2001 Playoffs

 

Profs Robbed By Football Officials - Lose 29-24. Game Clock Error Gives Bridgewater an Extra Play to Win the Game By Tom Wilson The clock stopped at :01 second as a 50 yard pass by Bridgewater QB, Jason Lutz was launched and completed. This allowed Bridgewater one more to play which produced a one yard touchdown pass to allow the Eagles to escape with a victory 29-24. Aided the by the officials, Bridgewater moved on to the Stagg Bowl to face Mount Union instead of the Profs. On the play :04 was left at the snap of the ball, then the clock stopped at :01 second... Lutz takes another four seconds moving around in the pocket before he lets go of the ball. Finally, Lutz completes the pass six seconds later when WR, Nick Lehto is tackled on the 1 yard line. Bridgewater received an extra ten seconds on what should have been the final play. Here are senior defensive back Clinton Tabb's own words on his student website: THE DAY I WAS ROBBED The day was December 8, 2001 Rowan vs. Bridgewater the score was 29-24 in favor of Bridgewater. But that is only if you're a Bridgewater fan or anti-Rowan fan. Five seconds on the clock, trips right open left is the formation, Lutz(Bridgewater) quarterback calls go, rolls right, then rolls left, hurls the ball with two seconds left on the clock, I hear the Rowan fans chanting the ball travels 49 yards (let me remind you nobody can run 49 yards on a dry field let alone a wet one and especially not this kid) he makes a great catch, only followed by a great tackle should have been game. Rowan 24-Bridgewater 23. All the rest is a nightmare one that I cannot repeat. Dream Over. No Championship. What a ride, just ended with the wrong team playing Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl!!! It may seem as if only game clock official Mac McCadden is at fault, but clearly the entire officiating crew blew this game. Proper game machanics for referees has at least one official with a back up game clock on his wrist. Additionally, "final seconds" mechanics should have one or more officials counting down in their heads. At least one referee had to know that the game clock was wrong before they ran off the field. Inquiries by rowanfootball.com to the NCAA as to what caused the breakdown in officiating mechanics, has gone unanswered. So how did seven officials plus the on-site NCAA official screw up? I guess we'll never know. Whomever the rest of the officials are, a Pop Warner football championship is too much for this sorry group of men. Rowan was the first team on the board with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Tony Racioppi to Lipford at the 12:19 mark in the first quarter. The Eagles responded when Lutz hit Marcus Richardson on a shuttle pass for 56-yard touchdown with 9:19 remaining in the first quarter. The Profs scored back-to-back touchdowns to increase their lead to 21-7 with touchdown throws from Racioppi to Michael Osborne and Al Beverly from 14 yards and 17 yards respectively. Bridgewater came storming back to tie the game at 21-21 with a Cruz 36-yard touchdown run and a 7-yard touchdown pass from Lutz to Devin Thorton with 2:54 remaining in the half. Rowan went into halftime with a 24-21 lead after Nick Frade connected on a 23-yard field goal with seconds remaining in the first half. The two teams battled to a scoreless third quarter. The Eagles trailed 24-21 with 6:52 remaining in the game when Scott Lipford fumbled and Steward White recovered for Bridgewater at the Rowan 19-yard line. The Eagles got the ball to the 1-yard line, but could not get the ball into the end zone and turned the ball over on downs. Rowan took a safety to make the score 24-23 and to try to pin the Eagles deep in their own territory, but the Eagles marched 52 yards on four plays for the winning score. Bridgewater racked up 415 yards of total offense, while the Profs had 292. Lutz was 15-for-24 for 207 yards and three touchdowns. The senior also rushed for 33 yards on 17 carries. Cruz led all-rushers with 32 carries for 174 yards. Richardson led the Eagles receivers with four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Lehto and Jones each had three catches with 84 yards and 15 yards respectively. Racioppi was 15-for-25 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Antwine Simmons had 37 yards on four carries to lead the Profs rushing attack. Beverly and Osborne each hauled down fourcatches with 98 yards and 55 yards respectively. Jermaine Taylor led the Bridgewater defense with nine tackles. Jason Frizzelle contributed six tackles and a sack. Jason Bailey, Ryan Bailey and Immanuel Jones each also recorded sacks in the victory. Bobby Fisher had 14 tackles for Rowan, while Shannon Maynard added 13 tackles. The Eagles become the first Old Dominion Athletic Conference program to make it past the semifinals. Bridgewater improves to 12-0 on the season, while the Profs season ends at 11-2.

