ALLENTOWN, Pa. – In the 2019 season opener, The College of New Jersey football team battled, but was ultimately defeated by No. 8 Muhlenberg 45-26.

The Mules jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. On a third and one for the Lions, Dave Jachera picked up a first down with a three yard rush. Jachera would gain another first down a few plays later, as quarterback Andrew Donoghue completed an 18 yard pass to Jachera right before the first quarter expired.

Donoghue connected with Jaiden Elliott for an 11 yard hookup to get to the Muhlenberg 20. A roughing the passer penalty against Donoghue on that play pushed the ball to the 10 yard line. The Lions went for it on fourth and goal from the four yard line. Donoghue found Vinny Guckin right on the goal line for the first touchdown of the season.  

On the ensuing Muhlenberg possession, the Lions forced a turnover to get the ball right back. Erik Graham pounced on a fumble from Mike Hnatkowsky to set the Lions up. Muhlenberg would force a turnover as well, as Joseph O'Hagan picked off Donoghue in the end zone.

On the next drive, Donoghue connected with Elliott for a 35 yard pickup. The Mules' defense did not allow any more, and TCNJ was forced to punt. Muhlenberg took a 35-7 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Lions battled and did not let Muhlenberg go easily into the night. Just over seven minutes into the third quarter, Jeff Konzelman forced a fumble on a tackle for loss. Konzleman blew up the rush, and Graham picked up his second recovery of the day.

The Lions were set up with prime field position at the 15 yard line. Jachera ran for a first down on a third and three. From three yards out, Donoghue connected with Jack Clevenger for a TCNJ touchdown to make it 42-13.

In the fourth quarter, the Donoghue to Clevenger connection came up again for a 37 yard gain to get to the Muhlenberg 40. Jachera then completed a pass to Donoghue who got all the way down to the one yard line. Jachera punched it in from one yard out, and the extra point from Bobby Wortman made it 45-20.

On the next Mule drive, TCNJ defensive lineman Chris McCormack picked up his first collegiate sack. He took down the Muhlenberg quarterback at the 42 yard line to force the punt and get the ball back to the Lions.

The final score of the day came from the Donoghue-Clevenger combination. They connected for a long, 76 yard touchdown pass with 6:14 remaining.  

Donoghue went 19-39 passing with 271 yards and the three touchdowns. Clevenger picked up three receptions for 116 yards and a pair of scores. Elliott caught six passes for 70 yards, while Jachera hauled in two for 26 yards. Guckin made four catches for 18 yards including the score.

On the defensive side of the ball, Michael Siwak led TCNJ with eight tackles on the afternoon. Bryant Sanchez and Xavier Santos each came up with six stops, while Luke Young and Nick Celli both tallied five. Konzleman made four tackles, with two going for loss and one being a sack including the forced fumble.

TCNJ punter Zach Warcola averaged a solid 51.4 yards per punt, and had four that traveled over 50 yards.

Next up for TCNJ is the home opener against SUNY Cortland on Sept. 14. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. in Lions Stadium.