Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey football team is back in action this Friday night as they open New Jersey Athletic Conference play at Kean University.
 
The Lions (0-1) are coming off their bye week and will take on a Cougars in Union, NJ. Kean (1-1) captured its first win of the season last Saturday, defeating Bridgewater State University, 15-14. The Cougars dropped their season opener to NJAC opponent Christopher Newport University, 26-7.
 
TCNJ suffered a season-opening defeat to third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The silver lining in that loss was their improved defensive play in the second half. They held the Warhawks' explosive offense to a field goal and a touchdown following the intermission. (Whitewater piled up 673 yards of total offense in a 59-13 win over Belhaven this past Saturday.)
 
The Lions will look to get their offense on track against the Cougars. The quarterback duo of Michael Marchesano and Trevor Osler completed 16 passes last week against the Wisconsin defense. They will look to do more damage to the Kean secondary. Senior Jeff Mattonelli (six receptions) and junior Chase Vena (four receptions) had solid games in the opener and will be dependable targets for the passer. Running backs Khani Glover, Chad Scott, and Matthew Popek will look for holes created by senior Hank Harvey and company to jumpstart the ground game.
 
On the defensive side, TCNJ came up with some big plays against the Warhawks. Senior Abdelrahman Ragab nearly collected a safety when he wrapped up the Wisconsin play-caller for a sack on their one-yard line. Troy Domenick and Anthony Gambone were also credited with sacks in the game. Rookie Erik Graham had a memorable collegiate debut, recording a pair of tackles and a fumble recovery. Jesse Streb (eight tackles), Erik Wehner (seven tackles), and Max Busca (seven tackles) all had busy days on the grid iron
 
The Cougar offense is averaging just 11 points per game through their first two contests. Most of their yardage has been gained on the ground. The running game is led by back Brian Matthews. He has rushed for 171 yards on 47 carries through two games. Quarterback Charles App is also a threat to run with 22 carries.
 
Kean have averaged just 96.5 yards per game through the air, but has produced a pair of passing touchdowns. App connected with Ben Guarino and D'Wan McCrary on TD passes. The kicking game has been efficient as Aryeh Moslavi converted both extra point attempts and is a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals (28 and 24 yards) this season.
 
The defense has been solid for Kean, surrendering 20 points even per contest. Nick Sacks has already registered three sacks for a loss of 22 yards and the secondary has picked off three passes. Robert Meade, David Coleman, and Austin Davis each have an interception with Davis leading the team with six passes defended. Darin Hungerford has made two big plays on defense, recovering a fumble that he returned for 43 yards and also recording a safety that turned out to be the difference maker in their one-point triumph over Bridgewater State.
 
Series History: TCNJ holds a 31-11-2 advantage in the series history with these two programs. Kean notched a 23-6 victory last season in Lions Stadium. The Cougars built up a 23-0 lead before TCNJ quarterback Trevor Osler connected with Connor Mulholland for a 63-touchdown pass. The Lions handed Kean a loss in 2014 on a rainy Saturday in November. Osler and Mulholland also hooked up in that contest with a 23-yard scoring strike.
 
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. The game can be followed on live stats and also live video stream.