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Red Hawks teach Profs a lesson, 30-14;

Possible play-off spot looms

Montclair, NJ - Montclair State (8-1, 7-1) took advantage of Rowan University (7-2, 6-2) turnovers to upend the Profs to gain an inside track to the NCAA Division III Play-offs, 30-14.  The Red Hawks's 20-0 lead at intermission came on two Marco Capazzoli FGs from 41 and 32 yards in the first, the second following a fumble recovery by Cornell Hunt at the Rowan 42 on a third and short QB sneak by Frank Wilczynski (78 yards rushing, 190 passing).  An interception by Chris Merkle and a stop on fourth down halted the Profs who came in averaging 34.6 points per game.  A roughing the kicker call on State's subsequent punt kept their drive alive.  Jeff Bliss made the Profs pay with a 7-yard TD run to take a 13-0 lead.  Before the half, a snap from center slipped through the hands of Rowan punter Andrew Smith on a rainy afternoon.  He recovered and attempted to punt it from near the sideline, but MSU's Taylor Bonner blocked it.  They recovered at the RU 25, and on one play QB Tommy Fischer (15 of 28 for 215 yards) lofted a high pass down the middle for a 25-yard TD play to wide-open TE Jeremy Mercer to take the commanding lead into halftime.

   Five and six-year old North Arlington flag footballers played at halftime.  They were entertaining to watch but not for their football skills.  My feeling is that adults should let kids be kids.  Organized football is something the kids just don't get at this age!  Aside from socializing, they get nothing out of it.  I liked the old days when kids organized their won backyard games.

      The Profs came out smoking in the second half as they focused on their passing game to get two TDs in the third to cut the lead, 20-14.  Rowan took advantage of a lackluster pass rush by the Red Hawks.  With Montclair using neither stunts nor blitzes, Wilczynski connected with Travis Warker for a 15-yard TD pass and Ryan Leafey scored from the eight.  The Profs drove again on Wilczynski's passes as he had all day to throw.  Finally on third and long, Montclair blitzed S Mario McLean, to apply some pressure and CB Jesse Schenker ended the threat with an INT in his own end zone.  The Red Hawks mounted their ensuing drive down to the Rowan six where Capazzoli put up his third FG on the day for a 23-14 lead with 8:04 left. 

     The Hawks held the Profs once again on downs.  MSU's next drive was halted.  With 11 Rowan players on an all-out rush, P Tony Cyburt perfectly placed a punt on Rowan's two.  Wilczynski rolled right, scrambled, and turned up the field but lost the ball which was recovered by Merkle who finished the day with an INT, a sack, a fumble recovery, and nine tackles.  With 41 seconds left in the game, Bliss (27 carries for 53 yards) scored his second TD from the five to put the game away in a hotly-contested New Jersey Athletic Conference battle, 30-14.

    Montclair's defense held Rowan to within their scoring average of 13.1 points per game while their offense outdid their scoring average of 21.6 points per game.  The win gives the Red Hawks a good shot at going on to the D-3 play-offs as an at-large team, but one NJAC game remains next week at Kean College.  The Profs visit the College of New Jersey.  Both teams suffered a loss to league leader Cortland State who gets the automatic bid as conference champs. Collegefootballfan.com's best bet to see a D-3 playoff game will be on December 6 if one of the locals gets that far.

Extra points:  The rain fell throughout most of the game which made note-taking impossible after the first period.

Montclair's Fischer, only a freshman, passed very inconsistently.  He fired some good passes and threw some wounded ducks as well.  Both varieties ended up in one interception each.  The weather could have been the reason for some ducks!

     On Senior Day, the Red Hawks bade farewell to 12 seniors on the team.

     Montclair lost at Cortland by six.  Rowan lost to Cortland at home by seven.  Before losing to Cortland, MSU won four games by a TD or less.  Since, they've won four games by more than 2 two TDs.  Rowan's closest win was 30-22 over Kean just last week.  Montclair will not get an easy win in its regular season finale.

     The New Jersey Athletic Conference might consider a name change in the future.  Only five of ten teams reside in the Garden State.  Four now hail from New York and the fifth is Western Connecticut. Every team plays nine conference games among ten overall.  Jersey teams Ramapo and New Jersey City U. ended their programs back in the '90s.

     The Red Hawks now lead this series 27-21 since it first started back in 1949 when Rowan was known as Glassboro State.