Montclair, NJ – Junior defensive lineman Dimitri Pali recorded three sacks and the Montclair State defense limited Rowan to just 154 total yards as the Red Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 20-7 victory over Rowan at Sprague Field on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Ja'Quill Burch threw for two touchdowns and the Red Hawks (2-6, 1-3 NJAC) ran for 206 yards as it won for the first time since September 25 in addition to picking up its first NJAC win of the season. MSU also improved to 36-24 all-time against the Profs with their fifth consecutive win against the Profs (1-6, 1-3 NJAC).
Montclair put together several long drives throughout the game and chewed up nearly 41 minutes of time of possession running 71 plays to only 41 for Rowan. Mike Ramos and Zahir Wilder each registered an interception while Burch was efficient going 16-of-21 for 180 yards.
One of those long drives by MSU produced the game's first points as the Red Hawks drove 95 yards on 15 plays bridging the first and second quarter. Abellany Mendez ran for 10 yards on the first play and Burch hit Eric Cowan for six yards on third down to keep the drive alive. Burch ran for 16 yards out to the MSU 44 and three plays later connected with Cowan again for 12 yards down to the Rowan 32. Montclair would get to the Rowan 17 but a penalty plus a loss pushed the ball back out to the 30-yard line. After an incomplete pass, Burch found Jamie Hamilton for the touchdown capping off the 8:33 possession for a 7-0 Montclair State lead to h 8:26 to play in the second quarter.
The Red Hawks carried that seven-point lead into halftime and added to it in the third with an 11-play drive that took nearly seven minutes. Burch converted a third-down hitting Reilly Nelson for nine yards out to the MSU 47 and a catch-and-run by Dan Ramos moved the ball to the Rowan 36. A Burch-to-Cowan completion got the ball to the 22 before Burch found Nelson again for a 22-yard touchdown making the score 14-0 with 6:07 left.
Freshman kicker Andrew Myerson connected on a 28-yard field goal three plays into the fourth, extending the lead to 17-0. Rowan would get on the board with a long drive of its own as Mike Husni found Jajuan Hays for a five-yard touchdown trimming the deficit to 17-7 with 5:13 to go.
The defense would make the final two big plays for the Red Hawks. Ramos picked off a Husni pass and returned it to the Rowan 11 setting up Myerson's second 28-yard field goal of the contest. The Profs would take their last possession of the game down to the MSU 19 in the waning seconds, however, Wilder intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the victory.
Mendez finished with 82 yards on 21 carries while Makai Mickens and Ramos added 53 and 46 yards, respectively for MSU, which matched its season-high with 386 yards of total offense. Cowan had five receptions for 41 yards, while Nelson had four for 36.
Linebacker Dorian Gashi collected seven tackles and a sack with Brennan Ray and Michael Stefkovich each totaling six. Seamus Nelson, one of 15 seniors honored before the game, recorded four tackles along with a sack.
The Red Hawks are back in action next Saturday, November 6 with a short trip to Wayne, NJ to face William Paterson at 1:00 pm.