Union, NJ – In its first conference matchup of the season, the Montclair State University football team (2-2, 1-0 NJAC) won a shootout on the road against NJAC foe Kean University (1-3, 0-1 NJAC), 38-28, on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Kean started the game with the ball and struck quickly, taking a 7-0 lead after a 51-yard run on the third play of the drive went the distance for the opening score.
• Montclair went three-and-out on its first possession and punted to the Cougar 35-yard line. Kean capitalized with a 14-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 16-yard touchdown reception, extending the lead to 14-0.
• After both teams exchanged punts, Montclair began its next drive at its own 29-yard line. Using the ground game to establish momentum—highlighted by a 16-yard scramble from quarterback
LUKE HENRICH—the Red Hawks marched 13 plays downfield.
DIANTE WILSON finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7 early in the second quarter.
• On the ensuing kickoff, Kean fumbled, and Montclair recovered at the Cougar 30-yard line.
SAMAAD HICKS sparked the drive with a 19-yard run to the 11-yard line, and Wilson punched it in from one yard out to tie the game at 14-14.
• The Red Hawks then forced a three-and-out and took over at their own 20. On the first play, Henrich connected with
TJ KACHALA for a 69-yard catch and run to the Kean 6-yard line. After a short run by
CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD, Henrich scored on a six-yard keeper to give Montclair its first lead, 21-14.
• Kean looked poised to respond, but a holding penalty on 3rd-and-4 from the MSU 41 stalled the drive. Later, Montclair's offense was moving into Kean territory before a miscue led to a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown, tying the game at 21-21 heading into halftime.
• Montclair opened the second half with possession and put together another impressive drive. A 15-yard run by Arnold and a 16-yard catch-and-run by Wilson moved the chains before a holding call backed them up. On the next play, Henrich found Kachala over the middle for a 31-yard touchdown, putting Montclair back in front, 28-21.
• Kean's next drive reached Montclair territory, but on 3rd-and-6,
SHAUN SMITH II broke up a pass to end the series.
• Early in the fourth quarter, Kean faced 4th-and-2 from the Montclair 21 and went for it, but
BRYAN ALVAREZ and
JOSE TEJEIRO stuffed the run to force a turnover on downs.
• After both teams traded punts, Montclair started at midfield with 9:14 remaining. Kachala came up big again, taking a screen pass 49 yards to the one-yard line, where Wilson powered in his third touchdown of the day to make it 35-21.
• Kean refused to go away, responding with a six-play, 70-yard drive capped by a two-yard rushing score to cut the lead to 35-28.
• On Montclair's next possession, Wilson sealed the victory with runs of 10, 36, and 14 yards, setting up a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 38-28. On the ensuing kickoff,
JAIDEN HERNANDEZ forced a fumble that
BI'SHAY SANDERS recovered, securing the Red Hawks' road victory.
INSIDE THE RESULTS
•
TJ KACHALA was a big-play machine, finishing with seven receptions for 192 yards and a touchdown. His 192-yard outing ranks as the fourth-highest single-game total in program history.
• The Red Hawks' offense totaled 471 yards, marking the sixth-best single-game performance in school history.
• Defensively,
UMAR DAVIS led the way with 11 tackles, including a team-high five solo stops and one tackle for loss.
FROM THE FIELD
• "Really proud of the guys for fighting back into this game. When we get into rhythm, we can be very good. Just need to be more consistent. Looking forward to next week's Breakfast Bowl." – Head Coach Mike Palazzo
UP NEXT
• Montclair State University hosts the second annual Breakfast Bowl against Rowan on Saturday, October 11, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.