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The silence was deafening. Not a word was spoken even though three mouths hung open.
The men who helped pave the way for a record-setting day for Lycoming on Saturday against FDU-Florham had nothing to say in the moment upon finding out the Warriors had set the school record for total yards of offense in a game.
The silence spoke volumes. Whether it did or didn't feel like a 640-yard kind of performance, to hear that kind of number after finishing off a 42-21 win was incomprehensible. It was especially unbelievable for an offense which scored two fewer points Saturday than it did in its previous three games.
Despite that, it was a source of pride for an offensive line which has mixed and matched this season at four of the five positions to find some kind of continuity and consistency. They found it Saturday. Quarterback Elijah Shemory threw for a career-high 365 yards. The Warriors rushed for more than 250 yards for the first time in four years. It was an impressive performance which was much needed to put the kibosh on a four-game losing streak.
"That's just crazy," Lycoming right tackle Jacob Estevez said. "It makes me smile. You say it's a record … that's just wow. But all I can say to my brothers is it's great we were part of that, but let's look at getting 641-plus next week."
The starting group of left tackle Cody Botts, left guard Dan Jennings, center Kyle Pierce, right guard Brent Newton, and Estevez largely went unnoticed Saturday. Those around them, the ones with the football in their hands, were busy making play after play to make a record kind of day happen. But it was the work of those five, and those who rotated in after the game was in hand, who largely made the record happen.
And it was exactly this kind of performance from the offensive line which was necessary to get the Warriors moving. Clark's pro-style offense has to have a successful running game in order to operate at peak efficiency. But before Saturday's win, Lycoming's running game was ranked 211th out of 245 Division III teams in the country. In turn, it's total offense was ranked 197th out of 245 teams.
It was the kind of performance which can build confidence in a unit to continue to be successful moving forward. And it was the kind of performance which is going to be necessary if the Warriors want to continue to dig out of the 1-5 record it had before the bye some 10 days ago.
"Every performance can build confidence," Estevez said. "Even in losses I can have the confidence that I'm going to bounce back better than anybody else. So when you get a win, we're going to take the good, understand the bad, and then tweak to play even better."
Estevez took the bull by the horns Saturday and made things happen. He's been one of the most consistent pieces along that offensive line all season, even as he was shuffled between right tackle and right guard. But the 6-foot-3, 285-pound junior from New Jersey has never wavered in his physicality or athleticism.
It was all on display for Tyjah During's 79-yard touchdown reception on a rocket screen when Estevez clubbed the initial rushing defensive lineman and knocked him off his feet. Then he got out in front and threw the block on the safety which sprung During free for a touchdown.
"He's the most athletic big kid we have," Clark said. "He has all-conference ability. He has incredible explosiveness for a big kid."
And he's going to continue to be one of the anchors of an offensive line which is going to dictate just how well the Lycoming offense performs over the next three weeks.
Here's a closer look at Lycoming's 42-21 win over FDU-Florham on Saturday:
TIDE-TURNING PLAY: Lycoming was leading 7-0, the Warriors' offense marched on its opening possession, and the defense had just forced a three-and-out against the best passing team in the Middle Atlantic Conference. Special teams coordinator Tim Landis decided to send the house at FDU punter Nick Maciejewski, and it worked. Coming straight up the middle, David Tomb worked through the personal protectors in front of Maciejewski and stuck out his left hand and got a piece of the ball which led to a recovery by Niko Arhontakis at the 27-yard line. Four plays later, Shemory scored his second rushing touchdown of the first quarter. It was the second time this season Tomb has made a big special-teams play. He also forced a fumble on a kickoff against Wilkes in Week 3.
"I always go back and think that coaches can teach talent and can teach technique, but they can't teach the will to win," Tomb said. "Every time I do something, it's my will. I'll find it in me to do whatever the coach asks or whatever the coach needs."
