Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University football team (5-2, 3-1 NJAC) went on the road on Saturday afternoon and earned its first ranked win since 2018, stunning #20/#23 Salisbury (5-2, 2-2 NJAC), 24-14.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Salisbury won the toss and elected to receive. They made their impact felt right away as they took a seven-play, 78-yard drive down the field and scored on a 14-yard rush to take a 7-0 lead.
- Chunk plays of 13 yards to TJ KACHALA and 12 yards to DIANTE WILSON got the ball to midfield, but the Red Hawks' first drive stalled out. The Seagulls responded with another scoring drive of 10 plays and 74 yards that ended with a 25-yard touchdown run that put Salisbury up 14-0.
- Both teams' defenses forced each other to punt, and the Red Hawks received the ball again at their own 28 with 10:47 left in the half. LUKE HENRICH found ANTHONY ROIGE for a 16-yard gain to set the tone of the drive. Montclair eventually worked its way down to the goal line, where Wilson punched it in from a yard out to cut the lead to 14-7.
- The Seagulls looked to retake the lead on the next drive. Facing a third and 10, they took a long-ball shot, but SHAUN SMITH II broke the pass up and forced another punt. With 1:02 left in the half, Montclair was able to drive down to the SU 31. BRENDAN MCGONIGLE booted a 48-yard field goal that narrowed the deficit to 14-10 at halftime.
- The third quarter started with a pair of punts, with Montclair starting its next drive with 10:50 on the clock at the MSU 28. On second and nine, Henrich took a shot and completed a 49-yard-deep ball to TJ KACHALA to the four-yard line of Salisbury. Henrich called his own number on the next play and scored to push Montclair ahead, 17-14.
- Salisbury toted the rock on the next drive and pushed the ball into Red Hawk territory. Montclair's defense tightened up and forced a fourth-and-two from the MSU 21. TOM CADER tracked down the Salisbury quarterback on the keeper and forced the turnover on downs.
- Montclair put together a statement drive following the turnover on downs. 12 plays and 81 yards led to a score, this time from BERNIE TINORD, who weaved through the Gulls' defense for a 20-yard score and pushed the lead to 24-14.
- With 11:18 remaining in the game, Salisbury struggled to put together a score to put the lead back to one possession. They were forced to punt on their next drive and on the following drive, through a ball right into the arms of JAMEIL CHALMERS, who corralled the interception.
- A fumble in Salisbury territory gave the Seagulls hope, but Montclair's defense held strong and kept them off the scoreboard the rest of the way for the huge road win.
INSIDE THE RESULTS
- Montclair won its first ranked game since 2018, when they defeated #20 Wesley, 10-9 on October 27. The Red Hawks also defeated Salisbury for the first time since they joined the NJAC and for the first time since 2006.
- Henrich had his most effective outing of the season, completing 16-of-20 passes for 154 yards. His 80% ranks as the third-best in a single game in program history. It ranks just above his outing of 78.9 he had against TCNJ last season.
- Wilson led the ground effort with 81 yards and 25 carries and a score. Tinord provided a nice change of pace with five carries for 34 yards, which is 6.8 per carry in the contest. He is currently averaging six yards per carry in his career.
- The Red Hawk defense held the Seagulls to their lowest passing total (67 yards), total offense (295), and lowest points of the season. JAHMIR BEAL led that effort with eight total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.
FROM THE FIELD
- "Really proud of this team. First ranked win since 2018. It was a tough loss last week against a team we felt we could have beaten, and we refocused and battled back. We are going to enjoy this one tonight and get back to work tomorrow." Head Coach Mike Palazzo
UP NEXT
- Montclair remains on the road and will travel to The College of New Jersey on Saturday, October 31. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
