Gameday Week 10/28/2006 - Game #7 Montclair St.

Profs Fall To Red Hawks 27-20 in OT By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com Senior placekicker Vin Doffont connected from 43 yards out with nine seconds left to force the extra period as Montclair State snapped its two-game losing streak and improved to 5-3 overall, 3-2 in the NJAC. Junior Mike Ajadi blocked two extra points and a punt for MSU, which defeated Rowan for just the third time in the last seven meetings and first time at home since 2000. In overtime, Junior running back Ryan McCoach scored from three yards on the Montclair State’s first possession in overtime and linebacker Cornell Hunt intercepted a pass on Rowan’s third-play from scrimmage in the period as the Red Hawks scored the final 17 points and shocked the No. 7 Profs, 27-20. In the overtime, Rowan won the toss and elected to play defense giving the Red Hawks the first possession. Michael Jump hit Fred Carter for 11 yards to the Rowan 16 and McCoach converted a 3rd-and-1, and then added 11 more and another first down as MSU moved the ball to the three. After an incompletion, McCoach drove through the Prof defense for the touchdown and a 27-20 lead. The Profs had a chance to increase the lead late in the fourth quarter, however Rowan could not capitalize on an opportunity after Montclair State fumbled away a punt return with 4:18 to play. With the ball at the MSU 45, Orihel converted a third down with an 11-yard completion and John Impagliazzo rushed 19 yards to the MSU 10. The drive stalled and Matias Spahn came on to attempt a 36-yard field goal. However, the Profs gambled on a fake and holder Sal Calacirua was taken down for a 12-yard loss giving the ball back to Montclair. Rowan took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter as Orihel hit Jim Migliore on a 41-yard touchdown toss with 11:25 to play. Ajadi would block the extra point as the Profs held on to the six-point lead into the second. Montclair State would take the lead with 10:39 left as Jump connected with Carter on a 78-yard catch and run for a 7-6 MSU advantage. Rowan then responded with their 80-yard drive capped off by Orihel’s second TD pass – a 54-yard one to Migliore down the sideline. The Red Hawks cut the lead back to 14-10 before the half as McCoach accounted for 34 yards on the ground to set up Doffont’s 41-yard field goal with 1:11 before halftime. In the second half, the Profs took the opening kickoff and went 65 yards to build a 20-10 lead as Orihel found Emory Lester down the right sideline for a 45-yard touchdown with 12:31 to play in the third. Ajadi would again come through, getting a piece of the extra point attempt that sailed wide keeping the margin at 10. Late in the period, the Red Hawks were backed up to their own 9, but went on a 91-yard drive to trim the lead to 20-17. Jump hit Carter for 16-yards on 3rd-and-9 to keep the drive going and a 19-yard catch by Jeff Papcun brought the ball to the Rowan 40. Two plays later, Jump found Brandon Fronjian for a 32-yard strike to the Rowan 8. Two plays later, Jump found a slanting Carter on the right side for the touchdown. Oirhel was 13-of-31 for 178 yards for Rowan, including five catches for 119 yards by Migliore. Impagliazzo carried 16 times for 40 yards. Calaciura and Randy Tosh each had six tackles with Tosh getting 1.5 sacks as the Profs collected five on the afternoon. McCoach finished with 80 yards on 29 carries for the Red Hawks while Carter had five receptions for 127 yards. Jump completed 14-of-33 passes, including 8-of-his-last 11. Hunt, the NJAC’s leading tackler, finished with 14 while Russ Comune had six tackles and a breakup.

Rowan Drives On Against Montclair By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com The Prof football team heads to Montclair on Saturday. It's an away game for Rowan but a home game for me. I can get to the Montclair State campus in 5-10 minutes. Instead of 240 miles round trip, I'm looking at 10. Now don't get me wrong I love heading to the Boro, but I like the occasional game closer to my house. Currently the weather forecast calls for rain on Saturday. Guess I can't win 'em all. Right now the Montclair football team is in the position of spoiler having lost two NJAC games. Last week against Cortland, the Red Hawks threw five interceptions between starting quarterback Michael Jump (3) and backup Mark Poore (2). Cortland scored 34 unanswered points winning the game 41-3. So I'd expect them to want to take the Profs out on Saturday. Rowan is certainly not at the point where they can look past anyone. "We're not good enough to look past anyone, we have to take it week-by-week. We have to concentrate on the game at hand, and Montclair always plays us tough. Every team, no matter who it is, has circled the Rowan date and their going to play their best game," said head coach Jay Accorsi. "If we lose to Montclair, we're probably not going to the playoffs," said Mike Orihel. The Profs need to stop the run and force the pass. Passing is where Montclair is going to make the big mistakes. Running back Ryan McCoach leads the NJAC in rushing with 88.4 yards per game. McCoach is responsible for 42.4% of the Red Hawks offensive output with 691 yards rushing and 129 yards receiving. Shut him down and force Jump to win the game under the pressure of the Rowan blitz package. The Profs are one off the NJAC lead in sacks with 29. Rowan is +1.33 in turnover margin per game and is first in the league. Last week, Rowan was able to complete some clutch passes that kept drives going against Kean. They also stretched the field with some long pass attempts. The coaching staff has moved receivers and players around for a better fit. I'd like to see them progress in the passing game this week. Hopefully the Profs will complete a few of those longer pass attempts. "We have to get the right personnel in and we switched guys around. The offense is young, you can't fault them for it, you just need to keep moving forward. There are those glimpses of great things that can happen, we just have to come together, running the right routes and knowing where each other is going to be. We just have to come together," explained Orihel. Montclair MLB Cornell Hunt leads the NJAC in tackles with 71. He has two sacks, three interceptions (one for a touchdown), and two pass breakups. OLB Sal Fama has added 53 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. Former Prof (2003) OLB junior Russ Comune has 34 tackles and one sack. They are the backbone of the Red Hawk defense. This game will come down to the offense that has the best scoring opportunities. Rowan has the number one defense in the nation, while Montclair State isn't in the top 35 in the nation. The team with the least offensive mistakes will win on Saturday. I hope the weather forecast improves. See you there.