BEST DEFENSIVE STAND: It wasn't so much a defensive stand as it was one play. But it was a significant play in the flow of the first quarter. On FDU-Florham's first play following Shemory's second touchdown run, Devils receiver Damarquis Price got behind Lycoming cornerback Korahn Williams for a 40-yard touchdown pass. Two plays later, FDU again tried to pick on Williams deep with a post pattern to the end zone, but Williams undercut the route and made an interception in the end zone to end the Devils' scoring threat. It kept Lycoming ahead, 14-0, and helped set up a 21-0 first half which led to a runaway win.
BEST OFFENSIVE PLAY: Mike Clark's idea wasn't to score a touchdown when he called a rocket screen on first down from his own 21 in the second quarter. It just so happened to work out that way. Jacob Estevez made a pair of key blocks, tight end Aaron Wolcott helped seal a running lane, and receiver Tyjah During did his best Usain Bolt impression for 70 yards to outrun the FDU defense for a 79-yard touchdown. It helped During finish with a career-high 130 receiving yards and gave the Warriors a 21-0 halftime lead.
"When Tyjah is healthy, and he's back after beating up a little bit, he's really explosive," Clark said. "Listen, if we knew it would go for 79 yards every time, we'd throw it more."
LOCAL ROUNDUP: Lycoming - Jersey Shore graduate Elijah Shemory finished with 417 total yards of offense, including a career-high 365 passing and 52 rushing. He threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more. Montoursville graduate Keith Batkowski came 3 yards shy of his second career 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 97 yards on 17 carries, his most since running for a career high 101 yards at Widener last year. He also caught a pair of passes for 30 yards, including an incredible 28-yard diving touchdown reception. Montgomery grad Hunter Budman earned his first career carry, gaining 4 yards in the fourth quarter. Jersey Shore product David Tomb filled the stat sheet, finishing with four tackles (all solo), two tackles for loss, a sack and a blocked punt. Hughesville's Jase Wright recorded a pair of tackles from his linebacker position. Montoursville graduate Jake Strassner and
Wellsboro graduate Owen Covert also appeared in the game for Lycoming.
LYCOMING OFFENSIVE MVP: It wasn't just that Shemory threw for 365 yards, or that he ran for 52 yards, or that he threw for four touchdowns, or that he ran for two more touchdowns which earn him this spot. It's that he did all those things. He was the triggerman behind the offense which set a school record with 640 yards of offense. Shemory's final passer rating of 272.09 was the fourth-best single-game passer rating in school history, and the best under Clark. Shemory's career-high in passing yards were aided by the 79-yard catch-and-run to During on the rocket screen and an 83-yard catch-and-run to Steve Toczylousky. The Warriors got into their comfort zone running the ball and Shemory was at his most efficient, completing 16 of 22 passes.
LYCOMING DEFENSIVE MVP: David Tomb is the most unlikely of defensive linemen you'll ever run into. At just 185 pounds, he can get lost in the shuffle of those who have as much as 100 pounds on him. But it hasn't kept him from being disruptive. His performance Saturday was good enough to garner a spot on d3football.com's Team of the Week. He's recorded a sack in each of his last two games, has totaled 17 tackles in the four games where he's been a regular in pass rush situations, and again made a special teams impact Saturday with a blocked punt.
"That little sucker ... (FDU-Florham) plays with a yard split between their linemen, and God bless anybody that has to handle David in that space," Clark said. "I was skeptical as to how much he would actually be able to play for us. At defensive tackle it's not logical. But man, he's tough and he's fast and he creates problems."
UNSUNG HERO: Without Joey Guida, the Lycoming running game has struggled this season. The true freshman has one 100-yard game and a 90-yard game in the four he's played. But senior Keith Batkowski picked up the slack Saturday as Guida was sidelined with a bone bruise. The Montoursville native carried 17 times for 97 yards to help the Warriors reach 270 rushing yards as a team for the first time since running for 397 yards against FDU-Florham on Oct. 24, 2015.
Mitch Rupert covers Lycoming football for the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached at 570-326-1551, ext. 3129, or by email at mrupert@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Mitch_Rupert.