ANNVILLE, Pa. ­­– Carter Foust returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown while recording eight total tackles defensively, helping lead the Lebanon Valley College football team to a 37-13 victory over FDU-Florham in its Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) opener on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Arnold Field. 

The Dutchmen (1-1, 1-0 MAC) had a productive first drive on defense, as the Devils (0-2, 0-1 MAC) were forced to punt on third and 12 after Ryan Fink and Alex Brown combined for a tackle that caused a loss of a yard while J.D. McCallion had a tackle for a loss of a yard. Jonathan Hannevig blocked the punt by FDU-Florham, and Cameron Hirshman recovered the ball for Lebanon Valley at the Devils' 21-yard line, before returning it to the end zone for a touchdown. Brian Dym converted the extra point attempt for the Flying Dutchmen, prompting the program to take a 7-0 lead with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter. 

FDU-Florham then faced fourth and three on Lebanon Valley's 36-yard line, but the program turned the ball over on downs after Aidon Fritsch hurried the Devils' quarterback and Luke Pollock broke up the pass for LVC with 4:46 to go in the opening quarter. The Dutchmen also later prompted the opposition to punt after a four-play, 1:26 drive toward the end of the first frame. 

After forcing FDU-Florham to punt early in the second quarter, Lebanon Valley put together a 12-play, 97-yard drive that led to the program taking a 14-0 advantage with 7:47 remaining. The Dutchmen faced second and 19 on FDU-Florham's 19-yard line, and quarterback Logan Klitsch completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Trey Freeman in the left corner of the end zone. Dym then made the PAT for LVC. 

The Flying Dutchmen remained productive defensively as the second quarter progressed, forcing the Devils to punt on their next drive. Pollock came through with a tackle for a loss of two yards when the opposition faced second and eight on LVC's 48-yard line, contributing to this stop for Lebanon Valley. The Dutchmen later tacked on three points before the end of the opening stanza, as Dym made a 25-yard field goal with six seconds left to provide the program with a 17-0 advantage entering halftime.

FDU-Florham began the third quarter with the ball, but Lebanon Valley's defense caused the program to turn the ball over on downs after a 13-play, 64-yard drive that lasted 7:24. The Devils faced fourth and one at LVC's 10-yard line, and Brown posted a tackle for a loss of one yard on a rush attempt to end the drive. FDU-Florham later got on the scoreboard with a 27-yard touchdown pass to the middle of the end zone, trimming its deficit to 17-6 with 5:08 left in the third. The Devils' extra point attempt was blocked by Lebanon Valley's Nevin Carter. 

FDU-Florham also began the fourth quarter with the ball, and the Dutchmen once again forced the opposition to punt. Lebanon Valley's offense scored on its first series of the final frame, extending its lead to 23-6 with 10:01 remaining. The program made it to the end zone during a 10-play, 84-yard drive that lasted just 3:57, which included a 30-yard rush toward the left side by Dion Bryant. The sequence was capped off by a five-yard touchdown pass from Klitsch to William Ryan on the right side of the end zone. 

The Devils then faced second and one on LVC's 17-yard line, and Foust intercepted a pass before returning it 90 yards for a pick-six touchdown for the Dutchmen with 4:30 left. Dym followed this by converting the PAT for Lebanon Valley, making it a 30-6 contest. FDU-Florham's offense also faced third and 10 at its own 11-yard line during its next drive, and Fink came through with another interception and a 15-yard pick-six touchdown for the Flying Dutchmen. Dym followed this with a successful extra point try, prompting LVC to lead 37-6 with 4:06 to go. The Devils responded with a 20-yard touchdown pass and a converted extra point with 1:39 to go, advancing the score to 37-13. The Dutchmen went on to preserve their advantage through the end of play, securing their first win of the campaign. 

Inside the Box Score

• Foust returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown, marking the second-longest interception return in program history, in terms of yardage. This is also the senior's first career touchdown. Additionally, Foust tied a career-high eight total tackles and broke up a pass on the defensive end. 
• Freeman scored his first touchdown for the Dutchmen while logging three receptions for 30 yards. 
• Ryan recorded his first career touchdown on his first career reception. 
• Klitsch tied a game-high and career-high two passing touchdowns and tallied seven completions.
• Fink also returned an interception for a touchdown, marking the senior's first career touchdown. The defensive back made five total tackles as well. 
• Bryant posted a game-high 151 rushing yards on 15 attempts, including a game-long rush of 50 yards.
• The Dutchmen had a 322-309 advantage in total offensive yards and a 267-109 advantage in total rushing yards. 
• Brown registered a game-high and career-high 10 total tackles. 
• Jordan Blauch and Luke Ordway both tallied 1.5 sacks. This marked a career-high for Blauch. 
• Brown and Seamus Smith tied a game-high two pass breakups. This matched a career-high from Brown and marked the first two of Smith's career.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will return to the gridiron on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m., when the team will host Eastern University at Arnold Field. 

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