Box score

Ewing, NJ ….. Quarterback James Donoghue (Shamong, NJ/Seneca) tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Brian Mills (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) with 52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter for the game's only score as The College of New Jersey shutout visiting Kean University 7-0 on Saturday at Lions' Stadium.

The win was TCNJ's fourth straight as they improved to 5-4 on the season and 5-3 in New Jersey Athletic Conference play, while the Cougars saw their three-game winning streak come to an end as they dropped to 5-4.

The Lions got the winning score after the Cougars punted the ball away on a short fourth-and-two, giving the hosts possession at their own 22. Donoghue kept the drive alive on third down with a scramble to the near sideline, but the Cougars were flagged for a late hit out of bounds putting TCNJ into Kean territory.

With the Lions facing a third-and-11 at the Kean 26, the Lions appeared content to take a shot a field goal, but Donoghue and the Lions had other ideas. The junior quarterback lofted a strike to the far corner of the end zone where Mills made a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch for his second touchdown of the season. Tyler Olsson (Kendall Park, NJ/South Brunswick) then booted the point after for a 7-0 lead.

The final minute saw a couple change of possessions as TCNJ's Michael Lambert (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) intercepted a Thomas D'Ambrisi (Eatontown, NJ/Monmouth Regional) pass. The Cougars, however, got the ball back for one final play after the Lions turned the ball over on downs, but TCNJ's defense held keeping their win streak alive. 

The shutout was also TCNJ's first since the 2007 season when they blanked SUNY Cortland, 30-0.

The Lions had two good chances to get on the board in the opening half driving the ball inside the Kean 20-yard line. The first drive stalled when Andre Dozier (Newark, NJ/Weequahic) intercepted pass at the Kean 3 yard-line in the opening quarter, while the Cougars then halted the Lions with a goal-line stand in the second quarter.

TCNJ had another chance to break the scoreless tie as Kean's James-Edwards Boyd (Highland Park, NJ/Highland Park) got a piece of a 45-yard field goal attempt by Olsson in the closing moments of the opening half.

The Cougars also tried a pair of long field-attempts in the second half, but Billy Daniels (Ridgefield, NJ/Ridgefield Memorial) saw his attempts from 51 and 47 yards come up short.

Donoghue had a steady game for the Lions as he was 10-for-17 through the air for 122 yards and churned out 57 yards on the ground carrying the ball 12 times.

Running back Joe Gwaltney (Wyandanch, NY/North Babylon) inched his way closer to Kean's single-season rushing record finishing with 93 yards on 19 carries. Those yards raised his season total to 1,385, leaving him 21 yards shy of the program record.

TCNJ's defense was led by the tandem of Shawn Brown (Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch) and Greg Burns (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) as each player finished with eight tackles, 

For the Cougars, Jerelle Peay (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) had a big game as the freshman had a game-high 11 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss.

TCNJ wraps up the regular season at home next weekend hosting rival Rowan University in a noon start, while the Cougars head to Wesley College for their lone non-conference game of the season.