Gameday Week 09/3/2005 - Game #1 CNU

Profs Rush to Win 21-14 CNU game photo slide show. Photos by Tom Wilson I used a brand new 8 megapixel Canon Rebel XT camera with telephoto lens. The best thing about the new camera outfit is that it can shoot 3+ shots per second. It enables me to catch more action without the usual lag between shots of older digital cameras. By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com Christopher Newport 2005 Highlights Play WGLS-FM audio highlights credit: Derek Jones, George Hunsicker and Jim Vassallo I had a fun three-day weekend in Virginia. Two days at the beach (Friday and Sunday) and watching the Profs wear down a scrappy Christopher Newport team. Most of the people I ran into during the holiday were very nice. About the only negative was sampling the “award winning pizza” from a joint in Virginia Beach. It wasn’t very tasty. I think it will be the last “NY style pizza” that I eat that is made too far from the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area. The Rowan University football team opened the 2005 season with a 21-14 win over host Christopher Newport University. The Profs totaled 609 yards of total offense, including 414 yards passing and 195 yards on the ground. Rowan held the Captains to 38 yards rushing. Rowan managed 103 offensive snaps and 30 first downs. For the Profs, quarterback Mike Orihel completed 35 of 51 passes for 414 yards and rushed for one touchdown. Wide receiver Sakeen Wright caught 11 passes for 162 yards. Super back Ulysses Encarnacion totaled 143 yards rushing on 24 carries, including two touchdowns. Wide receiver Phil Silva compiled 82 yards on six catches before leaving the game with severe muscle cramps. “They were doing a good job of taking away the deep ball, so we tried to take advantage of that by going underneath. Plus the running game started clicking too,” said Wright. Christopher Newport held a 7-6 halftime lead on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Bryant to wide out Mike O’Brien. Rowan had four botched scoring opportunities Ulysses Encarnacion fumbled on the second series of the game near the CNU goal line. Freshman Ryan Kulik missed field goals of 35 and 27-yards in the second quarter, and sophomore Matias Spahn had a 37-yard field goal blocked in the third quarter. The Captains closed the scoring with 4:46 remaining by returning a kickoff return for a touchdown, making the score 21-14. A subsequent onsides kick went out of bounds and the Profs were able to run out the clock. Rowan dominated time-of-possession 34:56 to 25:04. “We went into training camp and decided to make sure that when we want to run the football, we need to be able to be able to do just that. We can’t let defenses dictate to us, when we are going to run or not,” said head coach Jay Accorsi. “We kept the ball on the ground in the final [four] minutes, grinding out three or four first downs. I don’t think you can say that we are just a finesse team. I think we can run the football when we need to.” “From the beginning [CNU] played us unbelievably tough. My hat’s off to them and their entire coaching staff. Out offensive line played one of the best games since I’ve been [at Rowan]. I’ve never seen a drive where you can get first down after first down without throwing the ball,” said Orihel. The Rowan defense was led by defensive end Keith Heimerl with six tackles (five solo, one assisted), one tackle for a loss, one sack and one pass deflection. Safety David Smith and linebacker Todd Trout each had five tackles. Cornerback Dawaine Whetstone recorded two interceptions, while safety Eric Bailey added one pick. Defensive end Ryan Davis and defensive tackle Ed Kunder each had one sack. For the Captains, quarterback Hudson Bryant completed 12 of 27 passes for 189 yards and one score. Wide receiver Nathan Davis made eight catches for 109 yards. Running back Roland Hilliard was held to 14 yards rushing on 12 carries. Hilliard totaled 113 yards on three kickoff returns. Rowan has a bye next week and will host Western Connecticut Sept 17, at 1 p.m.

Rowan Starts 2005 Season by Going Back to CNU By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com Christopher Newport 2004 Highlights Play WGLS-FM audio highlights I kept saying… When is football season going to get here? Took a long time to get here, then bam, I’m knee deep and uber busy. If only the love of Prof and DIII football translated into a salary… that would be the life. Things have changed in the past few years. When the series started between Rowan and Christopher Newport four years ago, it was a tune up game for the Profs. Each year the Captains have edged closer, 34-7, 21-0, and last year 33-32 at Newport News. It is now officially a rivalry. I’m not real happy about the lopsided three-year contracts that give CNU a two-for-one on home games. This is the reason why Rowan must travel down to Newport News for the second year in a row. What hoops the Profs must jump through to get games. Last year Rowan was up 13-0 then CNU tied the game. Then the Profs went up 26-13 early in the second half. The Captains tied it again at 26 all. Rowan wound up winning on a defensive stand deep in their own territory when Freshman defensive back Eric Bailey intercepted quarterback Hudson Bryant’s pass. Expect more of the same this year. Last year, CNU wore their away white jerseys in order to put the Profs in their home brown jerseys. This was to cause Rowan to absorb more heat in the hot weather. Hopefully the officiating crew will be a tad better. I really can’t see them being worse than last year’s crew. In 2004, quarterback Mike Orihel passed for 372 yards and had five touchdowns for Rowan University in a 33-32 victory over Christopher Newport in the season opener. Orihel threw three TD passes to wide receiver Jon Berry and two to wide receiver Sakeen Wright. Berry ended the game with eight catches for 121 yards. Wright had four receptions for 46 yards. Wide receiver Phil Silva contributed with eight receptions for 103 yards. Berry got injured during camp and is probably out for the year, but both Wright and Silva who are 6' 3" and over 200 lbs, should pick up the slack. For the Captains, running back George Jones carried the ball 20 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Jones also had five receptions for 39 yards and one TD. Nathan Davis led the receivers with seven catches for 63 yards and one TD. Quarterback Hudson Bryant carried the ball eight yards for a touchdown and he had a 14-yard pass for a TD. The Profs must minimize the defensive lapses that kept the Captains close last year. Backside pursuit will be a key component in stuffing Christopher Newport’s running game. Both George Jones and Nathan Davis are back. Last year, it was the cutback running of Jones that caused trouble for Rowan. Keeping mobile quarterback Bryant in the pocket will be a big plus. On offense, the Profs need to raise their time-of-possession, get up early and keep increasing the lead. Rowan has to replace Pat Thompson (graduation) in the backfield. Last year Rob Richardson and Ulysses Encarnacion spelled Thompson. Wesley transfer Keith Holland and Jerald Hornsby should also compete for playing time. Rowan's last game was a 52-0 drubbing by Linfield, the eventual National Champion. Hopefully the Profs carry that memory all season beginning this Saturday. Christopher Newport believes that they should have won last year’s contest. Two missed extra points kept them from victory. Are the Captains getting close enough to beat the Profs in 2005? I’ll be there to find out.

Rowan 1 - 0	21
at
Christopher Newport 0 - 1	14
Sept 3, 2005 Pomoco Stadium Newport News, VA 1:00 PM
Listen to the Game on Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM Pregame Show 12PM

NJAC Week #2

NJAC Week #1

2005 NJAC Standings