Previewing Kean

This Saturday, Rowan hosts Kean University at 1 p.m. at John Page Field. The contest is the first of three straight must-win games to close out the season. If the Profs can win out, they’ll be in good position to secure an at-large bid into the NCAA Division-III tournament. The Profs are currently 6-1 with their only loss coming early in the season by a score of 27-20 to seventh-ranked Cortland State.

Kean brings the NJAC’s most prolific offense to the turf in Glassboro. Stopping the run will be key for the Profs. Senior runningback Jared Chunn leads the conference in rushing and all-purpose yards and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Jay Accorsi noted earlier this week that Kean’s offense is almost identical to Profs with Durrell Dukes (28 carries) and James Felton (17 carries) serving as mirror images of Rowan’s Davon Edwards.

The Cougars also have an experienced offensive line to protect freshman quarterback Tom D’Ambrisi. D’Ambrisi has already garnered four NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week selections and has a host of talented veterans to haul in passes. Rowan’s defense, though, has sacked opposing quarterbacks 12 more times than any other NJAC squad so look for the Profs to continue to collapse the pocket and force D’Ambrisi to make quick decisions.

Rowan’s offense continues to put up points. Stopping the pass has been a problem for the Cougars who, outside of cornerback Chris Lauda, don’t have a whole lot to work with in the secondary. Kean is 9th in the conference in passing defense.

Prediction: 37-16 Rowan. This will be a battle in the trenches and if the Profs can hold Chunn in check and establish a running game of their own, they should have a fairly easy win heading into next week’s make-or-break game against fellow one-loss contender Montclair State.

By the numbers: Rowan downs Buffalo State 20-7

In this Saturday’s one-sided win against Buffalo State in which the Bengals only score came on a botched Rowan snap in the end zone, the Profs put up some impressive numbers as the Bengals dropped their 13th straight contest:

Frank Wilczynski threw for just 58 yards and Rowan’s leading receiver, freshman Travis Warker, had only 14 yards receiving. Wilczynski did rush for a team-high 82 yards on eight carries, moving the junior into fifth among NJAC rushing leaders.

As a team, Rowan ran the ball a season-high 52 times for 246 yards.

Buffalo State failed to convert a third down attempt (0-for-12) against Rowan’s stingy defense. At no point in the game did the Bengals offense reach the red zone.

the Profs have now scored in 17 straight quarters.

Rowan has scored 123 more points than its opponents this season.

Previewing Buffalo State

This Saturday, the Rowan Profs travel to Buffalo, NY to take on the Buffalo State Bengals. The Bengals are 0-6 this season and have lost an NJAC-high 12 straight contests. The Profs are 5-1 this year hold a 12-1 lead in the all-time series.

Still, Buffalo State cannot be taken lightly. Last season in Glassboro, the Bengals scored 27 points in a 48-27 loss. This year, despite being winless, the Bengals have kept each game tight, with their biggest loss coming by just 21 points. The Bengals feature a strong running game, so the Profs front three will need to continue to clog up the running lanes and force the quarterback to go to the air. The Bengals have relied on three signal callers this season, none of which have been very efficient.

Profs head coach Jay Accorsi called last week’s game against Morrisville State the best by his secondary all season. Rowan’s defensive backs have been improving each week and face perhaps their biggest challenge all season as they attempt to contain Greg Meyer and Joe Russell, who each have well over 300 yards receiving.

Prediction: 45-17 Rowan (with at least 10 of those Buffalo State points coming with Rowan’s starting defense resting on the sideline). Buffalo State’s return game has been brutal while Rowan’s has been one of the best in the NJAC. The Bengals will be unable to win the field position battle against the Profs and the defense will go to town much like it did last weekend against Morrisville.

Profs pound Morrisville 58-14 on homecoming

Frank Wilczynski rushed for a a touchdown and threw a pair, but it was the defense that stole the spotlight in Rowan’s 58-14 homecoming victory over Morrisville State in front of a packed John Page Field this past Saturday afternoon.

Rowan’s experience was apparent as the Profs recorded seven sacks and held the youthful Mustangs offense to just 125 total yards. Sophomore defensive end Matt Hoffman paced the Profs, recording eight tackles (including four for a loss) while forcing a fumble and contributing six sacks. Rowan also intercepted Morrisville’s freshman quarterback duo of Kris Childs and Michael Sollo five times.

Previewing Morrisville State

Rowan host the winless Morrisville State Mustangs this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the annual homecoming game at John Page Field. Morrisville has struggled in its first year in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, compiling an 0-5 record thus far.

The Mustangs are without Billy Poling, their starting quarterback and Waretown native, who was injured on September 27th against TCNJ. Since then, coach Terry Dow has used a pair of freshman signal callers, with Kris Childs getting the nod for the second straight week this Saturday.

