MADISON, NJ - Senior running back Zach Tivald rushed 21 times for 172 yards and three touchdowns to help Wilkes to a 45-25 victory over the College at Florham Devils in Middle Atlantic Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Devils dropped to 0-4 (0-2 MAC) while the Colonels improved to 2-2 (2-0 MAC).

Wilkes got the ball first and marched right down field to grab a 7-0 lead on a six-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Alex George to sophomore tight end Daniel Curry that capped a 12-play, 69 yard drive.  The Colonels got the ball back with 3:58 left in the first quarter and went 85 yards in nine plays to grab a 14-0 lead on a 12-yard touchdown run by George.

After the Colonels got an interception and return to the FDU 40 yard line to begin the second quarter, Tivald took it in from a yard out eight plays later to give Wilkes a 21-0 lead with 10:18 to go in the first half.  The Devils responded with their best drive of the day up to that point, getting the ball back and going 57 yards in 11 plays to close to within 21-7 on a six yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ryan Cushman to senior defensive end Mike Winters with 4:44 left.  The drive was executed mostly on the ground as the Devils gained 39 yards on seven carries.  Both squads had one more opportunity to score in the first half but the game remained 21-7 heading into intermission.

The Devils cut it to 21-10 on the first possession of the third quarter as junior kicker Travis Mullen capped a 10-play, 39 yard drive with a 30-yard field goal.  The big play of the drive was when Cushman ran for 11 yards and then drew a late hit penalty to tack on 15 more.  The Colonels got the momentum right back though, as freshman running back Andrew Regan returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a score to give Wilkes a 28-10 lead with 10:44 remaining in the third.  FDU fumbled on their kickoff return setting up Wilkes with the ball at the FDU 31 yard line.  The Colonels drove down to the Devils two before George fumble and junior defensive tackle Phil Kresefski recovered to keep the score at 28-10.  FDU then went on their finest drive of the season, marching 98 yards and 10 plays to close to within 28-16 on a 16-yard pass from Cushman to senior running back Sean Norton.  The two big plays of the drive was a 16-yard pass from Cushman to sophomore wide receiver Anthony Fruncillo to get FDU away from its own goal line and then a 44-yard run from sophomore running back Mike Larson to take the ball to the Wilkes 16 yard line.  The Devils then went for and got the two-point conversion to get within 10 points as sophomore quarterback Mike Santos connected with senior defensive back Sean McPherson.  It didn't take Wilkes long to respond again though, as Tivald ripped off a 60-yard touchdown run on the third play of the next series to give the Colonels a 35-18 lead with 3:12 to go in the third.

Wilkes made it 42-18 on the first drive of the fourth quarter as Tivald took it in from 16 yards out to complete an 85 yard drive in six plays.  FDU made it 45-25 on their next possession as the Devils went 63 yards in 12 plays capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass from Cushman to Fruncillo.  The Devils tried an on-side kick but Wilkes recovered and completed the scoring five plays later with a 24-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Geoffrey Arentz with 6:26 left in the game.

Cushman finished the game 22-of-42 for 201 yards to go along with three touchdowns and one interception.  Larson had eight carries for 75 yards, Norton rushed 14 times for 55 yards, Fruncillo caught four passes for 59 yards and a score, and senior wide receiver Tim Grey grabbed four receptions for 22 yards.  Defensivley, junior free safety Joe Mancini had a game-high 13 tackles while junior inside linebacker Charlie Thomas added 12 tackles.  Senior inside linebacker Ryan Daly tallied nine stops, two for loss, while senior outside linebacker Steve Hoverson and sophomore outside linebacker Mike Mancino each had eight tackles.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, October 8, 2011, at Widener beginning at 1 pm.