Mulbah, Northeastern run by William Penn
It didn't take long for Northeastern's Fred Mulbah to make his presence felt in Saturday's YAIAA Division I football game with William Penn.
Mulbah scored two touchdowns in the first 79 seconds as the Bobcats earned a 37-6 win at Small Athletic Field.
Northeastern (5-2, 2-2) jumped out to a 16-point lead in the opening quarter behind Mulbah, who scored on a 64-yard run on the game's opening play from scrimmage and followed that with a 30-yard touchdown reception on the ensuing possession.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound junior almost skipped football this fall to focus on basketball despite being an all-star selection last season. He returned to the team in late August and missed the first game of the season. He had five touchdowns coming into Saturday's game.
"Fred is a good athlete," said Northeastern coach Jon Scepanski. "We can move him around and take advantage of what the defense gives us."
William Penn (0-7, 0-4) closed to within 10 points on a second-quarter touchdown pass from senior quarterback Kahleik Savery to sophomore wide receiver Robert Rideout, but Mulbah answered with a 14-yard scoring run 2:03 before halftime.
The Bearcats actually outgained Northeastern on the ground, 164-96, and had three more first downs in the first half, but the Bearcats still found themselves trailing heading into the second half.
"Our defense has played pretty well all year," said William Penn coach Russ Stoner. "But we can't blitz every single play. If you do that, you give up something. We are trying to teach aggressiveness and toughness, which is something (William Penn) has lost a bit over the years. I think the kids are responding to that."
The two teams played a scoreless third quarter before Northeastern put the game away in the final quarter with a 27-yard touchdown pass and a 31-yard scoring run by senior quarterback Shannon Valenti.
Northeastern played without leading rusher Anu Johnson, who was suspended for a game as a result of a Week 6 ejection against Dallastown.
Northeastern_16_7_0_14_—_37
William Penn_0_6_0_0_—_6
First Quarter
NE -- Fred Mulbah 64 run (Eric Nagel kick), 11:44
NE -- Mulbah 30 pass from Shannon Valenti (Nagel kick), 10:41
NE -- Safety, intentional grounding penalty in end zone, 3:43
Second Quarter
WP -- Robert Rideout 5 pass from Kahliek Savery (kick blocked), 8:54
NE -- Mulbah 14 run (Nagel kick), 2:03
Fourth Quarter
NE -- Jonathen Butler 27 pass from Valenti (Nagel kick), 11:11
NE -- Valenti 31 run (Nagel kick), 4:37
_NE_ WP
First downs_15_11
Rushes-Yards_39-223_44-202
Passing_6-14-1_3-14-0
Passing Yards_90_19
Total Yards_313_221
Punts_4-32.5_5-33.8
Fumbles-Lost_2-1_3-2
Penalties-Yards_5-55_9-86
Rushing — Northeastern, Fred Mulbah 12-109, Chris Whack 11-69, Taemar Willis 5-40, Coby Motley 2-14, Shannon Valenti 7-10, Sanderson Zech 2-(-9). William Penn, Khalid Dorsey 10-68, Kahleik Savery 19-57, Marcus Dorsey 6-51, Dayjure Stewart 4-25, Nigel Williams 1-5, Erik Mann 1-6, Tallian Lehr 3-(-10).
Passing — Northeastern, Valenti 6-14-1-90. William Penn, Lehr 2-8-0-14, Savery 1-6-0-5.
Receiving — Northeastern, Mulbah 2-33, Motley 2-29, Jonathen Butler 1-27, Mason Kling 1-1. William Penn, Durvel Wilson 1-11, Robert Rideout 1-5, Anthony Jamison 1-3.