New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) football featured four matchups this past weekend, all of them between conference teams. There were two Homecomings (Rowan University and Christopher Newport University), and two games that featured a team producing over 500 yards of total offense. All in all, 242 points were scored, and the home team won in two of the four matchups. Let’s get down to business and find out what happened.
Profs Pound Pioneers in Glassboro on Homecoming
On Rowan’s homecoming day in Glassboro, the Profs (4-1-1) pounded the William Paterson Pioneers (2-4) 45-16.
The visitors actually scored first, when Matt Davidson nailed a 25-yard field goal at 9:13 remaining in the first quarter, but the hosts impressed their home crowd at Richard Wackar Stadium with 524 total yards of offense on the day. Quarterback Nate Maiers threw for 157 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, while Mordecai Ford led the way for the Profs on the ground, rushing with 104 yards and one touchdown.
For the Pioneers, QB Nigel Jennings did admirably well, throwing for 189 yards on 11 of 20 completions and a touchdown.
The Pioneers next face the vaunted No. 9 Christopher Newport University Captains (6-0) while Rowan will have their hands full as well on October 25 when they visit No. 8 Salisbury.
Christopher Newport Nullify Kean on Homecoming
The No. 9 Christopher Newport University Captains (6-0) stayed undefeated with a total domination of the Kean University football team (1-5) on their homecoming. The Captains scored three touchdowns in the span of four minutes in the first quarter and never looked back, shutting out the Cougars 49-0.
Connor Barry was 12 of 15 passing for 202 yards and four touchdowns, while Gunner White rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cougars mounted just 169 yards of total offense and will take a 1-5 record into their next game on October 25 against TCNJ.
TCNJ Stymies Spartans in Vermont
Similarly, the TCNJ Lions (5-1) trounced Vermont-State Castleton (2-4) 48-7.
TCNJ didn’t air the ball out in this game, making just two completions, one of which was a touchdown pass from Dean Licari to Ryan Gill. Instead, their balanced running game showed up big time, with them earning a total of 289 yards on the ground. The top two rushers were Luke Dengler and Jordan Morrell, who rushed for 55 and 47 yards, respectively, and one touchdown apiece.
On the other hand, Castleton QB Jhai Vellon threw the ball 55 times, amassing 271 yards, and completed one touchdown pass to wide receiver Anthony Anderson.
TCNJ will next play Kean, while Castleton will host the Montclair State Red Hawks.
Sea Gulls Swoop Down on Red Hawks at Sprague
The last game of the NJAC football slate for week seven pitted Salisbury University (6-0) against Montclair State (2-4) at Sprague Field in Montclair, New Jersey, and the Sea Gulls reigned supreme over the Red Hawks by a score of 56-21.
Neither team pulled any punches as the hosts produced 461 total yards while the visitors produced a whopping 530. Like the Lions did to Castleton, Salisbury ran the ball very well, amassing 301 yards on the ground against Montclair State. SyRus McGowan threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns while Dario Belizaro ran for 101 yards on just seven carries. Andre Matthews ran for just 40 yards but found the endzone twice.
Montclair State’s quarterback Luke Henrich completed 30 of 41 passes for 405 yards, and while he had three touchdown passes (two to T.J. Kachala), he also threw an interception that was picked off by Kilo Mack.
Montclair State will take its 2-4 record into a matchup with Castleton, which is also 2-4.
Top Performers
They say QB is the most important position in football, and Christopher Newport’s Connor Barry put together the most complete performance from an NJAC signal-caller this week with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
The top receiving performance was Montclair State’s T.J. Kachala, who, for the third game this season, eclipsed 100 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, CNU’s Gunner White had the most complete rushing performance of the week, rushing for nearly 100 yards and two scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Castleton may have been blown out Saturday, but sophomore linebacker Deacon Schneider shone with a game-high 20 tackles (six solo) and one tackle for a loss against the high-powered running machine that is TCNJ.
