Upper Montclair (11/02/02) — Freshman quarterback JOHN DIGIROLAMO (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills) threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns as Montclair State scored 40 unanswered points in defeating The College of New Jersey, 40-7, at Sprague Field on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore wide receiver JASPER HANKINS (Union, NJ/Union) hauled in eight catches for 150 yards andtied a school record with three touchdowns as the Red Hawks (4-4, 3-1 NJAC) defeated the Lions (4-3, 3-2 NJAC) for the fourth consecutive meeting. MSU has outscored TCNJ, 112-45 in those four wins. MSU leads the overall series, 43-25-2.

The Lions struck first in the contest as they took their first possession and marched 97 yards in 15 plays. Quarterback Bob Schurtz (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) connected on an 11-yard pass to Bryan Gallagher (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) on 3rd-and-10 to keep the drive alive. Tim Kosuda's (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) 16-yard run brought the Lions to the MSU 6 and Schurtz ran in from a yard out two plays later for a 7-0 TCNJ lead with 4:06 left in the first quarter.

However, Montclair struck back on their next possession as DiGirolamo connected with Hankins on a 77-yard catch-and-run to make the score, 7-6. But the Red Hawks were flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty on the TD and the ensuing 35-yard extra-point attempt was blocked.

Montclair State then took the lead in the second quarter as they moved 72 yards in six plays. DiGirolamo connected with ERIC MAGRINI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) on a 25-yard pass to put the ball at the TCNJ 31. Three plays later, the Red Hawks took the lead when DiGirolamo hit Hankins on a 14-yard pass for a 13-7 Montclair lead.

MSU made it a 13-point advantage just before halftime as DiGirolamo enginered a solid two-minute drive in the last 37 seconds left in the half. DiGriolamo connected with Magrini on passes for 18 and 21 yards, respectively to move the ball to the 11 before DiGirolamo hit Hankins on an 11-yard sideline rout for the score and a 20-7 lead at intermission.

Meanwhile the MSU defense stepped up limitng the Lions to just 71 yards the rest of the game and recording eight sacks in the game. Junior linebacker RAY MEYER (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights) had eight tackles and three sacks, while senior linebacker KEITH MIGLIORINO (Moonachie, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) had nine tackles, a sack and an forced fumble.

Magrini, who finished with 139 yards on five catches, had a 66-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter and JERMARL BUIE (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) added a four-yard run early in the fourth qaurter to make the score 34-7. Freshman Zack Earvin (South River, NJ/South River) capped off the MSU scoring with a 30-yard run with 11:20 to go.

DiGriolamo completed 15-of-25 passes as he compiled his second-straight 300-yard game. Buie had 77 yards while Earvin added 67 as MSU outgained TCNJ, 172-90. Schurtz was 7-of-12 for 78 yards. Montclair State outgained the Lions, 473-168.