Gameday 09/30/2006 - Game #3 West Conn

Profs Out Duel Colonials 24-17 Photo slideshow 26 photos 78 seconds. Photos by Tom Wilson By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com After a three and out by the Prof football team on the opening possession, West Conn took over at the Rowan 40-yard line and began a 9 play drive that ended in a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Jeff Ward. He was initially stopped in the backfield but second effort got Ward into the endzone. Late in the first quarter Jabrill Joseph's nabbed his second interception when he jumped the route of Colonial receiver Adamis Gonzalez. Gonzalez tackled Joseph after a 4-yard return to the West Conn 16-yard line. The Profs then executed a 4 play 16-yard drive culminated in a 5-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Downes. It was Downes first collegiate touchdown. "I watched a lot of film this week. Their offense is basically the same as ours. Just like in the films, I saw the curl shoot. They ran the curl shoot and I jumped the curl," explained Joseph. West Conn took the ensuing kickoff on an 11-play 63-yard drive that consumed 6:26 ending in a 22-yard field goal by Kevin March. The Colonials kicked the kickoff out-of-bounds giving the ball to Rowan at their 35-yard line. Mike Orihel led an 8-play, 56-yard drive to the West Conn 9-yard line. Matias Spahn booted a 26-yard field goal, to end the scoring for the half with the game tied at 10 all. Adamis Gonzalez took the second half kickoff 90-yards for the touchdown, giving the Colonials the lead 17-10. There wasn't any more scoring the rest of the third quarter. "He's a senior this year and he came in with something to prove. He's a hell of a player. He might be a little guy but he's very fast. He's got a big heart. You have to contain him by swarming around him," said Prof linebacker Robert Niszczak. Rowan took control of the game in the fourth quarter. Kelvin Bellamy fielded a punt at his own 35-yard and ran it back to the West Conn 15-yards line. Two plays later Rob Richardson scored his first rushing touchdown from four yards out. "Last week was a tough week for me. I came in even more focused and tried to put my team in better situations. That was a big play, and I had great blocking up front. There were seams and I got up field and it was a good result," said Bellamy. The Profs began the game winning drive with 10:38 remaining in the game. Some key third down conversions and grabs by tight end Jessie Eisenhart and wide receiver Emory Lester kept the chains moving. Super back Davon Edwards ran it in from seven yards out on the tenth play of the drive, completing the super back trifecta as Edwards scored his first collegiate touchdown too. "I just wanted to score. You know, all the other backs scored. I wanted to join the list. I was excited. I never scored a touchdown in college. Getting the winning touchdown is kind of special," Edwards said. "I think the last couple years we got on [West Conn] really quick. They're a good football team. It's a great program. I think was just a matter of them getting ready for NJAC play their first couple years. They've adjusted to the conference," reasoned head coach Jay Accorsi. "We're still so young, and there are so many young players out there [on offense]. You saw some of the younger guys start to make some bigger catches. Emory Lester and some of the other guys do some things to get us back in the groove. It's going to be a work in progress all year long," he said. "The execution should get better now that we are playing every week. That's what a young team needs to do, we need to play. We need to find out which guys are going to step up and make plays," Accorsi concluded. Edwards finished the game with 76 yards rushing on 14 carries and one touchdown. Richardson added 10 rushes for 46 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Mike Orihel completed 15 of 21 passes for 135 yards. Wide receiver Emory Lester made three catches for 32 yards. The Profs held the Colonials to 20 yards rushing. Leading the way was safety Eric Bailey with 10 tackles. Linebackers Robert Niszczak and Chris Pinto made nine and seven stops, respectively. Pinto added two sacks (-nine yards), while Niszcazak had 1.5 (-12 yards). Defensive end Keith Heimerl posted seven tackles and linebacker Zach Garren had six. Cornerback Jabrill Joseph had two interceptions. "Up front we do a great job of stuffing the middle and making them bounce outside. And when they go outside it gives me an opportunity to make a lot of tackles. It is just a result of the great play up front, so I have to credit them [the defenders in front of me]," said Eric Bailey. For Western Connecticut, quarterback James Williams completed 17 of 33 passes for 218 yards. Tailbacks Jason Santiago and Ward rushed for 23 and 17 yards, respectively. Gonzalez finished the game with nine catches for 98 yards. Wide receivers Kerry Perrotta and David Cournoyer each had three grabs for 61 and 41 yards, respectively. The Colonial defense was led by defensive back John Hoke with a game-high 11 tackles. Defensive end Kevin Marchant added seven tackles and one sack (-six yards). Linebackers Kenny Jost and Chad Milling made seven and six stops, respectively.

