Box Score
GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College football team's improbable turnaround continued Saturday with a 20-7 home victory over the Allegheny College Gators. The win bumped the Lords' overall record to 5-3 and their North Coast Athletic Conference record to 4-1, putting them in a first –place tie with at least two other teams.
At this same point of the season one year ago, the Lords owned a 0-8 record and were riding a 21-game losing streak. That streak moved to 24 with a loss in week one of this season, but since Kenyon defeated Earlham College in week two, the Lords have gone 5-2, including Saturday's win over Allegheny, their first against Gators since 2005.
Kenyon actually spotted Allegheny a touchdown before rattling off 20 unanswered points. With under a minute to go in the first quarter, Allegheny quarterback Joe Dawida pitched the ball to receiver Derrick Emigh. Emigh then ran to the right and tossed a pass to Andrew Niklaus who did the rest of the work and completed the 72-yard scoring play.
That would be it for the Gators (4-4, 3-2 NCAC). After giving up 120 yards in the first quarter, the Lords defense allowed just 233 yards the rest of the way. Junior
Zachary Morrow had a great deal to do with that. Filling in at cornerback, Morrow made a dozen tackles and picked off one Dawida pass. Linebackers
Reed Franklin and
Kolin Sullivan each added eight tackles, while senior
Luke Bissinger made six stops and picked off another Allegheny pass just in front of the Lords' end zone during a third-quarter drive. That was his team-leading fifth interception of the season.
In all, the Kenyon defense gave up 103 rushing yards and 250 passing yards, but when crucial moments emerged, the Lords made big plays. The two interceptions were complemented by two quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery. Additionally, the Lords held the Gators to a third-down conversion rate of just 15 percent (2-of-13).
In the second quarter, the Lords offense sprang into action. With 10:01 showing on the game clock, running back
Brett Williams took a direct snap, found room near the left sideline, and bolted for a 28-yard touchdown, his seventh of the season. On the Lords' next drive, which covered seven plays and 57 yards, receiver
Carlo Gagliardo hauled in a screen pass from
Dan Shannon. Gagliardo slipped a bit in the wet conditions, but managed to stay on his feet, broke a few tackles, and put the ball in the end zone from 11 yards out. A blocked extra point on the next play kept the Kenyon lead at 13-7.
Gagliardo finished the game with eight catches for 88 yards. Williams racked up a game-high 137 rushing yards to clear the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season.
Casey Beaudouin added 36 rushing yards, Shannon scampered for 35, and
Brandon January had 22 as the Lords piled up a total of 230 yards on the ground. In the air, Shannon completed 16-of-22 passes for 167 yards.
Kenyon's final score also came in the second quarter, capping a spurt in which the Lords scored on three straight drives. The scoring drive was set up by January
, who forced an Allegheny fumble during a kick return. Bissinger recovered the loose ball on the Gators' 33-yard line. Six plays later, January took a hand-off, wiggled through the middle of the line, and penciled his name into the scorebook with a nine-yard touchdown, his second of the year.
Kenyon has two weeks left in the regular season. The Lords play at the College of Wooster (2-6, 1-4 NCAC) next Saturday and then finish up with a home game against Denison University (2-5, 2-2 NCAC), which plays host to Wittenberg University tonight.
