CHESTER, Pa.. - The Widener University football team rushed for 211 yards, quarterback
Triston Harris threw for two touchdowns, and the defense had another strong effort en route to posting a 24-3 victory over Lebanon Valley in their MAC opener on Saturday afternoon on Elizabeth J. Hirschmann Field at Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Stadium.
The dynamic duo of
Bryce Casey and
Shawn Thompson rushed for 189 of the 211 yards on 37 carries. Casey ran for a game-high 97 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Thompson added 92 yards on a game-high 26 carries.
Casey and Thompson, along with
Danny Dutkiewicz (22 yards), helped the Pride offense control the time of possession for almost 40 minutes.
As a result, the Pride were able to strike for three touchdowns and earn their first 3-0 start to a season since 2014. Harris capped the team's second drive in the first quarter — a 13-play, 79-yes drive — with a 15-yard touchdown pass to
Ty Holbert to give Widener a 7-0 lead.
After taking a 10-3 lead into halftime, the Blue and Gold extended the lead to 14 with 6:08 left after Harris found
Tevin Hill from 11 yards out. The scoring drive was sparked by a 46-yard run by Casey.
In the fourth quarter, the Pride put an exclamation point on the win after Casey capped a three-play, 8-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run following a muffed punt by Lebanon Valley.
Along with the offensive performance, the Pride's defense had its best performance to date by allowing its lowest point total this season and yielding only 163 yards of total offense. The Pride also only allowed one first down on 10 third-down attempts by the Dutchmen and only eight first downs in the entire game.
By The Numbers
Of Note
- The win was the 713th victory in Widener's football history.
- Mike Barainyak earned his eighth win as head coach.
UP NEXT
Widener travels to Albright to play in its second conference game of the season. Kickoff is set for noon.
