Ewing, NJ …..Two quick one-play drives and a time-consuming one in the fourth quarter proved to be the winning formula for The College of New Jersey football team as they sent a large homecoming crowd home happy as the Lions came away with a 23-20 win over rival Montclair State University on Saturday.
 
The win was the first of the season for TCNJ as they are 1-5 overall and 1-4 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, while the Red Hawks saw their three-game winning streak come to an end as they fell to 3-4 and 3-3 in league play.
 
The Lions got on the board first as kicker Brian Nagy (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) kicked a 25-yard field goal with 3:58 left in the second quarter.
 
Special teams gave the ball right back to the offense freshman Eddie Ashley (Trenton, NJ/Steinert) recovered a Red Hawk fumble on the ensuing kickoff.
 
On the next play, quarterback Trevor Osler (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) tossed a 27-yard touchdown to senior Nick Craig (Howell, NJ/Howell). TCNJ did get some luck on the play as Craig's catch came off of a deflection. That score came a mere 12 seconds after Nagy's field goal.
 
Montclair State came right back on the next drive when running back Denzel Nieves (South Orange, NJ/Columbia) scored a five-yard run and a successful point after made it a 10-7 lead for the Lions at the half.
 
The Red Hawks went ahead 13-10 midway through the third on a three-yard TD reception by senior Aaron Williams (West Orange, NJ/Jonathan Dayton), but that would be the last lead they would have.
 
One play after Jordan Rogers (Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch) intercepted a pass in Montclair territory later in the period, Osler again need only one play to get the Lions into the end zone with a 22-yard strike to senior Conor Mulholland (North Wall, NJ/Wall). That score gave the Lions a 17-13 lead.
 
In the fourth quarter, TCNJ put together an impressive 16-play drive that covered 85 yards and knocked 8:16 off of the clock that resulted in another touchdown. Craig again was in the right place at the right time as he collected a tipped pass from quarterback Michael Marchesano (New Providence, NJ/New Providence) that put the lead at 23-13.
 
Montclair needed less than a minute to get the score back when Julanee Prince (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney) corralled a 28-yard scoring pass that made it 23-20.
 
The Red Hawks did get the ball into TCNJ territory in the final seconds, but the Lion defense held its ground to protect the win.
 
Marchesano and Osler combined to throw for 254 yards and three touchdowns to pace TCNJ's offense.
 
Montclair sophomore Joshua Betts (Newark, NJ/Central) led all players with 12 tackles, including two that were for a loss.
 
The Lions are back on the road next weekend making the trip to William Paterson University, while the Red Hawks are home taking on fourth-ranked Wesley College.