Football | 9/7/2017 1:34:00 PM

Montclair, NJ - Preseason camp is over and the Red Hawks tuned up for the 2017 season with scrimmages against Lackawanna College and Columbia. Now its time to kickoff the season for real as MSU heads to Rhode Island to face Salve Regina University in its opener on Saturday.

Montclair State is coming off a 4-6 campaign a year ago. The Red Hawks, picked to finish seventh in the NJAC Preseason Coaches Poll, return a host of veterans most notably on defense. Leading the way is senior defensive lineman Vin Cordsaco (Cedar Grove, NJ), who was named Second-Team All-NJAC. Senior linebacker Josh Betts (Newark, NJ) was an Honorable Mention selection while senior tackle KEVIN MERKLE (Nutley, NJ), another Honorable Mention pick, returns to anchor the offensive line.

The Seahawks already have a game under their belt and are coming off a high-scoring 35-28 victory over Worcester State in their opener last week. Sophomore Charlie Connell intercepted the first and last passes by Worcester State returning the first for a pick six, as the Seahawks posted their eighth consecutive season-opening win.

This is the fifth meeting between Montclair State and Salve Regina but the first since 2014. Montclair has won three of the previous four contests, including the last two by identical one-point margins. The Red Hawks won the most recent game, 7-6 in 2014. The previous year, MSU registered a 17-16 win at home.