WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (November 2, 2019) – The FDU football team was topped by Wilkes University 45-20 in Middle Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon.
FDU drops to 2-7 overall, 1-6 within the MAC while Wilkes moves to 7-1, 5-1 in the conference.
The Devils had the ball first but were intercepted on the third play from scrimmage. FDU's defense held the Colonels to just a field goal on the opening possession. The Devils next time with the ball didn't fare well, as a bad snap set up a 3rd-and-28 deep in their territory. Wilkes would register a safety two plays later, taking a 5-0 lead.
FDU free-kicked off, and Wilkes maneuvered down the field, getting to Devils 14-yard line. Rookie
Miles Smith intercepted a pass and went 85 yards down the field, while senior
Nick Maciejewski connected on the extra-point to give FDU a 7-5 advantage. Wilkes would convert on their next drive to take a three-point lead into the second quarter.
The Devils constructed an 8-play, 90-yard drive to score with 53 seconds remaining in the first half. Senior
Tommy Galante linked up with sophomore
Connor Perez for a 34-yard gain on 3rd-and-9 before finishing off the possession with a 32-yard touchdown pass to
Rory Sullivan. The lead was short-lived, as Wilkes tallied a TD on their final drive of the half and entered halftime with an 18-14 edge.
The Colonels broke the game open with 21 consecutive points bridging the third and fourth periods before the Devils stopped the run early in the fourth stanza. The team needed just two plays to go 88 yards, as Galante found junior running back
Alnazir Blackman for a 63-yard touchdown. Wilkes would tally a score to counter the FDU touchdown, and neither side could push across any more points for the remainder of the contest.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Galante went 18-for-30 for 300 yards while tossing two touchdowns.
- Blackman led the Devils with four catches and 93 yards receiving, while Sullivan added 83 yards.
- Senior Eli Guzman registered 11 tackles, while senior Jose Caceres had 1.5 tackles for loss.
UP NEXT
The Devils close out the regular season next Saturday, hosting Alvernia University at noon.