READING, PA – Senior quarterback Tanner Kelly (Clearfield, PA/Clearfield) went 12-of-15 for 204 yards and three touchdowns through the air while rushing for 62 yards on 14 carries and another score on the ground to lead Albright to a 49-28 win over the College at Florham Devils on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, the Devils dropped to 1-7 (0-5 MAC) while the Lions improved to 8-0 (5-0 MAC).
FDU took the ball to start the game and went three-and-out, lining up to punt on their own 34 yard line. On the punt, Albright senior cornerback Brett Gaul (Reading, PA/Schuylkill Valley) burst through the line and blocked the punt with freshman cornerback Jesse Henderson (Bowie, MD/Duval) scooping it up and taking it in for a touchdown to give Albright a 6-0 lead. On the ensuing kick, the Lions got the ball back on a successful onside-kick and took over at their own 41 yard line. Six plays later, senior quarterback Tanner Kelly (Clearfield, PA/Clearfield) scampered for a five-yard touchdown to put the Lions up, 13-0, with 10:38 left in the first quarter.
The Devils put together a good drive on their next possession but on fourth-and-one from the Albright 30 yard line, junior quarterback Matt Jeffers (Burlington, NJ/Burlington) was stuffed on a sneak play and the Lions took over on downs. Three plays later, Kelly hit junior tight end Andrew Castano (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) for a 53-yard touchdown pass to put Albright up, 20-0, with 6:28 to go in the first quarter. FDU got on the board on their next possession thanks to a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jeffers to senior wide receiver Kyle Bukowiec (Howell, NJ/Howell) to cut the deficit to 20-7 with 2:23 left in the first quarter. The drive went 62 yards in eight plays. The Lions got that score right back though, when Kelly hit senior running back Tyrell Drumgo (Newark, DE/Christiana) for a 12-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion gave the Lions a 28-7 lead with 13:48 remaining in the half.
After driving into Albright territory again, the Devils turned the ball over on downs and the Lions took over on their own 26 yard line. The Lions proceeded to drive the field and make the score 35-7 on a 14-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Josan Holmes (Ambler, PA/Wissahickon) with 6:17 left in the half. FDU cut it to 35-14 on a seven play, 56 yard drive, culminating in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jeffers to senior tight end Beau Reed (Ocean, NJ/Rumson) with 3:43 to go in the first half.
Albright had the ball to begin the second half but senior free safety Jason Glezman (Lincroft, NJ/Mater Dei) picked off Kelly, Kelly's first interception all season, to set the Devils up with great field position on the Albright 45 yard line. FDU moved the ball down to the Albright 17 yard line and faced a fourth-and-eight, but Jeffers' pass was incomplete allowing the Lions to take over on downs. Albright made it 42-14 with 0:30 left in the third quarter when senior linebacker Bob Harper (Beverly, NJ/Paul VI) picked off Jeffers and ran it back six yards for a touchdown. With 7:38 left in the game, Kelly hooked up with Holmes for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Lions up 49-14. Jeffers helped the Devils pull to within 49-21 with 4:17 to go when he scrambled 12 yards for a touchdown. Junior running back Brendon Griffin (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) completed the scoring with 0:02 to go in the game when he ran for an 11-yard touchdown to make the score 49-28 in favor of Albright.
In the first extended action of his career, Jeffers finished 18-of-35 for 203 yards to go along with two touchdowns and two interceptions through the air to go along with 76 yards on 10 carries and a score on the ground. Bukowiec made eight catches for 68 yards and a score, senior wide receiver Lou Pietrangelo (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) had four grabs for 69 yards, and Griffin ran eight times for 50 yards and a touchdown. On defense, sophomore linebacker Steve Hoverson (Middletown, NJ/Iona) had a game-high 12 tackles and a sack, junior linebacker Anthony DelConte (Garwood, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) had 10 tackles, one for loss, and sophomore defensive tackle Gilbert Taylor (Salem, NJ/Salem) finished with nine tackles and 1.5 sacks.
The Devils return to action on Saturday, November 7, 2009, at home for Senior Day against King's beginning at 1 pm.
