EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ football team's offense took a while to get untracked in Saturday's home opener against Wilkes. Thanks to a dominant defense, it was much better late than never.
Jordan Morrell rushed for a career-high 126 yards and a touchdown as the Lions (2-0) pulled away in the closing stages for a 17-3 victory on a sunny afternoon in Ewing, part of an attack that wore down Wilkes to the tune of 262 yards on the ground to remain unbeaten in the early part of the season. It was all made possible by a relentless defensive effort that had the Colonels stuck in mud from the get-go.
Dave Giulian,
Justin Kurc, and
Jack Young all had interceptions for TCNJ, which held Wilkes without a first down until less than five minutes remained in the third quarter and limited the visitors to a measly 127 yards – more than half of which in the fourth quarter in catch-up mode.
The first half was a slog, every drive between the teams resulting in a punt other than Young's interception of a deep ball early in the second quarter. Wilkes had 16 yards of offense in the first half, and the Lions weren't much better with only 87.
It looked like more of the same was in store when the Lions went three-and-out on the opening possession of the third quarter, but one long drive turned the tide. After the Colonels (1-1) advanced just four yards despite taking over in TCNJ territory, the hosts marched 85 yards over the next 11 plays, a lengthy march given new life by a pass interference call on a third-down incompletion.
Alex Dille ran for 31 yards on the drive, picking up a key 4
th-and-1 on a rush to the right that included a face mask on Wilkes. On 3
rd-and-3 from the Colonels' 15, quarterback
Dean Licari bobbled the snap but found the left side of the field wide open, scampering untouched for the game's first points with 5:39 to go in the third.
Wilkes drove down to the TCNJ 4-yard line early in the fourth quarter, only to be turned back on third-and-goal by Giulian and
Jameson Sessa – the duo's combined tackle for loss relegating the visitors to a 23-yard field goal to trim the margin to 7-3.
With nine straight runs on the next possession – seven from
Joe Visaggio and a 31-yard burst by Morrell – the Lions got in range for
Tim Willever to boot a 34-yard field goal to restore a seven-point lead (10-3) with 6:37 remaining.
Giulian stepped in front of a pass on third-and-long three plays later, and Morrell covered the 23 necessary yards in four plays to put Wilkes away with an 8-yard score at the 3:27 left. Kurc added a pick at the Lions' 4-yard line with 1:49 to go.
STANDOUT LIONS
- Morrell did not lose a single yard on his 22 totes
- Visaggio finished with 81 yards on 15 carries
- Licari had 40 yards rushing to go with the touchdown, while Dille finished with 32 yards on seven rushes
- Giulian led the defense with seven tackles, with Sessa adding six
- Dylan Patshcer and Darian Ghahary combined on a pair of first-half sacks
- Rookie Clifford Dirkes notched his first career sack in the fourth quarter
- Jake Ware punted eight times, with a long of 59 yards
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- TCNJ 262 yards on 64 rushing attempts
- The Lions had a 16-5 advantage in first downs and forced the Colonels into an 0-for-11 effort on third down
- Wilkes managed just 43 plays on offense
NOTES
- TCNJ has started 2-0 in back-to-back seasons
- Kurc has three interceptions in two games
- Young's interception was the 11th of his career
UP NEXT
- The Lions return from their bye week to face Juniata in their non-conference finale on Saturday, September 27