ROWAN ADVANCES TO NCAA SEMIFINALS WITH A 48-0 SHUTOUT OVER ITHACA GLASSBORO - Quarterback Tony Racioppi passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns while wide receiver Scott Lipford totaled 153 yards and three TDs to lead Rowan University over Ithaca College, 48-0 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Profs (11-1) will play at Bridgewater (VA) (11-0) on Saturday, December 8 at noon in the semifinals. Bridgewater (VA) defeated Widener, 57-32 in the quarterfinals. The semifinal winner advances to the championship game on December 15 at Salem Stadium in Salem, VA. Racioppi (jr. Red Bank Reg./Tinton Falls, NJ) had 18 completions in 42 attempts and touchdowns of 85, 14, 30 and 30 yards. Lipford finished the game with six catches. His touchdowns were 85, 14 and 30 yards. Al Beverly (sr. Cumberland Reg./Bridgeton, NJ) had five receptions for 85 yards and one TD (30 yards). Nick Frade (jr. Cherry Hill E./Cherry Hill, NJ) kicked 27 and 37 yard field goals and had six extra points. The Profs also had a four yard touchdown run by Antwine Simmons (jr. Sayreville War Mem./Parlin, NJ) and a 50 yard fumble return for a touchdown by defensive end Jonathan Rodriguez (so. Emerson/Union City, NJ). Ithaca finishes the season with an 11-2 record. The Bombers were in the national tournament for the 13th time and the first since 1994. Ithaca defeated Montclair State, 35-23 in the first round and Rensselaer, 27-10, in the second. This is Rowan's ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It was the fourth shutout for the Profs in the postseason. For the Bombers, quarterback Greg Sheeler (sr. Gloversville/Gloversville, NJ) threw for 219 yards with 22 completions in 40 attempts. Wide receiver Peter McCaffrey (so. Ithaca/Ithaca, NY) totaled 69 yards with six catches. Tight end Conor Mulkeen (sr. Pittsford-Mendon/Pittsford, NY) had six receptions for 47 yards. Dave Maddi (sr. Seton Catholic/Binghamton, NY) rushed for 49 yards on 15 attempts. The Rowan defense held Ithaca to 56 yards rushing (43 attempts) and recorded seven sacks. Linebackers Earle Whilby (sr. Dwight Morrow/Englewood, NJ) and Bobby Fisher (sr. Kington (NC)/Newark, NJ) each had nine tackles. End Gerrit Tosh (jr. North Warren Reg./Blairstown, NJ) recorded five tackles and two sacks. Linebacker Shannon Maynard (so. Edgewood/Edgewood, MD) and free safety Clinton Tabb (sr. Pennsauken/Pennsauken, NJ) each had an interception while end Earl Nelson (jr. Mount Olive/Union, NJ) recovered a fumble. Linebacker Mark McDonough (sr. Ridge/Liberty Corner, NJ) led the Bombers with 11 tackles. Cornerback Justin Daly (jr. Warwick Valley/Warwick, NY) followed with six tackles and cornerback Seth Molisani (so. Canandaigua Academy/Canandaigua, NY) added five. Daly and Molisani each recorded an interception. In the first quarter, Rowan scored on its third drive. Racioppi completed an 85 yard pass to Lipford with 5:46 left. The drive was three plays and 86 yards. Frade kicked off and the ball was recovered by the Profs on the Ithaca 25. The drive ended with a 27 yard field goal by Frade with 4:17 left in the quarter. Frade kicked his second field goal, 37 yards, at 10:38 in the second. On Rowan's next drive, Racioppi hit Lipford with a 14 yard toss for the second TD with 4:03 left. Simmons carried the ball four yards (1:36) for the last points of the half. At the intermission, Rowan was ahead 27-0. Racioppi compiled 217 yards with 11 completions in 32 attempts in the first half. Lipford had 118 yards receiving with four receptions. The Profs went on to score three more touchdowns, two in the third quarter and one in the fourth. Lipford scored his third TD with a 30 yard pass from Racioppi at 7:56. The drive took eight plays and was 81 yards. Racioppi found Beverly with another 30 yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds left. In the final quarter, Rodriguez recovered a fumble when DeRon Adams (sr. Lackawanna/Lackawanna, NY) sacked Sheeler which caused the fumble. Rodriguez scored at 9:56 with a 50 yard return.

