Football | 10/2/2015 1:45:00 PM

Montclair, NJ - Homecoming Day is here for Montclair State and the Red Hawks are hoping the excitement of the afternoon will lead to a victory as MSU squares off against local rival William Paterson on Saturday.

Both teams come into the game following tough losses. Montclair State suffered its third straight defeat last Saturday falling at Rowan 13-7. Meanwhile, the Pioneers  were dealt a heart-breaking loss the previous evening as a 35-yard field on the final play handed William Paterson a 27-24 setback at Kean.

JOHN DISTEFANO rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown - a 24-yard burst in the third quarter that gave MSU a 7-3 lead before the Profs tallied the final 10 points. Defensively, senior BILL SHIMKO collected 11 tackles pushing him over the 200-tackle mark for his career. Shimko became the 23rd player in program history to reach that mark.

Freshman quarterback Malik McNeill, who would be named the NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Week, was 16-for-26 for 249 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and rushed 17 times for 45 yards. Junior MALCOLM ROBINSON caught four passes for 113 yards and a score, and added a 79-yard score on the ground. Senior linebacker Dennis Goodman had 11 tackles (six solo, 2.0 TFL) and a fumble recovery, while linebacker Jonathan Jackson collected 10 stops (five solo, 1.5 TFL).

This will be the 45th meeting between the two local rivals who are separated by nine miles. Montclair has dominated the series winning 41 of the 44 meetings with one tie mixed in. MSU has won the last 21 games including a 19-6 win in Wayne in 2014.