WAYNE, N.J. – Jayson Schmidt scored three rushing touchdowns and the defense held William Paterson to just seven offensive points to power the TCNJ football team to a gritty 21-14 NJAC victory on Saturday.
 
With victory No. 6 on the season, the Lions (6-3, 3-2) are locked up their first winning season since 2011.
 
Schmidt picked up 92 yards on the day to go over 2,000 rushing yards for his career, becoming just the sixth player in program history to eclipse that milestone. The three touchdowns gave him 12 for the season, tying the school record established by Nate Woodard in 1978 and matched by Jon Hedgepath in 2003. 
 
Things got off to an inauspicious start for TCNJ, which went three-and-out on its opening drive and only went worse from there as William Paterson picked up an errant snap on the punt and took it 25 yards to the house for a 7-0 lead just over a minute after the opening kickoff.
 
TCNJ answered right back, with quarterback Trevor Bopp picking up a 3^rd-and-10 with his legs before hitting Patrick Obrey for a 32-yard gain down to the 13. Bopp rumbled another 12 yards down to the 1, and Schmidt punched it in from there for the tying score.
 
After forcing a quick WPU three-and-out, Bopp set up a second consecutive TD with a 36-yard completion to Thomas Burke. Bopp completed an 8-yard pass to Malin Jasinski on a 4^th-and-4, and Schmidt scored the second of his trifecta of touchdowns with a 4-yard plunge on the next play to put the visitors ahead to stay.
 
Amir Vick intercepted a pass in the end zone keep the Pioneers from pulling even, and the next WPU possession ended on downs as the Lions forced Mahsiah McRae out of bounds five yards shy of the sticks at the TCNJ 21. WPU got inside the red zone on its last trip of the half, but Jameson Sessa killed the promising drive with a 17-yard sack on fourth down to preserve the 14-7 lead at the break.
 
After a series of punts to open the second half, Bopp led the Lions on an 11-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to double their lead. He hit Jasinski for 17 yards on 3^rd-and-long, then for another 25 yards down to the WPU 17. Four plays later, Schmidt found the end zone again from 5 yards out to make it 21-7 with 2:25 left in the frame.
 
That was all the defense needed. With the Pioneers threatening to score on their next possession, Christian Bennett forced a fumble that was recovered by Dave Giulian at the Lions' 7, effectively ending the hosts' hopes. WPU turned it over on downs on a 4^th-and-goal from the TCNJ 8, with 4:46 to play, and a 69-yard TD pass with 41 seconds remaining proved moot as Ryan Mendes secured the onside kick.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• WPU outgained the Lions, 374-323, but TCNJ held the hosts to 2-of-13 on third down and turned them over on downs three times
• McCrae finished 18-of-24 for 174 yards and a touchdown, adding 53 rushing yards to rank second on the team behind Isaac Cherry (15 rush, 82 yards)
• Bopp was 13-for-29 for 231 yards, completing a 20-plus yard pass to five different receivers
• Burke led the pass catchers in receptions (5) and yards (77)
• Jasinski, the national leader in receiving yards per game, finished with four receptions for 61 yards
• Giulian anchored the defense with a game-high 14 tackles (3.0 for loss) and the fumble recovery
• Dylan Patscher had 1.5 tackles for loss, while Jack Young had one TFL among his eight total stops
• Dominick Nocero also had a forced fumble for the Lions

NOTES

• Schmidt moved into fourth in program history with 22 career rushing touchdowns; he has eight in the last three games alone
• Jasinski joined John Aromando '85 as the only players in TCNJ history with 150 career receptions; the fifth-year now has 152, 13 shy of Aromando's record, and needs 141 yards in the season finale to become the third Lion to surpass 2,000 receiving yards
• Giulian posted his fourth game with double-digit tackles and is 11 shy of logging the 12^th season in school history with at least 100 stops
• Vick has an interception in two straight games and six for his career
• Sessa went over 10 sacks for his career

UP NEXT

• TCNJ wraps up the season next Friday night at Christopher Newport