ROWAN WINS NCAA SECOND ROUND GAME OVER WESTERN CONN., 43-14 GLASSBORO, NJ - Junior quarterback Tony Racioppi passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns to lead Rowan University over Western Connecticut State, 43-14 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship Tournament. Rowan (10-1) will host Ithaca College (11-1) in the quarterfinals on Saturday, December 1 at noon. Ithaca defeated Rensselaer, 27-10 in the second round. Western Connecticut finishes the season with an 8-2 mark. It was the Colonials' third appearance in the national tournament. Western Connecticut defeated Westfield State, 8-7 in the first round. Racioppi (jr. Red Bank Reg./Tinton Falls, NJ) had 19 completions in 38 attempts and touchdown passes of 16, 24 and 86 yards. Racioppi also scored with a three yard run. Al Beverly (sr. Cumberland Reg./Bridgeton, NJ) led the receivers with 152 yards with seven receptions and two TDs. Tailback Paul Northern (so. John Bartram/Philadelphia, PA) carried the ball nine times for 110 yards. For Western Connecticut, quarterback Michael Scipione (jr. Fork Union Military/Oakton, VA) threw for 180 yards with 12 completions in 38 attempts and one touchdown. Scipione's touchdown pass was a a seven yard toss to wide receiver Aaron Russell (sr. Lake Brantley/Altamonte Springs, FL). Wide receiver Michael Forest (jr. Oakcrest/ Lacasta Lakes, NJ) had 152 yards with eight catches. Tailback Dwaine Reid (so. Brentwood/ Brentwood, NY) had 36 yards rushing (10 attempts) and one touchdown (one yard). The Profs' defense held the Colonials to -34 yards rushing (33 attempts). Defensive end Earl Nelson (jr. Mount Olive/Union, NJ) and linebacker Earle Whilby (sr. Dwight Morrow/Englewood, NJ) each had five tackles. End Gerrit Tosh (jr. North Warren Reg./Blairtown, NJ) had four tackles, three for a loss and two sacks (-18). Cornerback Kevin Evans (fr. Glassboro/Glassboro, NJ) recorded two interceptions while free safety Clinton Tabb (sr. Pennsauken/Pennsauken, NJ) and linebacker Bobby Fisher (sr. Kington (NC)/Newark, NJ) each had one. Colonial linebacker Michael Toscano (sr. Danbury/Danbury, CT) compiled 19 tackles, seven solo and 12 assisted, and one interception. Tackle Greg Boucher (sr. Watertown/Watertown, CT) and linebacker Karl Morgan (sr. Cornwall/New Windsor, NY) each contributed with nine tackles. Boucher also had one sack (-11) and two tackles for a loss. After the first half, Rowan was ahead 26-0 with 13 points in the first and second quarters. The Profs scored on their first drive. Tailback Antwine Simmons (jr. Sayreville War Mem./Parlin, NJ) scored with a three yard run at 14:03. The drive was two plays, 15 yards. Rowan's second score came on its third drive. Racioppi completed a 16 yard TD pass to Michael Osborne (jr. Holy Cross/Burlington Twp., NJ). The drive took 10 plays for 80 yards. In the second, Beverly had his first touchdown catch of 24 yards from Racioppi at 8:58. Rowan's fourth TD was an interception return of 51 yards by Evans with 1:53 left. Racioppi completed an 86 yard touchdown pass to Beverly at 10:24 in the third quarter. The touchdown was the second play of the drive which started with a five yard carry by Simmons. Western Connecticut followed with its two touchdowns. Reid scored at 8:33 with a one yard carry. The drive was four plays, 61 yards. In the drive, Scipione had a 57 yard pass to Forest. The Colonials' second TD was a seven yard pass from Scipione to Russell with 4:32 left in the third. Forest had two catches for 17 yards in the touchdown drive that was 13 plays, 62 yards. Rowan added one more touchdown and a field goal in the final quarter. Racioppi started the drive with a 17 yard pass to Osborne. Racioppi capped the nine play drive (57 yards) with a three yard TD run at 5:39. Tosh recovered a Western Connecticut fumble which led to Rowan's 33 yard field goal by Nick Frade (jr. Cherry Hill E./Cherry Hill, NJ) with 3:49 remaining. Frade also added four extra points on the day.

