URSINUS TOPS DEL VAL

BY ROCK HOFFMAN

College Football Editor

COLLEGEVILLE - Ursinus College prevailed 17-14 in a hard-fought game with Delaware Valley University on Friday night at Patterson Field on Ursinus’ campus in the season opener for both schools. Despite being less than 25 miles apart, this was just the fourth meeting between the teams and the first since 1968. Both schools have won twice in the series, while the Bears have won their last nine openers. It was the head coaching debut of the Aggies’ Bill Zwaan Jr.

URSINUS RUNNING BACK JASON BERNARD (No.36) AFTER SCORING WHAT WOULD BE THE GAME-WINNING TOUCHDOWN

With just over three minutes left in the third quarter, Aggies’ quarterback Mike Galasso scored on a one-yard plunge to cut the Bears' lead to three. Del Val got the ball right back when the Bears’ quarterback Tristan Machado was intercepted, but penalties prevented the Aggies from doing much (the Aggies were flagged 12 times for 97 yards).

In the fourth quarter, Del Val’s defense forced a three-and-out, not allowing the Bears to gain a yard. This time, the Aggies matriculated the ball down the field only to, once again, have a penalty slow their progress and, ultimately, force a field goal try which Noah Porter partially blocked.

“Internal problems,” said Galasso, on what happened during the Aggies final drive. “Penalties and operational stuff. Not executing the way we can. You can’t win games like that.”

After Brendan Hazell’s 44-yard miss, the Bears took possession with 4:23 to play after running three plays for zero yards in the quarter. They would not give the ball back.

The Bears were the first to score when Machado completed a pass to Ryder Zulkowski at the Aggies’ 10-yard line; the wide receiver did the rest for the 22-yard touchdown.

Earlier in the second quarter, on a play from the Bears’ 15, Galasso rolled to his right and threw back to the middle of the field to Joel Perez, who was originally ruled out of the end zone, but after a review, it was a touchdown.

On the ensuing possession, Brooklyn Jones ran 41 yards to set up a 35-yard field goal by Ben Kiedrowski.

Ursinus took a 10-point lead in the third quarter on a two-yard run by Jason Bernard. The key play on the drive was a seven-yard pass from Machado to Jones on fourth-and-six at the Del Val 31-yard line.

The Aggies answered with Galasso’s run, which Perez helped make happen with a sensational one-hand grab on a 47-yard catch-and-run.

To keep the ball for the final four-plus minutes, the Bears converted two third downs (one on pass interference against the Aggies) and a fourth-and-one from the Del Val 21-yard line.

“It’s a game of momentum and will,” said Ursinus head coach Peter Gallagher, who is in his 26th season of leading the Bears. “Ride the highs, but you need the will to get out of the lows. We came up with the stops we needed, then we came up with the first downs we needed to pull out a great victory for our program.”