Montclair, NJ – In front of a raucous homecoming crowd and a game that came down to the wire, a last-minute field goal by Wilkes (2-2) pushed themselves past the Montclair State University (1-2), 24-21 on Saturday.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Wilkes came out with a bang with a 44-yard return and a 38-yard touchdown pass on the next drive that gave them a 7-0 lead right out of the gate.
• Montclair's first drive showed promise, highlighted by a 51-yard bomb from LUKE HENRICH to TJ KACHALA. They got down to the Wilkes four-yard line, but were unable to get across the goal line and turned it over on downs.
• Both teams exchanged punts, Wilkes forced another Montclair punt, where a bad snap and a recovery on it from the Colonials, got them excellent field position at the Montclair 18. Heading into the top of the second quarter, they got down to the goal line and punched it for a 14-0.
• Montclair had a drive going, but a fumble inside Wilkes' territory halted their best opportunity down the stretch. They held the Colonials off the scoreboard the rest of the half, and the game was 14-0 heading into the intermission.
• Montclair started with possession in the second half and got itself on the board on the second play of offense when CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD ripped off a 70-yard run for a touchdown and cut the lead to 14-7.
• After forcing a punt, Montclair established the ground game and put together a methodical 15-play, 78-yard drive that fell just short on a turnover on downs.
• The Red Hawks went into the fourth quarter with the ball and started it off with a bang when Henrich connected with Kachala on a 75-yard deep shot that tied the score at 14-14.
• Wilkes answered with a nine-play, 79-yard drive that was capped off with a nine-yard touchdown run and allowed them to take a 21-14 lead. Montclair answered back with a nice drive that was highlighted by a 29-yard run from DIANTE WILSON that tacked on an extra 10 yards with a horse-collar tackle. He capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run that nodded the game back up 21-21.
• Each team forced the other team to punt, and Wilkes started a drive with 4:06 remaining left in the game. Wilkes burned the time all the way down to 39 seconds and got down to the Montclair eight-yard line, where they kicked the go-ahead field goal to take the 24-21 advantage.
• The Red Hawks fought the clock and the yardage and were unable to score and fell in their homecoming matchup.

 
INSIDE THE RESULTS

• The one-two punch of Arnold and Wilson was on display. Arnold led the way with 14 carries and 135 yards and a touchdown, while Wilson registered 16 carries and 101 yards and a touchdown.
• Kachala eclipsed 100 yards on just two catches with 132 yards.
• Defensively, ALEX BUCHWALD led the way with 12 tackles, a tackle for loss, and half a sack. RYAN VISALLI was close behind with 11 tackles and collected a pass breakup.

 
FROM THE FIELD

• "Second game in a row we made a strong push after half. Proud of the guys for fighting through adversity. Looking forward to getting the bad taste out of our mouths on Monday and focus on Kean." – Head Coach Mike Palazzo

 
UP NEXT

• Montclair State opens up NJAC play on Saturday, October 4, at 1:00 p.m. when they travel to take on Kean.