MSU comes of age while TCNJ seethes
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Saturday’s overtime win gives MSU a 44-25-2 edge in the series history, the oldest active collegiate rivalry in the state of New Jersey. The 2003 meeting was the 71st time these two teams have met on the gridiron and marks MSU’s fifth consecutive win over TCNJ.
The two teams were tied at 7-7 at the half, before MSU jumped out to a 28-21 lead with 6:50 left in regulation as DiGirolamo hit junior wide receiver Jasper Hankins from 26 yards out and gave his team the lead. Hankins' touchdown was his second of the game after he added a 35-yard catch in the third quarter (13:31) to give MSU their first lead of the game (14-7).
The Lions would tie the game up at 28-28 after senior quarterback Bob Schurtz found senior tight end Joe Franzone from 11 yards out with just 30 seconds left to play in the regulation.
With the two teams tied at 28-28 after four quarters of play, the game would go to overtime. The Lions struck first as sophomore Blake Abbot hit a 36-yard field goal as part of TCNJ’s overtime drive.
MSU would win the game as DiGirolamo and Hankins would connect for the third time in the game as he hauled in a 25-yard pass. To many in attendance it appeared as if Hankins never possessed the football. For the game, DiGirolamo would throw for 236 yards on a 12-for-25 effort with one interception and five TDs. His effort against TCNJ tied the record set by Ed Collins vs. Kean in 2001.
"When I threw that last touchdown pass, it was the greatest feeling I ever had in my life in sports," DiGirolamo told Ed Barmakian of the Newark Star-Ledger. "CNJ was ranked nationally, it was their homecoming in front of a huge crowd (4,721). The setting couldn't have been better."
"It's crushing," TCNJ cornerback Steve Andrews said in the Trenton Times after DiGirolamo's controversial fifth touchdown pass was ruled complete in the end zone, even though Hankins appeared never to have possession as the ball came loose upon impact with the turf.
"You never want to blame anyone else, but the refs didn't help us at all. … But when you get down to it we didn't execute enough, either. The offense and defense just couldn't put it together for a full game and that's unfortunate."
"Are you asking my opinion on whether he caught the ball?" queried TCNJ head coach Eric Hamilton, winless against Montclair State since last capturing the NJAC crown in 1998. "I don't think so. He was bobbling it on the way down."
Hankins netted 94 yards on four catches with three TD receptions, while juniors Chris Becker and Steve Armstrong each had touchdown receptions as Armstrong had 85 receiving yards and Becker just one catch for a 6-yard score.
TCNJ’s Schurtz finished with 156 passing yards on a 14-34 effort with one TD pass, but was sacked five times in the loss.
On the ground, senior running back Jon Hedgepeth led all performers with 22 carries for 70 yards with a pair of scores as well. He added a 2-yard run in the first quarter (11:02) and a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter (8:18) to tie the action at 21-21.
There were six lead changes in the game and four ties before MSU emerged victorious on the night. MSU managed 301 yards on 51 plays, while TCNJ had 299 yards on 94 plays and had a 38:54 edge in time of possession.
Defensively, MSU’s sophomore Paul Golden, junior John Lennox and sophomore Morgan Burklow each netted 13 tackles in the game, while senior Ray Meyer had 2½ sacks for minus-15 yards.
TCNJ sophomore linebacker Terance Nish led the way with seven tackles, while junior Steven Vogt added six tackles. TCNJ junior lineman Michael Sykes netted another sack to add to his team-leading 11½ sacks on the year for minus-70 yards.
RPI keeps chugging along
RPI (7-0) got a 22-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dan Cole to junior wide receiver Dan Stephens with just 1:22 left in the fourth quarter to defeat St. John Fisher (5-3) 24-17 before 2,684 fans at Growney Stadium. With the victory, the Engineers improve to 6-0. Fisher is now 5-3 with the losses by a total of 11 points.
“To lose a game like today’s really hurts, especially after losing to Ithaca and Brockport earlier in the year by a total of four points,’’ Fisher coach Paul Vosburgh said in the Democrat and Chronicle. “It’s frustrating, but we know we’re right there with the top teams in the region and we believe that we’ve established ourselves as one of the region’s premier teams.
“We have to prepare for Hobart now and, hopefully, we can win our last two games and earn a postseason bid.’’
Despite an RPI interception with 40 seconds left, Fisher regained the ball with less than two seconds to play. Fisher moved to the RPI 26 on a pass interference call at the goal line. On the ensuing play quarterback Greg Roland threw to Noah Fehrenbach, but the pass was broken up by the Engineers' Mike Defilippi.
Fisher got on the board on the game's first possession when senior Scott VanAlst kicked a 36-yard field goal at 3:38 of the first quarter. VanAlst's kick capped an 11-play, 61-yard drive. Surprisingly, that was the only score of the first half in a game that featured the 20th-ranked team in scoring offense in Rensselaer (37.8 points per game) and the 36th-ranked team in St. John Fisher (33.4). The Engineers did have a 45-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter blocked by the Cardinals.
RPI scored the game's first touchdown on its third possession of the second half when Cole hit classmate Flynn Cochran for a 20-yard scoring strike at 5:54 of the third quarter. The Engineers, who were coming off a 52-7 win last week, went 75 yards on 10 plays, taking 4:03 off the clock. The Cardinals regained the lead when senior defensive end Brad Keem intercepted a shovel pass and ran 45 yards for a touchdown with 2:11 left in the third quarter. VanAlst's extra point kick put the home team ahead, 10-7.
