After 10 weeks of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) football, there is a new conference champion! Two out of the four games that took place this past weekend were nail-biters so let’s jump in and find out how they went.
Red Hawks Upset Lions on Senior Night
A late field goal from Roger Rubinetti sealed Montclair State football’s (4-5, 3-3 NJAC) 30-27 victory over the TCNJ Lions (6-3, 3-3) in what proved to be the upset of the week. The Red Hawks defense had given up a NJAC second-worst 32.8 points-per-game coming into this game, while TCNJ had given up a second-best 18.9 points-per-game.
MSU jumped out to a 9-0 lead on a field goal and a rushing touchdown by Christopher Arnold (plus a missed 2-point conversion), but TCNJ ended the first quarter with a 55-yard kick return and a rushing touchdown by Joe Visaggio.
MSU had a 19-13 lead at halftime but after two successful drives from TCNJ to start the second half, the Lions held a 27-19 lead with just under 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Mike Palazzo’s Red Hawks were up for the challenge though, as they never said die by answering with a 11-play drive where they converted on three third downs. The drive was capped off by MSU junior RB Diante Wilson jumping over the pile and into the endzone. The Red Hawks converted the 2-point try on a flat pass from sophomore QB Luke Henrich to freshman WR TJ Kachala.
Now with the game tied at 27, TCNJ had the ball, but a fumbled snap on third down forced them to punt from deep in their end of the field. The 55-yard punt gave the Red Hawks the ball at their own 31-yard line. Henrich went to work, connecting with Kachala for two plays for 25 yards total. Then the running game of Arnold and Wilson got the ball down to TCNJ’s 20-yard line. With 37 seconds left, Rubinetti lined up to take his season-long a 37-yard field goal but he came through. TCNJ QB Dean Licari got sacked twice in their final drive by Isaiah Gurley and Jamal Williams and that iced the game.
Fifty seven points may have been scored but the story of the game were TCNJ’s mistakes when it mattered most and MSU’s running game. Arnold and Wilson rushed for 178 yards and three scores combined and came up clutch on MSU’s final drive. QB Luke Henrich was efficient going 14-of-18 in the passing game for 113 yards and didn’t turn the ball over once. MSU defensive lineman Rolland Akingbesote from Newark finished with a game-high and career-high two sacks.
Montclair State will wrap up their season on the road against William Paterson on November 15 at 1 p.m. while TCNJ will host the NJAC champion CNU Captains on November 14 in their regular season finale.
Captains Comeback to Defeat Salisbury
The No. 13 Christopher Newport University Captains football team (9-0, 6-0) came back from a 21-7 deficit to defeat No. 7 Salisbury University Sea Gulls (8-1, 5-1) 45-42 on Saturday in Virginia.
Two rushing TDs and a passing score from Salisbury QB SyRus McGowan to WR Micah Brubaker had the Sea Gulls up 21-7 after the first quarter, but Christopher Newport answered back. The Captains were able to cut the Sea Gull lead to 30-28 at the end of the first half and then outscore the Sea Gulls 17-12 in the second half.
The difference in the game was Christopher Newport’s defense which has given up 20.8 points-per-game this season. The Captains forced five Salisbury fumbles on the day and recovered four, including a recovery for a touchdown by senior defensive lineman Charlie Clawson Jr. in the second quarter. This helped turn the tide when Salisbury were leading 21-7 and keep McGowan and the Sea Gull offense off the field.
McGowan completed 13-of-22 passes for three passing touchdowns, while his adversary Connor Barry went 15-of-29 for two passing touchdowns but two rushing touchdowns as well. Darrell Walter rushed for 86 yards and two scores for Salisbury.
The Captains, having clinched the NJAC championship for the second time in the last three seasons and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament, will wrap up their season Friday night on the road against TCNJ. Salisbury will wrap up their season at home against Vermont-State Castleton (2-7).
Kean Earn Third Victory with Win Over William Paterson
On Saturday, November 8, the Kean University Cougars (3-6, 2-4) defeated the William Paterson University Pioneers (2-7, 1-5) 17-7 at Wightman stadium in Wayne. There wasn’t a score until the second half when Kean’s Eddie Schaefer recovered a muffed punt return by William Paterson and Anthony Lopez kicked a 42-yard field goal on the ensuing drive.
This was a close one as the Cougars only had 20 more yards of total offense (215 to 195) than the Pioneers. The Cougars scored their first touchdown, a seven-yard carry by Kean RB Derrick Hammond. While holding a 10-0 lead, Kean surrendered a touchdown pass from WPU QB Nigel Jennings to freshman wide receiver Hassan Moore, which cut the lead to 10-7. With this touchdown, Moore now has touchdown catches in consecutive games.
Ultimately, though turnovers did the Pioneers in. Kean sophomore Michael Beers intercepted a pass well into William Paterson territory late in the fourth quarter and the Cougars capitalized on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Aly Marzouk which iced the game.
Hammond led all players with 103 yards and added a touchdown. It was a rough day for the quarterbacks, as for the Pioneers, Jennings threw three interceptions and the two quarterbacks who split the game for Kean, Rocco Pellegrini and Ty Kline each had an interception and failed to throw a touchdown.
Kean will host Rowan (6-2-1, 4-2) in their last game of the regular season next Saturday at Alumni Stadium while William Paterson will host Montclair State in their season finale, which will also be Senior Day next Saturday, November 15.
Rowan Trounces Castleton at Richard Wackar Stadium
The Profs put up a season-high 611 yards of total offense, Nunes Bukula IV rushed for 104 yards on just four carries while scoring two touchdowns and the Rowan University football team demolished Vermont-State Castleton 62-7 on their Senior Day Saturday.
Rowan showcased its juggernaut offense from the start on their Senior Day at Richard Wackar Stadium in Glassboro against Castleton. Using four quarterbacks, the Profs’ passing game combined to go 16-of-22 for 333 yards and four touchdowns, while their running game combined for 278 yards and four TDs.
The Profs will next gear up to face Kean on November 15 in Union, New Jersey in their regular season finale. A berth in the NCAA Division III tournament may be on the line for Rowan. Castleton will next play the second place team in the NJAC, Salisbury on Friday November 14.
Top Performers of Week 10
DEFENSE
WPU- Gavin Rembert: 17 tackles (TKL), 3.5 tackles for a loss (TFL), 2 sacks
CNU- Charlie Clawson Jr.: 5 TKL, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery (FR)
MSU- Rolland Akingbesote: 4 TKL , 2 sacks
OFFENSE
QB- SAL- SyRus McGown: 13-of-22, 237 YDS, 3 TDs
RB- MSU- Diante Wilson: 24 ATT, 101 YDS, 2 TDs
WR-
- ROW- Michael Zarfati: 3 REC, 83 YDS, 2 TDs
- SAL- Dario Belizaire: 5 REC, 117 YDS, 1 TD
Week 10 of the football season in the NJAC did not disappoint, as we saw three games decided by 10 points or less. The games between Montclair State and TCNJ and Salisbury and Christopher Newport were each decided by three points and one of them on a late field goal. Wow!
With one week remaining in the season, there is one undefeated team left and that is Christopher Newport, but it easily could have been Salisbury who were undefeated coming into this week.
There is still much to play for for the second and third place teams in NJAC’s football conference, Salisbury and Rowan as next week they will each look to assure themselves of a bid in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
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