The Profs will win if…

1. they score early. Rowan’s offense has been prolific this season, scoring 20 points in each contest. Morrisville has scored 20 points just twice, and in each instance, the Mustangs defense allowed over 40 points. Combine that with the fact that the Mustangs are one of the youngest teams in the nation (seven seniors, five juniors, 55 freshmen) and the Profs should have no trouble taking Morrisville out of the contest early.

2. Frank Wilczynski continues to be Frank Wilczynski. The junior is 28 yards shy of breaking Larry Lewis’s single-season quarterback rushing record, but last week Wilczynski only needed to carry seven times as Rowan’s young offensive line has been improving each week. Wilczynski has 13 touchdowns versus two interceptions and coach Jay Accorsi has been impressed with how quickly the transfer has picked up the offense and how well he sees the field.

3. If the offense continues to spread the ball around. Each of the past three weeks, Rowan has had at least eight different receivers haul in passes (resulting in a trio of victories). In the Profs’ lone loss this season (week two against Cortland) only five receivers touched the football.

The Mustangs will win if…

1. Their defense finds a way to slow the Rowan offense. Nobody has been able to so far, but Morrisville’s best chance for victory this season came in week two, when the Mustangs fell to Montclair State by a score of 12-7.

Prediction: The Profs will walk away with a homecoming win, 41-6, in their first-ever meeting against the Mustangs.

Halfway through the season…

Unlikely names pacing Profs’ season of redemption

Previewing Western Connecticut

When the Profs host Western Connecticut (2-2 overall, 2-1 in the NJAC) this Saturday at 1 p.m. at John Page Field, Rowan’s primary focus will be on shutting down the Colonials powerful offense. West Conn junior quarterback James Williams leads the New Jersey Athletic Conference with 273 passing yards per game and possesses five targets with over 90 yards receiving. Rowan’s pass defense has been second worst in the NJAC this season (in front of only Cortland). However, the Profs have been tremendous against the run, holding opponents to 73.5 rushing yards per game. Colonials tailback Wayne Neal has struggled in his sophomore campaign, averaging just 2.5 yards per carry a season after being named the NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Year.

A win against West Conn will serve as a springboard for the Profs to pick up momentum for the stretch run. Rowan’s next two opponents, Morrisville State and Buffalo State, are a combined 0-8 this season. Rowan’s final three games of the regular season are against Kean, Montclair State, and TCNJ – three of the top five teams in the conference – making Saturday’s game against the Colonials a must-win for the Profs.

Wilczynski rushes to record in 37-20 win over Brockport

Junior Frank Wilczynski rushed for 133 yards, setting a Rowan single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback, while tossing four touchdowns as the Profs rolled over the College at Brockport Golden Eagles 37-20 in Saturday’s NJAC game in upstate New York. Wilczynski’s performance nearly doubled the previous record of 77 yards, set by Larry Lewis in a 1985 game against Newport News.

In front of 3,000 fans at the largest D-III venue in the country, the Profs spoiled Brockport’s homecoming on a cool, windy afternoon at Bob Boozer Field. Rowan recorded the game’s first four scores to build a 24-0 lead behind Wilczynski, who completed 22 of 35 passes for 296 yards, including touchdown strikes to Marcus Lee (13 yards), Derek Piccini (21 yards), and a pair to Davon Edwards (18 and 24 yards). Wilczynski was named the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week following the victory, which helped the Profs improve to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in conference. The University of Delaware transfer has thrown ten touchdowns versus two interceptions this season.

Superback Ryan Leafey, fresh off a two-game suspension, was the team’s leading receiver with seven catches out of the backfield for 77 yards. Rowan’s kicking game was steady for the first time all season as freshman Mark Getsinger was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts (19, 22, and 28 yards). Defensive end Kyle Kane paced the Profs with seven tackles, adding one tackle for a loss, a sack, and a forced fumble which helped him to an NJAC Defensive Player of the Week selection.

Brockport senior halfback Garet Lynch was held in check by the Rowan defense, rushing for just 48 yards on 18 carries after entering the day averaging 142 yards per game. Golden Eagles outside linebacker Nick Duchscherer led all tacklers with 13 stops in the losing effort.

The Profs are home this Saturday against Western Connecticut. Kickoff at John Page Field is slated for 1p.m.

Previewing Brockport

On Saturday, Rowan travels to upstate New York to take on The College at Brockport. The Golden Eagles enter the game with a 1-2 record, including a 1-1 mark in the NJAC. Brockport is ninth in the ten-team conference in total offense. However, the Golden Eagles offense is third in scoring and sports a power rushing attack and an experienced offensive line that may present a matchup problem for Rowan. Senior tailback Garet Lynch is second in the league in rushing with 426 yards in three games. Senior quarterback Zack Luke needs to step up and make better decision as he has thrown six interceptions and just three touchdowns.