ROWAN WINS NCAA FIRST ROUND GAME OVER BROCKPORT, 40-17 GLASSBORO - The Rowan University football team defeated SUNY Brockport, 40-17, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament at John Page Field. The Profs will host Western Connecticut State next Saturday, November 24 at noon in the second round. Western Connecticut had an 8-7 win over host Westfield (MA) in the first round. Western Connecticut (8-1) was seeded seventh and Westfield (10-1) was the second seed. Brockport, the fifth seed, finishes with a 9-2 record which was a school rmark for wins in a season. It was the Golden Eagles' second straight appearance in the national tournament. Rowan is 9-1 overall and seeded third. The Profs are in the national tournament for the ninth time. For Rowan, tailback Antwine Simmons (jr. Sayreville War Mem./Parlin, NJ) scored two touchdowns with 12 and five yard runs. Simmons carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards. The Profs also had touchdowns, both one yard carries, from tailback Creg Bethea (jr. Marist/Jersey City, NJ) and quarterback Tony Racioppi (jr. Red Bank Reg./Tinton Falls, NJ). Racioppi passed for 229 yards with 19 completions in 41 attempts. Al Beverly (sr. Cumberland Reg./Bridgeton, NJ) recovered a fumble in the endzone for a TD. Nick Frade (jr. Cherry Hill E./Cherry Hill, NJ) kicked two field goals, 32 and 44 yards. Brockport quarterback Bob Darnley (so. Wheatfield/Niagara Falls, NY) threw for 242 yards (18 of 38) and two touchdowns. He completed TD passes of 18 yards to Tony Streb (sr. Hilton/Rochester, NY) and 40 yards to Darin Brady (so. Irondequoit/Irondequoit, NY). Todd Freelove (sr. Midlakes/Phelps, NY) kicked a 45 yard field goal. Linebacker Bobby Fisher (sr. Kington (NC)/Newark, NJ) was the Profs' tackle leader with 13 (5-6) followed by linebacker Shannon Maynard (so. Edgewood/Edgewood, MD) with 12 (1-11). Fisher, Maynard and free safety Clinton Tabb (sr. Pennsauken/Pennsauken, NJ) each had an interception. Linebacker Earle Whilby (sr. Dwight Morrow/Englewood, NJ) contributed with 10 tackles (4-6), two sacks and forced a fumble. Linebacker Jay Johnson (sr. Lewis.-Porter/Niagara Falls, NY) recorded a career best 16 tackles (3-13) for the Golden Eagles. He also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and had one pass breakup. Cornerback Robert Genco (sr. Eden/Eden, NY) and linebacker Tony Peters (so. Greece Athena/Rochester, NY) contributed with nine (2-7) and eight (2-6) tackles respectively. Cornerback Jeremy Lynch (so. Lancaster/Lancaster, NY) had his sixth interception of the year. At the half, Rowan was ahead 14-10. In the third quarter, Frade kicked his first field goal of 32 yards at 9:31. The Golden Eagles scored on their next drive. Darnley completed a 40 yard TD pass to Brady with 7:33 left. Freelove kicked the extra point and tied the game at 17. The Profs went ahead on Frade's 44 yard field goal (5:26). In the final quarter, Brockport attempted a 29 yard field goal at 12:54. Freelove's kick was blocked by defensive end Earl Nelson (jr. Mount Olive/Union, NJ). Rowan's drive ended with a one yard touchdown run by Racioppi at 9:21. Fisher had an interception with 6:02 which led to Simmon's five yard touchdown run. After the touchdown, Rowan was up 34-17. Beverly recovered a Brockport fumble in the endzone with 1:55 left for Rowan's last touchdown.