The Dickinson football team overcame an early 14-point deficit to defeat McDaniel College 38-31 on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Biddle field. The Red Devils rushed for 352 yards on the day, led by 129 from running back Shawn Wilson ’16. Fullback Mike Capone ’14 added 79 yards and a touchdown, including an impressive 58-yard rush in the third quarter. The defense came up with timely takeaways to help lead the team to victory. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, quarterback Cole Ahnell ’15 suffered a season-ending injury in the third quarter.

On the third play of the game, McDaniel quarterback Ryan Yamada connected with wide receiver Nick O’Melia for an 82-yard touchdown, putting McDaniel ahead early. Then on the Red Devils’ first possession of the game, Ahnell had a pass deflected, intercepted, and returned to midfield. McDaniel running back Joe Rollins then ran for 38 yards on the ensuing possession, eventually capping off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.

Wilson answered right back on the next Red Devil possession, rushing four times for 52 yards on the drive through some big holes created by the offensive line. Ahnell capped the drive with a one-yard scamper for the touchdown. After each team punted the ball away on their next possession, McDaniel began their next drive deep inside their own territory. On a third down on the McDaniel 25-yard line, the Red Devils’ defense came up with a big play. Linebacker Connor Thompson ’15 intercepted Yamada’s pass and returned the pick 31 yards into the end zone, tying the game at 14 to start the second quarter.

The Green Terror answered on their next possession, putting together an impressive 15-play, 75-yard drive and moving the ball deep into Red Devil territory. However, the Red Devils’ defense stood tall for three plays on the goal line, forcing McDaniel to kick at 23-yard field goal to make the score 17-14.

The Red Devils’ offense then drove the ball to the McDaniel 42 yard line thanks in part to a costly pass interference call on the Green Terror. However, they were stopped on a third down and lined up to punt the ball away, being outside of field goal range. In a surprising move, the Red Devils faked the punt, and tight end Todd Smolinsky ’14 rushed for 20-yards to pick up the first down and keep the drive alive. Two plays later, Ahnell connected with junior wide receiver Eric Ondo on a 19-yard touchdown pass to take the lead for the first time in the game with just over three minutes left in the half.

Following a stop, Capone and Wilson combined for 41 yards rushing on another Red Devil scoring drive. Wilson capped it off with a 19-yard touchdown run to make the score 28-17. Safety Jack Margavitch ’16 stalled McDaniel’s attempt to score before halftime, intercepting a pass to keep the 11-point lead going into halftime.

Led by an impressive 58 yard run by Capone, the Red Devils scored on the first possession of the second half. Capone then dove in from one yard out to extend the lead and make the score 35-17. Following Ahnell’s injury, the momentum began to swing in McDaniel’s favor. The Red Devils were forced to punt deep in their own territory to start the fourth. After a 22-yard punt return gave them great field position, McDanielscored on a 4-yard run by Rollins to cut into the lead. They then succeeded on a two-point conversion attempt to make the score 35-25 with 12 minutes left.

The Red Devils then drove and added a 41-yard field goal on their next possession. McDaniel did not go quietly, however, as Yamada went to the air and methodically drove the Green Terror down deep into Red Devil territory. After amazingly dodging a sack on the 7-yard line, Yamada scampered in for a touchdown. However, the Red Devils blocked the extra point to keep the score 38-31. After Eric Ondo recovered the onside kick, Dickinson successfully ran the clock out to end the game victorious.

The Red Devils improved to 3-4 on the season, including 3-3 in the Centennial Conference. Their next game is Saturday, Nov. 2 when the team travels to face Muhlenberg at 1:00 p.m.