EWING, N.J. – TCNJ put together large swaths of complementary football on Saturday, treating a large Homecoming crowd to a 30-13 victory over Gettysburg on a brisk afternoon at Lions Stadium.
Amir Vick snagged two interceptions,
Jacob Maurice added another in addition to a forced fumble, and the Lions' swarming defense extended its shutout streak to nearly seven quarters before the Bullets made a late push that wasn't nearly enough to prevent the home side from winning its second straight game.
Trevor Bopp (290 yards, 2 TDs),
Jayson Schmidt (103 rushing yards, 2 TDs), and
Ryan Gill (10 catches, 152 yards) kept the offense churning all day as the Lions (3-4) piled up 460 yards of total offense and 28 first downs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lions forced turnovers on Gettysburg's first two drives, first when Jacob Maurice stripped a Bullet receiver and Cole Groschel jumped on the loose ball, and again on the first of Vick's two first-half interceptions
- TCNJ was unable to capitalize on either, however, missing a field goal on its opening drive and coming up a yard short on a 4th-and-2 from the Gettysburg 28
- The defense came up big again late in the first quarter, shutting down third- and fourth-down snaps from the 17-yard line as the Bullets threatened to open the scoring
- Maurice's interception set the stage for the game's first points, giving the Lions the ball back at the Bullets' 34. Five plays later, Ryan Gill made a stunning leaping grab at the 1-yard line to pick up a 3rd-and-8, and Jayson Schmidt punched it in on the next play to give the home side a 7-0 lead at the 11:33 mark of the second
- Gettysburg marched down to the TCNJ 28 on its next possession, but Jack Young and Cole Groschel broke up back-to-back pass attempts to turn the orange and blue over on downs
- The Lions cashed in on the other end with a picture-perfect drive as Trevor Bopp connected on eight straight passes, the last a strike to Malin Jasinski for a 15-yard touchdown on third down with 2:11 on the first-half clock
- Gettysburg got deep into TCNJ territory again, but Dylan Patscher's third-down sack precipitated another interception by Vick
- Already leading 14-0, the Lions came roaring out of halftime with a 43-yard completion from Bopp to Gill, who went over 100 yards for the day with a huge catch-and-run. Bopp later capped the march with a 16-yard touchdown on a fade to Jasinski, who juggled the ball but came down with it just in bounds in the end zone for his second score of the day
- The Bullets finally broke the Lions' six-quarter-plus scoreless streak on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Rocco Abdinoor to Walle Harwigsson with 4:27 to go in the third
- The Bullets snapped the ball over the punter's head late in the third, giving TCNJ two points and a 23-7 lead on the safety. However, the Lions went three-and-out and Ryan McAndrew scored on a 49-yard touchdown reception on the very next play to trim the margin to 23-13 before Bill Westerby stuffed the 2-point conversion attempt
- Vick made a huge play early in the fourth, breaking up a fourth-down heave inside the Lions' red zone with the Bullets aiming to get within one score
- Bopp fumbled into the end zone in the fourth and Gettysburg recovered, giving the Bullets one last chance. They were only able to pick up one first down before punting, and TCNJ ran out all but the last 2 seconds with a nearly 7-minute drive, Schmidt putting the finishing touches on with a 25-yard burst to the end zone on fourth down.
FOR THE FOES
- Gettysburg had nearly 400 yards of offense but turned it over four times and was just 1-for-6 on fourth down
- Abdinoor threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 70
- McAndrew was the favorite target of Gettysburg's quarterback duo, racking up 140 yards and a score on seven catches
- Chris Singleton had nine tackles and a sack
FOR THE LIONS
- Bopp finished 24-for-39 for 290 yards and two touchdowns
- Gill matched his career high with 10 receptions for a career-high 152 yards
- Schmidt and Ryan McKinney (15-56) combined for 159 yards on 35 carries
- Jasinski finished with six catches for 70 yards and his first two touchdowns of the year
- Groschel racked up 11 tackles and Westerby had a career-high 8
- Matteo Ochoa had a strip-sack in the first half, but Gettysburg was able to recover the loose ball
NOTES
- Saturday marked the first meeting between TCNJ and Gettysburg
- Vick notched the first two interceptions of his career, and Maurice grabbed his third
- Several Lions neared major career milestones on Saturday: Bopp is 121 passing yards from 3,000, Schmidt is 42 rushing yards from 1,000, and Groschel is two tackles away from 200
UP NEXT
- The Lions head to Salisbury next Saturday for their final road game of the season
