WILKES-BARRE, PA – Trailing 27-17 with 7:17 left in the third quarter, Wilkes scored 20 unanswered points to earn a 37-27 victory over the College at Florham Devils in Middle Atlantic Conference action on Saturday afternoon.  In the win, Wilkes set a school record for single-game yards with 667 yards including 435 on the ground.

With the loss, the Devils dropped to 1-3 (1-2 MAC) while the Colonels improved to 2-2 (1-2 MAC).

FDU won the toss and started the game with the ball on their own 28-yard line.  After a three-and-out, Wilkes took over on their 34 yard-line and on the first play of the drive the Colonels scored on a 66-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Alex George to sophomore wide receiver Jonathon Conklin to grab a 7-0 lead with 13:15 left in the first quarter.  The Colonels went on a long drive on their next series but missed a 33-yard field goal to keep the score at 7-0.

Wilkes grabbed a 14-0 lead with 14:03 to go in the second quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run from junior running back Calvin Garvin that capped a six-play, 66-yard drive.  FDU pushed into Wilkes territory on their next possession as junior quarterback Mike Santos and senior running back Jon Bennett found a great rhythm in the drive, connecting three times for 32 yards to move the ball to the 29-yard line.  The Devils got on the board two plays later when Santos hit freshman running back for a 12-yard touchdown pass to cut their deficit to 14-7 with 9:30 left in the second quarter.  The Devil defense continued the momentum, forcing a Wilkes three-and-out to give the ball back to the offense on the FDU 39-yard line.  After a first down on the first play for the Devils, Santos was intercepted on the FDU 48-yard line setting up Wilkes with great field position.  The Colonels capitalized on the great field position with a 32-yard field goal by junior kicker Jordan Fredo to give Wilkes a 17-7 advantage with 4:46 remaining before halftime.  FDU responded once again though, starting with a 32-yard kickoff return from sophomore wide receiver James Ognibene.  The Devils then went 60 yards in four plays to pull to within 17-13 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Santos to Bennett with 2:45 to play.  On the play prior to the touchdown, Kimbrough raced around left end for 20 yards to set up the score.

The Devils forced a three-and-out on Wilkes to begin the third quarter and then the offense drove 66 yards in seven plays to grab a 20-17 lead with 9:31 to go on a two-yard touchdown run from Bennett.  The big play in the drove though, came on second-and-nine from the FDU 46-yard line.  That's when Santos hit junior wide receiver Anthony Fruncillo down the left sideline for 44 yards to the Wilkes five-yard line.  The Colonels looked they were going to get the lead back, moving into FDU territory but sophomore safety Anthony Alecci recovered a fumble to put FDU back in business.  On the ensuing play, Santos hit Bennett down the middle of the field for a 62-yard touchdown pass to give the Devils a 27-17 lead with 7:17 to go in the third.  The Colonels again drove into FDU territory on their next series, moving to the 19-yard line and settling for a field goal attempt.  The ball was kicked into line however, and FDU took over on their own 28-yard line.  Wilkes once again had no problem moving into FDU territory at the end of the third quarter, but they faced a fourth-and-nine at the FDU 34-yard line and decided to go for it.  George tried for a completion over the middle but the pass was a little behind the receiver and the FDU defense bent but didn't broke once more.

On the first drive of the fourth quarter, the Colonels went 72 yards in seven plays to pull to 27-24 with 11:09 to go in the game thanks to a 14-yard touchdown run from Garvin.  FDU provided a response as they did all afternoon, coming up with a drive that not only gained yards but ran some time off the clock.  The Devils converted a huge third-and-one when Fruncillo ran for three yards early in the series.  FDU then meticulously moved the ball into Colonels territory but faced a third-and-nine from the Wilkes 36-yard line.  The Devils picked up enough yards on a pass play to get the first down but a fumble on the play gave the Colonels the ball back.  Wilkes continued to move the ball easily, pushing down to the FDU 32-yard line where they faced a third-and-five.  George picked up the first down with a seven-yard run up the middle to keep the drive going.  On the next play, Garvin carried down to the FDU six-yard line to set up first-and-goal.  Two plays later, sophomore running back Andrew Regan put Wilkes back on top with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Colonels a 31-27 lead with 5:55 to go.  FDU went for a big play on the first play of the ensuing drive but Santos was picked off at midfield.  On third-and-seven, George tossed a screen pass to sophomore wide receiver Justin Pellowski that Pellowski took to the house from 46 yards out to give the Colonels a 37-27 lead with 4:26 remaining.  The Devils weren't done yet though, as Santos converted a fourth down early in the next drive before hooking up with Fruncillo for a 32-yard gain to the Wilkes 25-yard line.  The game came down to a fourth-and-19 from the Wilkes 34-yard line where the Devils had to go for it to keep alive any hope.  Santos was hit as he went to throw and the ball was incomplete to give it back to the Colonels to run the clock out.

Santos went 24-of-36 for 337 yards to go along with three touchdowns and two interceptions.  Bennett finished with 10 catches for 135 yards and two scores while Fruncillo added six receptions for 129 yards.  Kimbrough notched nine carries for 61 yards on the ground while adding three catches for 23 yards and a score.  Defensively, junior linebacker Mike Mancino recorded 17 tackles while sophomore defensive back Troy Scales tallied 13 stops.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, October 6, 2012, at home for Homecoming against Lycoming beginning at 1:30 pm.