Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson football team (0-9, 0-8 NJAC) fell short against visiting Southern Virginia (2-7, 1-7 NJAC), 16-6, on Senior Day Nov. 4.
Senior defensive lineman Omar Mahmoud registered a career-best 24 total tackles (13 solo), including 4.5 for a loss. Sophomore quarterback Cornelius Kitchen went 22-for-48 for 214 yards and a score, and senior wide receiver Tyler Vivian caught eight passes for 92 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown.
Senior running back Seth Hanson got the Knights on the scoreboard first when he took a pitch up the left hash marks and into the end zone from 13 yards out. Freshman Jackson Hatch kicked the PAT and Southern Virginia owned a 7-0 edge with 9:48 remaining in the first quarter.
Hatch converted a 26-yard field goal with 1:36 on the clock in the second period for a 10-0 margin. The Pioneers started their next drive near midfield, and attempted a 42-yard field goal that was blocked by SVU sophomore Michael Benjamin. Freshman Trevor Laurey picked up the loose ball and returned it 63 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown, and after a failed PAT kick, Southern Virginia led by a 16-0 count 24.5 seconds before halftime.
A turnover by each team resulted in a scoreless third quarter, and two more turnovers marked the first five minutes of the fourth.
A 12-yard Kinchen completion to senior running back Aqeel Daniels-Lundy on fourth-and-five kept a WP drive alive, and seven plays later Kinchen found Vivian on a quick slant for a 10-yard touchdown with 1:11 remaining. The Pioneers went for two but could not convert, and SVU successfully covered the ensuing kickoff to end any WP comeback hopes.
Junior linebacker Charles Faulkner forced a fumble while making eight tackles, and freshman defensive back Alex D'Angelo added eight stops. Sophomore linebacker Corey Anthony collected seven tackles and a forced fumble.
Sophomore Ty Jones finished 2-for-5 for 20 yards under center for Southern Virginia, and rushed 27 times for a team-best 97 yards. Junior strong safety Joel Bergman paced the defense with seven tackles, while sophomore cornerback Jackson Thompson intercepted two passes and made five stops.
Prior to the game, WP honored seniors Daniels-Lundy, Mahmoud, Maleek McIntosh, Corey Morris, Vivian, James Waldron and Kelvin White Jr. The Pioneers also observed Veterans Appreciation Day, acknowledging at halftime William Paterson alumni and current students who have served in the United States armed forces.
The Pioneers will finish their season Saturday, Nov. 11, at Montclair State at 1:00 p.m.
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