stops and one interception. Senior Kabongo Bukasa (Sharon Hill, Pa./Academy Park) added four tackles and a sack.
Frank Gaffney, the MAC leader in sacks, set the LVC single-season record with three more, giving him 13 on the season. He led the team with 11 tackles. Kevin Smith added 10 stops and two sacks. Fernando Almonte posted seven stops and an interception and Zach Halpin posted six tackles and four sacks.
The Warriors will take advantage of a bye week next week before getting back on the field with another key Middle Atlantic Conference matchup against Albright onSaturday, Oct. 26, on Homecoming weekend for Lycoming. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at David Person Field.
Box Score (Final)
#24 Lycoming vs Lebanon Valley (Oct 12, 2013 at Annville, Pa.)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
Lycoming 0 0 7 0 7 Record: (4-2,4-1)
Lebanon Valley 0 6 0 8 14 Record: (5-1,4-1)