EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ football team came up just short in its regular-season finale as visiting Kean scored two touchdowns in just over a minute in the third quarter and held on for a 17-10 NJAC victory on the wet and windswept turf at Lions Stadium.
Malin Jasinski rushed for 120 yards and threw for 155 more in his second career start for the Lions (3-6, 2-4), who were done in by a pair of costly second-half miscues. TCNJ outgained the Cougars by nearly 200 yards (325-149) and held the visitors to a miniscule 0.4 yards per rush.
Before the game, the Lions honored their 24-man senior class for their dedication and commitment to the program.
The Lions' defense found itself in a precarious position after a short punt into the wind gave Kean the ball at the plus-35. Consecutive tackles for loss by TCNJ and a dropped screen pass set up a 4
th-and-17, and Kean kicker George Chrissafis used a favorable gust to bang a 50-yard field goal through the uprights to get the scoring started.
TCNJ get on the board in large part due to supreme defensive field position as Joe Aliano placed a high-arcing punt perfectly in the coffin corner, getting a friendly bounce that senior AJ Tolmachewich corralled at the 5-yard line. The defense enacted a quick three-and-out capped by a Tyler Rummel tackle for loss, and the hosts started in plus territory at the 41 after a short punt into the wind.
On 3
rd-and-10 on the ensuing possession, Jasinski fired a bullet to T.J. Sheehan for a gain of 21 and a huge first down, then lofted a beautifully thrown ball to Thomas Burke as the big tight end leaped to haul in the reception at the 1. Moving quickly, the Lions snapped it and Jayson Schmidt easily plunged in for his fourth rushing TD of the season to give TCNJ a 7-3 lead at the 5:22 mark of the second.
Playing mostly with backup Anthony Cecere, Kean managed a paltry negative-6 yards of offense in the first half, mostly due to the two busted snaps. The Cougars completed just two passes in the first two quarters for a measly two yards.
The defense forced another punt to start the third, and Jasinski showed off his wheels on a read-option with a 36-yard sprint down the left sideline and into Kean territory. Schmidt somehow managed to keep his feet and turn a short gain into a 14-yard carry on 2
nd-and-18, giving the Lions a chance to go for it on fourth down following an incompletion. Jasinski once again did it himself, sneaking through the middle and shaking off a shoestring tackle for a gain of seven yards and a first down. Camped inside the red zone, TCNJ failed to take advantage as Schmidt had the ball poked out of his hands and the Cougars recovered.
Kean took the lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Devaney to Jason Carlock at the front left corner of the end zone to make it 10-7 at the 7:47 mark.
Bad went to worse on the very next play, when Jasinski was unable to handle the snap. Gabe Robles was first to the turf and fell on the ball at the Lions' 18, putting Kean in prime position to extend its lead. The Cougars did just that barely a minute later on a carbon-copy pass from Devaney to Carlock, who high-pointed the ball for an 18-yard touchdown catch to make it 17-7.
Needing an answer desperately, TCNJ found a rhythm on the next possession, converting three third downs and a fourth during a 16-play, 67-yard march that culminated in a 40-yard field goal by Bobby Wortman. Jasinski started it with his legs, sprinting through a seam for a 23-yard gain on third down. Facing a 3
rd-and-15 after a false start, Jasinski fired a seed to Burke over the middle for a massive first-down completion. Another fourth-down pickup, the Lions' third of the day, on a carry by Schmidt extended the drive further before Wortman narrowly snuck his second field-goal attempt of the night over the crossbar to cut the Kean lead to 17-10 with 2:24 to play in the third.
After another three-and-out thanks to a sack by Mark Pierro and Ryan McGuire, TCNJ started its next possession just shy of midfield. The Lions got some luck on the last play of the period as a tipped pass landed right in the hands of Burke for a 21-yard gain and a first down to the Cougars' 32.
The Lions thought they had tied the game on a 27-yard touchdown from Jasinski to Burke, but a holding penalty negated the score and made it 3
rd-and-15. After a short gain, Jasinski nearly picked up a first down to Jake McKown at the sticks, but the wideout was unable to secure the catch and Kean got the ball back with 13:21 to go.
Kean had two chances to put the game away, but missed a field goal and failed to convert a short third down as Rummel shot through the A-gap for a massive sack with 3:00 to play.
The Lions gained 22 yards on a tunnel screen to Schmidt and another 10 on a keeper by Jasinski to go into Kean territory. Jasinski found Burke over the middle to the Cougar 33 on another third-down conversion. A sack and an incompletion made it 4
th-and-20, and Jasinski's last-ditch heave for Kevin Pennell down the right side was intercepted.
Burke finished with five catches for 77 yards, and Schmidt matched him with five receptions to go with 46 yards and the rushing score.
Seniors Nick Celli and Tardogno matched Pierro with seven tackles, with Patrick Frawley adding six and McGuire and Groschel five each.
