LA PLUME, Pa. – The Wilkes University football team saw an offensive explosion at the Turf Field Complex on Saturday afternoon, defeating Keystone College 69-24 and matching the most points scored in a single game in program history in the process.

The Colonels improve to 5-2 on the year with the win and remain undefeated in Landmark play at 3-0, while Keystone falls to 1-6 overall with an 0-3 record against conference opponents.

After forcing a Keystone punt on their opening drive, Wilkes marched down the field and drew first blood with an Elijah Jules (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) touchdown run. A failed two-point conversion, however, meant that the Colonels only took a 6-0 lead. The missed conversion would immediately haunt Wilkes as Keystone's Jayson Nami returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. With a successful extra point kick, the Giants took the lead 7-6.

After trading punts, the blue and gold found the endzone again with seconds remaining in the first quarter as Xavier Powell (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) connected with Devin Higgins (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) for a 17-yard touchdown. Following the Nick Volpone (Delco, PA/Ridley) extra point, the Colonels took the lead back 13-7.

A Keystone three and out started the second quarter, and gave the ball back to the Wilkes offense who extended their lead to 20-7 after an eight-yard Jules touchdown run. The Giants answered with a long touchdown drive of their own, punctuated by a Donald Leach 21-yard scramble to the endzone to close the gap to 20-14. The Colonel offense added two more touchdowns in the second frame, the first another Powell touchdown pass that connected with Jimmy Johnson (Fallston, MD/Fallston) for a 17-yard score to make it a 27-14 game. Another three and out by the Giants offense gave the ball right back to the Colonels, where Powell would use his legs to get the 11-yard touchdown run.

After the score the Giants raced down the field and hit a field goal as time expired in the quarter, and Wilkes took a 34-17 lead into the half.

Powell led the Colonels on the longest drive of the game to open the second half, and Jules capped off the ten play march with his third touchdown of the day that grew the lead to 41-17. Lights-out play by the blue and gold defense gave the Wilkes the ball once again, and Powell connected with Janas Simms (York, PA/William Penn) on a 29-yard pass for his third touchdown of the day through the air to extend the lead to 48-17. On their next offensive drive, Volpone missed his first field goal attempt of the year wide left. Despite keeping the Colonel offense off the board on that drive, the Giants coughed the ball up on an interception by Jesse Addesso (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's by the Sea) to set Wilkes up with short field.

The drive pushed into the fourth quarter, but Ben Contella (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) made the most of the Addesso turnover with a touchdown run to make it a 55-17 game. The Giants gave up another interception on their next drive to the conference's leader Donell Mackey-Woodson (Hartford, CT/Southington) for his seventh of the year, a pick he returned 47 yards from the Wilkes four-yard line to the Giants 49.

Now resting their starters, the Colonels cruised to the win capped off by a touchdown pass from Cooper King (Northampton, PA/Northampton) to Jack Howell (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg) and a 40-yard run by first year running back Kyler Proper (Moravia, NY/Moravia) for his first collegiate touchdown. Their 69 points matches the single-game program record set in 1967 in a win over Haverford.

Powell led the Colonel offense, going 19/22 with 330 passing yards and three touchdowns, adding 35 rush yards and a rushing touchdown. His top target was senior Devin Higgins (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley), who picked up 117 yards on five catches with one touchdown. Jules led the ground game with his fourth-straight game over 100 yards rushing, picking up 171 yards and three touchdowns.

On defense, Angel Ramos (Allentown, PA/Parkland) led the team with eight total tackles and three for loss with 0.5 sacks. As a unit, the Colonel defense forced four three and out drives with three of them resulting in negative yardage. Addesso and Mackey-Woodson picked up the two Colonel turnovers.

Leach led Keystone in passing going 25/44 for 270 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Leach was also the team's leading rusher with 25 rushing yards and one touchdown. Da'Juan Vales was the Giants top receiver with 126 yards. Devin Montgomery and Nicholas DeFran led the Keystone defense with nine tackles each.

Next week, the Colonels welcome Susquehanna University to Schmidt Stadium on Saturday, October 26 for a 12:00 p.m. contest.