Profs playoff hopes fade with loss to Montclair
The Profs saw their playoff hopes washed away in Saturday’s rain-soaked 30-14 loss on the road at Montclair State.
The loss was Rowan’s second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. With undefeated Cortland clinching the conference title and Montclair having just one loss, the Profs will most likely be on the outside looking in once the NCAA releases its tournament bracket after next weekend’s games.
Against the Red Hawks, Rowan fell behind early and trailed 20-0 at the half. The Profs rebounded nicely, scoring 14 points in the third quarter to make it a one-score deficit. But in the end, the Red Hawks defense clamped down.
Montclair did a good job controlling the ball, having nearly an eleven minute advantage in time of possession which kept the Rowan defense out on the field. In the battle between two of the nation’s premier defenses, each team went just 5-for-16 on third downs, while the Profs were 0-for-3 on fourth downs.
Profs junior quarterback Frank Wilczynski threw a season-high three interceptions. He entered the game with five all season.
“They’re a really well coached defense,” said Wilczynski. “They have a ton of good players and they made plays when they had to. They were dropping six or seven and coming with the four up front. The two ends were contain guys and I couldn’t get outside. They prepared for us really well.”
Rowan also lost two fumbles.
“We knew it was going to be a defensive battle,” said Montclair running back Jeff Bliss. “Turnovers were key. I think we took advantage of some opportunities better than Rowan.”
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