Timely plays fuel TCNJ’s first win of season
Not sure if it was wind sweeping around the area on Sunday morning or just a collective sigh of relief from The College of New Jersey campus.
Finally, after six tough and at times frustrating losses, the Lions (1-6, 1-5 NJAC) snapped the losing skid with a 13-8 win over Kean on Saturday afternoon.
“It was huge to get over the hump and get one,’’ said second-year coach Casey Goff. “We needed this and this team needs to feel what it’s like to win.’’
The Lions took it right down to the last minute, though, before they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
A key sack by Erik Graham late in the game forced a Kean (16, 1-5 NJAC) punt from their 14-yard line. The Lions took possession at the Kean 41 with 2:13 left in the game and trailing 8-7.
Converting first downs, which has plagued the Lions are season, was no problem for sophomore quarterback Andrew Donoghue, who came in relief of starter Dave Jachera.
Donoghue was 3-for-4 on the drive, and the last 12 yards came on a pass to Vinny Guckin for the game winner with 57 seconds left in the final period.
“I know this sounds corny and cliché, but we are starting to believe we can win,’’ said Goff. “We are finally consistently dealing with an overcoming adversity and we are doing it calmly. We aren’t panicking.’’ A few of the reasons for the newfound poise have been the steady play of the defense the last two games, the slow yet effective maturity process of many of the freshmen that get plenty of playing time and a senior class that wants to remember how strong they finished their careers.
For the first time all season, the Lions will be home for the next two games as William Paterson (0-7, 0-6 NJAC) and Christopher Newport (4-2, 3-2 NJAC) visit TCNJ. The William Paterson game set for 2 p.m. is also Homecoming.
“It definitely will be nice to be back in the Den,’’ Goff said of playing in Lions Stadium. “
The Lions had another player receive conference honors as Zach Warcola, who is second in the nation with a 43.9 yards per punt average, was named the NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Warcola had a 44.9 average on 11 punts, including two inside the Kean 20-yard line and three punts were over 50 yards. One of those was a 73-yard rocket that equaled the longest punt in the conference this season.
While Warcola did his part and the defense stood tall, too.
It limited the Cougars to -4 yards rushing, Kean was 2-for-16 on third down and TCNJ recorded five sacks.
“Our defense as a whole has really come together,’’ Goff said. “They are playing at a high level and playing with a lot of confidence in one another. We have been able to rotate guys and not skip a beat, keeping us fresh for four (quarters). We have taken strides in the secondary now that we have some stability. We’ve finally had the same group together for multiple weeks and that’s showing.’’
It’s a performance up and down the field the Lions have been waiting on for seven weeks.