Gameday Week 10/22/2005 - Game #6 Kean

Profs Get It Done 35-14 Photo slideshow by Tom Wilson By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com Play WGLS-FM audio highlights Quarterback Joe Rankin completed 19 of 34 passes for 169 yards. He threw four touchdown passes and had a one-yard touchdown run. Sakeen Wright had 5 receptions for 45 yards and three touchdowns. Phil Silva had two receptions for 25 yards and one touchdown. Dustin Katcher contributed four catches for 48 yards. Davon Edwards led the rushing attack with 11 carries for 43 yards. Rob Richardson contributed 40 yards on 5 attempts. "Joe did a nice job, and the team rallied behind him. He's played some JV games and some varsity games. In the course of the season you can't rely on any one person," said head coach Jay Accorsi. "He's elusive and throws the ball well. A lot of people were saying that without Michael [Orihel] we're not going to throw the ball. Joe knows the offense, he's comfortable, it was just a matter of getting him some snaps," he added. "We have to work on some things as a team, but overall I thought we did pretty well," Accorsi concluded. The Profs jumped out to 21-0 halftime lead. Silva caught an 18-yard pass from Rankin at 13:27 in the first quarter. After a 51-yard kickoff return by Edwards that put the ball on the Kean 30 yard line, Richardson carried the ball twice for 12 yards. The touchdown drive was four plays and 30 yards. At 4:49, Rankin hit Wright with a five-yard touchdown pass. Linebacker Aaron McCord recovered a fumble and started the drive on the Kean 47 yard line. Katcher and Wright two catches and 21 yards apiece in the seven play 47-yard drive. Wright caught his second touchdown pass from four yards out at 11:37 in the second quarter. Katcher picked up another 18 yards receiving in the drive, which spanned 42 yards on seven plays. "Stepping in for Mike is some big shoes to fill. I was happy to get in there and get the offense going and come out with a win," said Rankin. "We got the win now we can look forward to Brockport. It's homecoming. Hopefully we'll get a decent crowd and better weather. We need to get better at finishing off drives. A couple of times we got into the red-zone [and didn't come away with points]." Rowan added two more touchdowns in the second half, Rankin ran it in from the one at 12:44 in the third quarter. The drive was set up by a Keith Heimerl fumble recovery on the Kean 26. Rankin connected with Wright for a 17-yard touchdown pass at 11:05 in the fourth quarter. Kean scored twice in the second half. In the fourth quarter, the Cougars went on a 10-play 80 yard drive culminating in a one yard plunge by running back Austin Parker. Brian Williams rushed for 61 yards on 3 carries during the drive. The second touchdown was set up when Jim Migliori muffed punt was recovered on the five yard line by Chase Long. Jasper Hankins ended the Kean scoring with a two-yard touchdown run. Randy Tosh led the defense with nine tackles and an interception. Linebackers Zach Garren Todd Trout had eight and seven tackles respectively. Trout recorded two sacks (-6 yards). Safety Brandon Tolbert and cornerback Dawaine Whetstone each recorded one interception. For the Corgars, linebacker Clarence Goodman had a game-high 12 tackles. Linebackers Alonzo Funnye and Daiyon Yarmeto posted eight and seven stops respectively. Defensive back Aharon Keitt made three interceptions. Kean running back Brian Williams gained 111 yards on 11 carries. Quarterback A.J. Roque completed five of 19 pass attempts for 35 yards. Wide receiver Jarred Crowley had two catches for 31 yards. On the day the Prof offense gained 304 total yards with 135 coming on the ground. "The offensive line is just clicking. This team has a pretty good mindset, when we have to get it done we just do it," said offensive guard Dan Lee.

Rowan Looks to Keep Rolling Against Kean By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com Play WGLS-FM audio highlights With Mike Orihel sidelined with a hand injury, sophomore quarterback Joe Rankin will make his first start of the year. In mop up duty Rankin has completed 4-of-9 passes for 19 yards this season. Last year in his only start at DII Virginia State Rankin completed 15-of-26 for 180 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Last week junior Cougar receiver Jarred Crowley rushed for a 65-yard touchdown and caught another and the Cougars “D” added two defensive touchdowns as Kean rallied for 32 second half points and erased a 21-0 halftime deficit en route to a 32-27 victory over visiting Seton Hill University in front of 1,855 fans at Kean Alumni Stadium. With the win Kean improved to 3-3, while the Griffins fell to 1-6. The comeback was the largest come-from-behind victory since the Cougars overcame a 28-3 fourth quarter deficit for a 29-28 win over Jersey City State College on October 13, 1984. Expect Kean to blitz Rankin often and try and stop the run. If he can hit the hot routes early that will bode well for the Profs. The Cougars are allowing 118 yards on the ground and 197 in the air. Each of Kean’s three wins are against teams with losing records. Rowan is averaging 183.8 rushing (NJAC leader) against better competition. The Profs are only allowing 54.8 yards rushing. The Prof defense needs to stop the run and force passing situations. Last year, they sacked Kean quarterback AJ. Roque eleven times. Montclair transfer Jasper Hankins leads Cougar receivers with 29 receptions for 370 yards and three touchdowns. Roque has passed for 869 yards and nine touchdowns this year. The Cougars have committed 57 penalties for 516 yards, while Rowan has been penalized 47 times for 443 yards. I expect the Profs to step it up and come in with something to prove, that they can win without Mike Orihel and keep winning until he comes back. Kean is an improved club over last year, but I don’t think this will be a close one. I think Rowan will still move the ball effectively. See you in Union, NJ on Saturday.