GAMBIER, Ohio – The Allegheny College Gators racked up five interceptions Saturday at McBride Field and rolled to a 54-10 North Coast Athletic Conference football win against the Kenyon College Lords.
Kenyon entered the contest averaging more than 280 passing yards per game, but Allegheny held starting quarterback
Thomas Merkle to 185 yards on 16 of 36 pass attempts. The Gators intercepted Merkle three times in the first quarter and raced out to a 10-0 lead.
That lead ballooned to 27-0 in the second quarter, before Kenyon recorded its first scoring play of the game, a 23-yard field goal from
Ryan Cooper with just under two minutes to go in the half. The Gators, however, didn't settle on that lead. Within the next 66 seconds, they marched 81 yards on five plays, scored a touchdown and rolled into halftime with a 34-3 lead.
Allegheny quarterback Logan Lee consistently found receivers Dwaine Barber and Alex Victor throughout the game. Barber ended up catching seven balls for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while Victor hauled in six balls for 121 yards and one score. Lee went on to finish the game with 368 passing yards and five touchdowns, while completing 19 of 31 pass attempts.
The Gators scored on their first two possessions of the second half and opened a 48-3 cushion. Kenyon misfired on its first third-quarter possession, but found pay dirt on its second. Merkle connected with a wide open Ian Roberston, who sprinted to the end zone to complete the 66-yard pass-and-catch. It was the fourth touchdown of the season for Robertson, who had eight catches for 110 yards in this game.
On the ground, Kenyon managed 23 yards on 31 rushes.
Jimmy Andrews came up with 27 yards on 10 carries, but four quarterback sacks by the Allegheny defense negated 40 yards.
Freshman quarterback
A.J. Allen replaced Merkle in the fourth quarter. He completed 5 of 10 passes for 33 yards and was picked off twice. Overall, the Lords had six turnovers in the game, compared to two for Allegheny.
The Gators put the game away with the rushing attack of Tyler Balla, who piled up 111 yards and two touchdowns on 29 runs. As a team, the Gators tallied 164 rushing yards on 45 carries.
The final result pushed Kenyon to 0-7 overall and 0-6 in NCAC play, while Allegheny improved 4-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference.
