Welcome to this week’s Weekly NJAC Football recap. It’s now the heart of the season and conference play is well underway. This week, all eight NJAC football teams were in action so let’s find out how they did.
Late Surge Powers Profs Past Red Hawks in Second Breakfast Bowl
Montclair State football (2-3) held a narrow three-point lead at halftime over the visiting Rowan University Profs (1-3-1), but were outscored 23-8 in the second half and lost the second annual Breakfast Bowl 38-26 at home Saturday afternoon.
The Breakfast Bowl involves the longstanding rivalry between Rowan and Montclair State, which dates back to 1949. Both teams raised funds throughout the week to help fight food insecurity in New Jersey.
The Red Hawks were outdone offensively by Rowan, who had 419 total yards compared to MSU’s 257. Rowan QB Nate Maiers threw for 219 yards and a touchdown while MSU QB Luke Henrich threw for 126 yards and an interception. That interception was snagged by Profs’ junior defensive back A.J. Ryker, who returned it for 14 yards and a touchdown.
Rowan RB Nunes Bukula IV rushed for 90 yards and two scores while Montclair State RB Diante Wilson rushed for 117 yards and two scores of his own for the home side.
Next week is Rowan’s homecoming game against William Paterson, while the Red Hawks will face No. 5 Salisbury at their home, Sprague Field, on October 18 in another NJAC game.
No. 21 CNU Demolish Castleton
The CNU Captains football team improved to 5-0 and 2-0 against the NJAC with a 69-7 blowout of Vermont State Castleton (2-3) on Saturday. CNU had 495 yards of total offense while limiting Castleton to 195.
CNU RB Gunner White stole the show, rushing for 119 yards and three touchdowns. For Castleton, RB Anthony Anderson had an amazing 107 rushing yards on just five carries and added a score.
The Captains next play host to NJAC opponent Kean University on Saturday October 18 for their homecoming and Hall of Fame game.
TCNJ Shuts Out William Paterson
After last week’s brutal loss to No. 5 Salisbury, the TCNJ Lions Football (4-1) team was out for revenge. And they got it, blanking NJAC rivals William Paterson (2-3) 42-0.
TCNJ didn’t bludgeon their opponent into submission with gaudy offensive numbers, as they finished with just 270 yards of total offense, but they did defend impeccably. Twice, they picked off passes thrown by WPU QB Nigel Jennings. TCNJ now leads the NJAC conference with nine interceptions as a team. The Lions also added four rushing touchdowns, two scored by senior Joe Visaggio.
With the win, TCNJ improves to 4-1 and solidifies third place in the NJAC standings. Their next game is next week up in Vermont against NJAC foes Vermont-State Castleton.
Salisbury Improves to 5-0 with Homecoming Victory
The No. 5 Salisbury University football team (5-0) defeated Kean 38-24 on their homecoming day. Kean QB Rocco Pellegrini led the way for the Cougars by throwing for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Leading the way for Salisbury was their QB SyRus McGowan, who was held to just two passing completions but ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
A record crowd came out to Sea Gull Stadium to watch Salisbury improve to 5-0 overall and 2-0 vs the NJAC.
Two Undefeated Teams Remain
After six weeks of NJAC football, only two undefeated teams remain in the conference: Salisbury and Christopher Newport. Next week will feature four more NJAC matchups as the season rolls along.
