EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – Junior quarterback Dan Williams and senior wide receiver Preston Addo each had record-setting days as the Stevenson University football team pitched a second-half shutout and recorded a 44-12 win over Wilkes University in Middle Atlantic Conference action Saturday at Schmidt Stadium.
Williams finished with a program-record 446 yards passing, going 28-45, while throwing five touchdowns against just one interception. Addo had 10 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns, with the 230 reception yards also a program record.
Stevenson (5-4, 5-3 MAC) took the lead for good with 2:11 to go in the first half as a 21-yard completion from Williams to Addo for a score put the guests on top 17-12. On Wilkes' (0-9, 0-8 MAC) ensuing drive, quarterback Nicholas Geimer fumbled on a keeper after sophomore Chikwado Nsoedo knocked the ball free, with senior Shaviah Coleman recovering on the Mustang 36. The Mustangs ran 10 plays to get down to the Colonel 2, and freshman Ian Gould booted a 19-yard field goal as time expired to give Stevenson a 20-12 lead at intermission.
Both teams went three-and-out on their first possession of the second half, but another record came with 9:05 to go in the third as Williams and senior Devin Salisbury hooked up for a 90-yard touchdown play. Williams found Salisbury to his left and he was able to race past several Wilkes defenders for the score, which is the longest pass play in program history.
Trailing 27-12, Wilkes marched from its 24 to the Stevenson 17, going 59 yards on 13 plays, but a Geimer pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-3. Stevenson drove 67 yards in seven plays, including a 46-yard completion to Addo, and Gould kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 30-12 with 2:26 left in the third.
The Mustangs needed just one play early in the fourth to make it 37-12, as starting at the Stevenson 38, Williams and Addo hooked up for a 62-yard completion with 12:30 remaining. The Colonels countered with a 14 play, 69 yard drive that stalled in the red zone as Geimer was stopped one yard shy of the first down on fourth-and-7 by Brody Coleman and JT Arias.
Stevenson's final touchdown came with 1:13 left as Addo had a 39-yard touchdown reception that was set up by an interception by sophomore Kobe Bolanos at midfield that was returned to the Colonel 35.
Wilkes engineered a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped by a Geimer keeper for three yards to put the hosts up 6-0 4:52 into the game. A 15-yard personal foul was assessed to Wilkes on the first PAT try, and the second try from 35 yards was blocked by Peyton Lepere to keep it a 6-0 game.
The Mustangs got on the board 32 seconds into the second quarter as a 23-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Sebastian Vainqueur capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive and put Stevenson up 7-6. On Wilkes' next drive, Geimer was sacked by Lepere at the Colonel 23 and a fumble was recovered by Kyle Bergen at the Wilkes 13. A 28-yard Gould field goal made it 10-6 with 12:53 to go in the first half.
Wilkes reclaimed the lead on a 30-yard pass from Geimer to Garrett Armstrong with 4:23 remaining in the first half, after the Colonels had started on their own 25 following an interception of Williams in the hosts' half of the field.
Salisbury finished with six catches for 110 yards, while Vainqueur had eight receptions for 79 yards. Daqwan Hill led Stevenson in rushing with 49 yards on 15 carries. Gould finished 5-5 on PAT tries and 3-3 on field goal attempts.
Defensively, Hanif Jones finished with a career-best 15 tackles (nine solo) while also recording three tackles for a loss, including a sack, and coming up with a forced fumble and recovery. Bolanos, Arias, Zach May and DJ Broxton each finished with eight tackles on the afternoon, with Broxton also recording a pair of pass breakups.
Stevenson outgained Wilkes 542-446, including 446-337 through the air, and had four takeaways, an interception and three fumble recoveries, as the hosts fumbled three times with the Mustangs recovering all three. The Colonels held the ball for nearly 34 minutes.
Stevenson closes out the regular season next Saturday when it hosts Lycoming in a noon kickoff at Mustang Stadium.