Allentown, PA – The Montclair State University football team fell to Muhlenberg 21-0 in its 2024 season finale on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (3-7) fell behind early, as Muhlenberg struck on the opening drive for seven points on a 13-yard touchdown pass to cap off a seven-play, 42-yard drive spanning the opening three minutes of the contest. Montclair rattled off six plays on the ensuing drive, but the home side forced an interception to reclaim possession.
• Muhlenberg added to their lead with an eight-yard touchdown pass on the next drive after beginning at the Montclair 16 to make the score 14-0 with seven and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Red Hawks embarked on a long drive after the resulting kickoff, getting a big third down conversion early on from MASON MURDOCK on a nine yard rush on third and six. 
• The Red Hawks kept the drive going with an eight-yard completion to ANTHONY ROIGE from MICHAEL FITZPATRICK on a fake punt in the later stages of the quarter. As the drive spanned over to the second stanza, the Muhlenberg defense stood tall on fourth down, as a field goal attempt from the Red Hawks narrowly missed.
• The next six drives of the second quarter resulted in punts, with the final possession ended the half to make the halftime margin 14-0 in favor of the home side.
• Montclair crossed midfield on the opening drive of the third quarter, but a sack on fourth down from the Mules defense prevented the Red Hawks from going any further. Muhlenberg missed a 37-yard field goal attempt on their next possession, but generated an interception three plays later to reclaim the ball around the halfway mark of the frame.
• The Mules struck for a third time on the afternoon shortly after, capitalizing on a blocked punt that set them up just outside of the red zone. They aimed to increase their lead two minutes into the fourth, as they went on an 11-play, 52-yard drive spanning six minutes and 42 seconds, but the Montclair defense stood tall on fourth down on their own three, as NICHOLAS BURGESS came up with a key tackle.
• Montclair made two more attempts to get points on the board, but the Muhlenberg defense stood tall each time to seal the victory in the regular season finale for both sides.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Roige finished the day with six receptions, surpassing 100 for his career.
• Burgess led the way for Montclair defensively with 15 tackles for the afternoon. He finished his career with 314, placing fourth on the all-time list in program history.
• ARNOLD YOUNG added three tackles, including two for loss, along with a sack.

FROM THE FIELD

"Sometimes the wins don't always show up in the stat line. We graduated 40 seniors today. Largest class in program history. These guys gave the programs everything they had, I am going to miss each and every one of them." - Head Coach Mike Palazzo