CHESTER, Pa. – The Stevenson football team rallied in the final minute to earn a dramatic 22–15 victory over Widener on Saturday afternoon at Leslie C. Quick Stadium in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) action. The Mustangs improve to 6–2 overall and 5–2 in conference play after scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 55 seconds remaining to reclaim the lead and secure the road victory.
Stevenson established control early behind a strong rushing attack from junior running back
John Asuquo. The Mustangs opened the scoring with 2:32 remaining in the first quarter, as Asuquo capped a 66-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Sophomore kicker
Mohammad Butt added the extra point to give Stevenson a 7–0 advantage. Asuquo continued to find success on the ground early in the second quarter, breaking free for a 46-yard run before finishing the drive with a nine-yard touchdown rush. Butt's second extra point extended the Mustangs' lead to 14–0 with 14:22 remaining in the first half.
The Stevenson defense maintained its momentum throughout the first half, keeping Widener off the scoreboard and protecting the 14-point advantage heading into the break. The Mustangs limited the Pride to just 86 rushing yards for the game and forced two turnovers, including a crucial interception in the fourth quarter.
Widener began to chip away at the Stevenson lead in the third quarter, putting together a 95-yard drive that ended with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Olsen to Jaelen Richardson with 4:07 remaining. The Pride's extra-point attempt was blocked by
Terae Franklin, keeping Stevenson ahead 14–6. Widener continued its push in the fourth quarter, connecting on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Stewart-Smith before adding a 38-yard field goal with 6:35 remaining to take a 15–14 lead.
With the game on the line, Stevenson responded with a clutch late-game drive. After forcing Widener to punt, the Mustangs took over at their own nine-yard line with 1:59 remaining. Quarterback
Kirby Matson connected with
Cordell Bair for a 24-yard completion before Bair hauled in a spectacular 63-yard reception to move Stevenson to the Widener four-yard line. Running back
Edward Emmens finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run with just 55 seconds remaining. Matson then connected with
Anthony Rodriguez on the successful two-point conversion, extending the Mustang lead to 22–15.
Widener attempted one final drive, reaching the Stevenson 21-yard line in the closing seconds. The Mustang defense stood firm, however, forcing an incompletion on fourth down to seal the seven-point victory.
Offensively, Asuquo led the Mustangs with 127 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, averaging 10.6 yards per attempt. Emmens added 23 rushing yards and the game-winning touchdown on eight carries. Through the air, Matson completed three of six passes for 93 yards, with Bair accounting for 87 receiving yards on two catches, including the pivotal 63-yard reception during the final scoring drive. Stevenson finished with 325 yards of total offense, including 181 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Stevenson recorded 48 total tackles, six tackles for loss and a sack.
Darius Jones led the Mustangs with six tackles, while
Matthew Berry and Franklin each added five. Franklin also blocked the extra-point attempt following Widener's third-quarter touchdown, while
Ibrahim Dail recorded Stevenson's lone sack for a loss of 13 yards.
Daryus Henderson added an interception to help the Mustangs secure the win.
With the victory, Stevenson improves to 6–2 overall and 5–2 in MAC play. The Mustangs return to action on Saturday, November 7, traveling to Eastern for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff in conference action.
