EWING, N.J. – Ursinus outscored The College of New Jersey Lions 35-0 in the second half as the Bears (1-0) won their opener for the third straight year with a 47-7 defeat of the Lions (0-1) Friday night at a steamy Lions Stadium.
Ursinus converted two defensive touchdowns, and nearly had a third one on a fumble recovery, while also scoring on a safety. The Bears held the Lions to just 177 yards of total offense, with 99 coming in the first half. The Bears forced four turnovers, picking off three passes with two of them being returned for scores.
Offensively, senior quarterback Kevin Monahan (East Windsor, N.J./Hightstown) was 23-for-33 for 236 yards and two scores. He was not sacked during the game. Senior receiver Darius Jones (Lawnside, N.J./Haddon Heights) caught seven passes for 80 yards and a score, while junior wide out Safi Hasseeb (Oakland, Calif./Alameda) and junior wide out Nick Lundholm (Barrington, N.J./Haddon Heights) each had four catches. Lundholm caught a five-yard pass from Monahan for a score in the third quarter.
Defensively, senior defensive end Steve Ambs (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) had 14 stops, with sophomore defensive back Tim Rafter (Springfield, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) and senior defensive back Greg DiSanto (Havertown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) returning interceptions for touchdowns, coming on back-to-back TCNJ drives in the third quarter. Junior linebacker James Roccograndi (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) had a 64-yard fumble recovery on a sack and nearly returned that for a score before being stopped near the goal line.
Ursinus scored in almost any possible way it could in the first half. The first two points of the game, and of the 2014 season, came on a Lions' miscue with 7 minutes left in the first as a punt snap sailed into the end zone for a 2-0 lead.
On its next drive, Ursinus drove 50 yards in ten plays, ending a chip shot 19-yard field goal from junior kicker Eric Boyer (Fort Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin) for a 5-0 lead with 3:57 left in the first half.
In the second quarter, Ursinus halted a Lions' drive when Roccograndi forced a fumble on a sack of Lions quarterback Michael Marchesano at the Bears' 29 and returned it down to the TCNJ 7-yard line.
Three plays later, Monahan found Jones in the right corner of the end zone for a 12-0 Bears lead with 6:38 left.
TCNJ would get a touchdown before intermission, as after intercepting Monahan in the end zone, the Lions ran the two-minute drill to score. Marchesano completed an 11-yard scoring pass to Ryan Baranowsky with just 11 seconds left, cutting the Bears lead to 12-7.
The nine-play, 80 yard drive that went 1:39, was a big part of the Lions' offensive total as the Bears defensive unit held the Lions to just 19 yards of total offense up to that point.
After stopping the Lions on their first drive of the second half, Ursinus put together a sustained drive, going 59 yards in seven plays, capped by a five-yard touchdown pass from Monahan to Lundholm for a 19-7 lead with 8:53 left.
Monahan would score a running touchdown with 3:30 left in the third when he ran off the right side for a 8-yard score and a 26-7 lead.
The back-to-back interceptions for scores came next, with Rafter intercepting Chris Spellman at the TCNJ 21 and returning it for the pick six with 2:12 left and a 33-7 lead. Spellman was again intercepted with 1:21 left on a tip, with DiSanto picking it up and going 41 yards for a 40-7 lead.
The final score came with 5:38 left in the contest when sophomore running back Corey Kelly (Conshohocken, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) ran four yards off tackle for the 47-7 final margin.
Ursinus defeated TCNJ for the third straight year, and will host Gettysburg in its home opener next Saturday at Patterson Field.
The 92 degrees at kickoff was the hottest start to an Ursinus football game since the Bears played La Salle in Philadelphia on August 30, 2007.