RPI junior running back Otis Williams gave the lead back to the Engineers when he scored from 1 yard out with 12:41 left in the fourth quarter. An extra point kick by senior Matt Verenini capped an 11-play, 77-yard drive. Fisher came right back to regain the lead when senior running back Jason Meyers scored from 2 yards out. The highlight of the drive, which covered 80 yards on seven plays, was a 66-yard pass completion from Greg Roland to junior Nick Weatherbee to the 2-yard line. VanAlst's kick made the score 17-14 in favor of the Cardinals. A 31-yard field goal by Verenini with 7:11 left in the fourth quarter tied the game at 17.
Cole finished 32-for-54 for 406 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His favorite target was Cochran, who caught 14 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown while Stephens (96 yards) and Hughes (93 yards) each caught seven passes. On the ground, Williams led all rushers with 72 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.
Roland finished the day going 17-for-33 on 205 yards passing with one interception for Fisher. Sophomore Dan Whelehan led Fisher receivers with four catches for 44 yards, while Weatherbee added three catches for 78 yards. The Fisher running game was headed by Myers, who had 23 carries for 80 yards.
National Pool B watch
North
UAA:.Barring a rash of two-loss teams nationally, there aren’t any contenders.
South
PAC: No. 20 Waynesburg (7-1) was idle. No. 23 Washington & Jefferson (7-1) defeated Hanover (6-2) 42-28 this week. Washington & Jefferson came back into the top 25 with the win. Washington & Jefferson should have an easy time with Newport News (1-7) this week. Waynesburg goes on the road to face a decent Frostburg (3-4) club this week. Frostburg has tough out of conference losses to Montclair, Brockport, Widener and Westminster.
ACFC: Salisbury (7-0) pulled out a win against Wesley (4-4) 34-26 and hosts Shenandoah (6-2) this week. This is the second tough game in as many weeks for the Sea Gulls. Salisbury’s only shot at a Pool B is by remaining undefeated. Will the Sea Gulls get stung by the Hornets and drop out of the race?
West
NWC: No. 3 Linfield (7-0) beat Lewis & Clark (3-4) 55-0 this week. They face Whitworth (3-5) on the road. Linfield is a Pool B lock as long as they win one their next two games.
Independent: Barring a rash of two-loss teams nationally, there aren’t any contenders.
Where do we stand?
In the South, No. 20 Waynesburg (7-1) should be a lock for a Pool B as long they win their last two games. No. 23 Washington & Jefferson (7-1) helped its cause by beating HCAC leader Hanover (6-2). The Presidents were also helped by Montclair’s win over TCNJ. The Presidents are back in play.
In the West, No. 3 Linfield looks like it’s in the home stretch; barring an upset they’ve got a Pool B bid.
Thing are shaking in the East. No. 25 RPI (7-0) is a lock for a Pool B if they win out. RPI beat a good St. John Fisher (5-3) team 24-17. The Engineers have one tough opponent left, Hobart (4-3) on Nov. 15. There are three bids remaining left for Ithaca, Brockport, Montclair, Rowan, TCNJ. We many only have two bids if Washington & Jefferson wins out.
No. 13 Ithaca (7-1) had a tough battle with Hobart (4-3) winning 14-7 this past Saturday. Ithaca (7-1) heads to Buffalo State (1-7) this week. It’s not a cakewalk given the Bengals’ SOS, but Ithaca should put a win the bank. Ithaca finishes up with the Cortaca Jug game when they host Cortland on Nov. 15.
No. 24 TCNJ (5-2) hosts No. 16 Brockport (8-1) this week with the loser dropping out of Pool B contention. TCNJ lost a heartbreaker in OT to Montclair (7-1) on Saturday 34-31, while Brockport held on to beat PAC doormat Thiel (2-6) 7-0.
No. 19 Montclair (7-1) has an open date and two weeks to prepare for the NJAC title showdown in Glassboro against No. 17 Rowan (6-2) on Nov. 15.
No. 17 Rowan (6-2) cruised to a 32-19 over Kean (1-7) on Saturday. Rowan travels to William Paterson (1-8) this week. The Pioneers have kept the score close with NJAC foes Kean, Montclair and Cortland losing by 10 points or less.
Notes
TCNJ ranks 22nd nationally in rushing defense with 99.3 yards per game, while Brockport is 25th with 101.0, Hobart is 31st with 107.9, and Montclair in 34th with 110.5
Brockport ranks 17th nationally in total defense with 246.8 yards per game, while Montclair is 26th with 268.4, Ithaca is 28th with 271.0, Kean is 32nd with 273.9, and TCNJ is 37th with 280.4.
Games of the Week
No. 16 Brockport at No. 24 TCNJ, Ewing, N.J., 12 p.m.: Last year TCNJ beat Brockport 21-7. Brockport had a tough time with (2-6) Thiel on Saturday. I’d give the edge to TCNJ based on SOS. With the officiating woes last week, TCNJ is angry, at home, with angry fans. If the TCNJ secondary can keep quarterback Bob Darnley in check, this may not be close.
St. John Fisher at Hobart, Geneva, N.Y., 1 p.m.: Hobart lost 17-14 to St. John Fisher. They are second place teams in their respective leagues. Each has four common opponents. If Hobart can beat St. John Fisher, the Statesmen might have a shot against RPI on Nov. 15 in Troy.