Rowan Looking To Rebound Against West Conn By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com This Saturday the Rowan Prof football team (1-1) plays their first back-to-back game of the season as they host Western Connecticut (3-0). Coming off a disappointing performance against D1-AA scholarship Robert Morris squad, the Profs look to re-establish their winning ways. Last week’s loss dropped Rowan in the polls… four spots to No. 7 in the D3football.com poll and a surprising nine spots in the AFCA coaches poll to No. 12. Clearly the AFCA doesn’t provide enough information to the coaches to enable them to make informed decisions, but that another argument. It is the main reason why rowanfootball.com stopped reporting the AFCA poll. The lone bright spot in last week’s loss was the Prof defense. They consistently pressured Robert Morris, recording five sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. The Rowan offense was kept out of the red-zone the entire day. Prof special teams fumbled two punt returns and allowed a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown. The special teams miscues led to all 21 of RMU's points. Last Saturday, the Colonials defeated Division I-AA Iona College, 21-20 on the road. Freshman, quarterback James Williams completed 15 of 24 passes for 137 yards and two two touchdowns. Wide receiver Adamis Gonzalez caught seven passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jeff Ward carried the ball 25 times for 75 yards and touchdown. Linebacker Chad Milling recorded a game-high 11 tackles. He also had two fumble recoveries and one sack. Defensive end Kevin Marchant totaled six tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. Linebacker Michael Gregor and safety Jim Hilgenfeldt contributed seven stops apiece. Iona found the end zone first on a 19 yard run at 5:16 in the second quarter. West Conn tied the game with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Gonzalez at 2:57. Iona went ahead 14-7 at the half after a 17 yard TD pass. Ward had a five yard TD run at 12:45 in the third to even the score. Iona added two field goals for a 20-14 advantage. Williams hit Gonzalez with a 30-yard touchdown pass with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter for the victory. Williams collected his second NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week honor by leading the Colonials over Iona. He finished the game with a passer efficiency rating of 121.2. Senior Adamis “Pito” Gonzalez leads the team in receptions (17), receiving yards (242), all-purpose yards (138.3), touchdowns (3), punt returns (11.5) and kickoff returns (19.5). He is the WCSU all-time leader with 763 punt return yards. In 2005, he was a NJAC All-Conference first team special teams and second team offense selection. Gonzalez was named the Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-East Region Special Teams Player of the Year and received Football Gazette All-America honorable mention. Rowan needs to get rolling offensively. They were unable to move the football last week. The “Fun and Gun” is due for a breakout game. I’d like to see 300 yards plus passing and 100 yards plus rushing. West Conn has improved each year in the NJAC, and they aren’t a team to take lightly. Coach Burrell has done a good job. But I don't think the Colonials will be able to move the ball on the Profs. In NCAA statistics, Dawaine Whetstone is third in interceptions (1.5) and tied for sixth in passes defended (3.0). Tosh is tied for eighth in sacks (1.5), while Heimerl is tied for 18th (1.3). Pinto is tied for 11th in tackles for a loss (2.5). Bellamy is tied for third in forced fumbles (1.0). Rowan is first in the nation in rushing defense (-18.0) and total defense (98.0). The Profs are fifth in turnover margin (+2.5) and 14th in pass efficiency defense (71.1). I expect the Prof defense to pressure and fluster the young freshman quarterback Williams and to provide short field scoring opportunities for the Rowan offense. The weather forecast in Glassboro calls for high of 60’s and sunny on Saturday. See you in the ‘Boro.