ANNVILLE, Pa. – Senior tailback Richard Jackson rushed for a game-high 146 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in overtime, as King's held on for a 28-27 overtime win over Lebanon Valley in Middle Atlantic Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Arnold Field.
King's (2-5, 2-4 MAC) led 21-13 with 1:46 left in the game after a 1-yard touchdown dive from junior quarterback Chris Barnic. But Lebanon Valley (3-4, 2-4 MAC) responded with a 12-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Eric Laird (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) with 17 seconds remaining. Lebanon Valley tied the game at 21 when sophomore quarterback Dan Kelly (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) hit freshman receiver Adam Brossman (Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon) in the endzone for a two-point conversion.
In overtime, King's received the ball first, and Jackson gave the Monarchs a first down at the LVC-12 after a four-yard run on third-and-one. On the next play, Jackson sprinted down the right side of the field for a touchdown, and Bobby Nawrocki's fourth extra point of the game made it 28-21.
On Lebanon Valley's first play in overtime, Kelly hit senior receiver Dave McCullough (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land) in the endzone for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Flying Dutchmen elected to attempt a two-point conversion, but Kelly's pass intended for Brossman was incomplete.
Kelly finished with a game-high 231 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-28 passing. He also had 49 yards rushing on 17 carries. Brossman caught seven of Kelly's aerials for 119 yards and one touchdown while Laird carried the ball 11 times for 41 yards.
Barnic threw for 126 yards on 8-of-22 passing for King's while Blake Letchford had five receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown.
Jackson moved into 14th on the all-time NCAA Division III career rushing list, and he now has 4,786 career rushing yards.
Both teams struggled to get their offense going in the first half, as each side went three-and-out on their first two possessions. King's finally converted the game's first first down midway through the opening quarter when Barnic hit Letchford with a 20-yard completion to the LVC-49 on third-and-16. However, the Monarchs were forced to punt four plays later, and a 36-yard Jeff Searfass boot gave the Dutchmen the ball at the LVC-7 with 7:18 to go in the quarter.
The Dutchmen picked up their initial first down on the first play of the ensuing drive, when freshman Ryan Brennan (Highland Lakes, N.J./Vernon Township) peeled off a 13-yard run. But the Monarch defense held, forcing Lebanon Valley to punt for the third time in the quarter.
LVC forced King's into its fourth punt of the quarter on its next possession, and the scoreboard read 0-0 after 15 minutes of play.
Lebanon Valley put together its lone scoring drive of the first half midway through the second quarter. Sophomore tailback Brandon Shank (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) and Kelly each ran for a first down on third-and-short as the Dutchmen moved the ball 59 yards on 10 plays, capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass. Brian Murphy (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) raced down the middle of the field and made a diving touchdown grab of a Kelly pass on third-and-18. Freshman Eldin Brodlic's (Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon) extra point made it 7-0 with 7:15 remaining in the first half.
King's got its offense moving late in the half. An 18-yard LVC punt gave the Monarchs the ball at the Dutchman-36, and five plays later Barnic found Letchford for a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-7 with 1:42 on the clock.
A Monarch interception led to King's second touchdown of the game. Sophomore linebacker Tore Alaimo picked off a Kelly pass early in the third quarter and returned it 19 yards to the LVC-34. Barnic and Letchford gave King's an excellent scoring opportunity when they connected for an 11-yard pass on third-and-nine to give the Monarchs the ball at the 2-yard line.
Lebanon Valley's defense came up with a big play when senior defensive end Lucas Robinson (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) and junior safety Jimmy Holzman (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) hit Jackson behind the line of scrimmage for a four-yard loss. But on third down, an LVC pass interference penalty gave King's a first-and-goal at the Dutchman-2. Jackson found paydirt on the next play to give King's a 14-7 lead.
The Monarchs prevented Lebanon Valley from advancing beyond the King's-33 during the second half until the Dutchmen put together a scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter. Kelly led LVC on a seven-play, 56-yard march, capped by a 22-yard touchdown pass to Brossman with 6:49 left in the game. However, Brodlic's kick was wide left, and the Dutchmen trailed 14-13.
King's received outstanding field position on the kickoff, as a 23-yard return and a 15-yard LVC personal foul penalty gave the Monarchs the ball at the Dutchman-44. Barnic would proceed to take King's into the endzone on 10 plays. Along the way, Barnic came up with a big 20-yard run on third-and-14, giving King's a first down at the LVC-38. Then on fourth-and-four at the LVC-22., Barnic hit Letchford with a six-yard pass to give the Monarchs a first down at the 16-yard line. A nine-yard run from Jackson gave King's a first-and-goal at the 1, setting up Barnic's scoring plunge. A Nawrocki extra point made it 20-13.
Kelly went on to orchestrate a brilliant drive to pull the Dutchmen even. He completed 5 of 6 passes for 62 yards, and used a three-yard run on fourth-and-two to give LVC a first down at the King's-25. Junior receiver Luke Rendine (West Milford, N.J./West Milford Township) came up big for the Valley on the drive as well, catching Kelly's final three passes of the drive for 26 yards. His nine-yard reception gave the Dutchmen a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line and set up Laird's touchdown on the next play.
Lebanon Valley played its first overtime game since Nov. 2, 2002, when it defeated Delaware Valley 33-26. The Dutchmen suffered their first overtime loss since falling to Delaware Valley 40-27 on Nov. 15, 1997.
Senior linebacker Casey Meehan led all players with 15 tackles, including 3.5 for losses, while Alaimo had nine takedowns for King's. Holzman paced the Dutchmen with a career-high 13 tackles while junior linebacker Chris Weaver (New Cumberland, Pa./Cedar Cliff) made nine hits.
Lebanon Valley is idle next week. The team will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 30 when it visits Wilkes at 1 p.m.
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