Montclair, NJ - Junior placekicker Hunter Daly connected on four field goals, including the go-ahead score with 6:32 remaining as Montclair State knocked off Kean, 18-15 at Sprague Field on Saturday.
Anthony Travisano rumbled in from a yard out for a touchdown as the Red Hawks leveled their record at 2-2 overall, 2-1 in the NJAC. Montclair snapped a two-game losing streak to the Cougars and lead the all-time series 34-9.
Linebacker Darin Hungerford totaled 15 tackles and a pair of sacks for Kean, which dropped to 1-3 on the year, 1-2 in league play.
Daly hit from 27, 38, 38 and 41 yards as he became the first MSU kicker to make four field goals in a game since Mike Stoehr set the mark with five against Wilkes in October, 1997. His winning kick was set up after a high snap on a Cougar punt gave Montclair the ball at the Cougar 25 with 8:15 to go. Kean held MSU to a yard on the drive and the Red Hawks face fourth down at the 24. Daly trotted on to the field and floated his attempt from 41 yards inside the left upright giving Montclair the lead.
On the next Kean possession, th Cougars picked up one first down however three plays later, senior Shaon Stephenson picked off a Charles App pass ending the drive. Montclair attempted to put the game away going for it on 4th-and-1 at the Cougar 36 with 1:59 left. Quarterback John Apicella appeared to draw the defense offside however the penalty was nullified on an inadvertent whisle. The Red Hawks then elected to punt with Daly pinning the Cougars at their own 8.
Nick Volpe and Joshua Betts each batted down passes by App, whose fourth-down attempt sailed out of bounds turning the ball over to MSU as the Red Hawks ran out the clock for the victory.
Kean jumped out to a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter with a 75-yard drive for the first points. Running back Brian Matthews had most of that with a 67-yard run down to the MSU 8. On the next play, App found Jessey Asare for the touchdown with 8:10 left in the opening period. Montclair would get on the board late in the quarter. Pinned at their own 6 and kicking into the wind, Montclair got the ball at the KU 36. A personal foul penalty against Kean, one of 14 in the game by the Cougars (for 145 yards), pushed the ball to the 21. The drive would stall however Daly sent one from 27 yards making the score 7-3 with 1:13 left.
Montclair crept within a point just before halftime. Apicella hit Julanee Prince for 26 yards on a 3rd-and-14 from its own 24. The Red Hawks then had 3rd-and-5 at the Kean 45 with Apicella running for a first don at the Cougar 36. But a personal foul penalty on the play put the ball at Kean 21 and MSU took advantage as Daly split the uprights from 38 yards with six seconds left sending Montclair into the break down 7-6.
Freshman Stepp Ozigbe blocked a punt early in the third quarter that helped set up Montclair State's next score. Taking over at the Kean 39, Apicella completed three passes, the last a 13-yarder to Julanee Prince down to the Kean 3. Two plays later Travisano ran it in for a 12-7 lead with 5:12 left.
Kean took the next possession and drove to the Montclair 23. The Cougars tried a halfback option pass, however Tyqyese Jackson picked off Matthews in the end zone end the drive. MSU however gave the ball back on the next play with a fumble and that turned into Kean points. Matthews leaped over from a yard out on fourth down putting Kean back on top and the two-point conversion pass made the score 15-12 with 13:35 to go in the fourth.
But Kean's momentum disappeared quickly as the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds giving MSU the ball at its own 35. A pass-interference penalty pushed the ball to midfield and Montclair faced a 3rd-and-18 from its own 42. Apicella completed a seven-yard pass however the Cougars wer flagged twice on the play for a facemask and personal foul. The ball wound up at the Kean 21 but Montclair couldn't go any further and tied the game at 15-15 on another 38-yard field goal by Daly with 8:15 to play in the game.
In addition to his kicking prowess, Daly also averaged 42.5 yards per punt in the game, landing three inside the 20 yardline. Stephenson led the defense with 10 tackles with linebacker Mauro Altamura posting eight. Nick Volpe collected seven along while Chris Palma totaled six along with one of Montclair's three sacks in the game. Prince had five receptions for 64 yards.
Montclair State returns to action next Saturday, October 7 with a road NJAC contest. The Red Hawks will be in Ewing, NJ to face The College of New Jersey in the 85th meeting of the oldest active collegiate football rivalry in the Garden State. Kickoff at Lions Stadium is scheduled for Noon.
Daly Kicks Montclair State Past Kean, 18-15
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20170930_a56j.xml
2017
Kean
15
Montclair State
18
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kean (1-3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Montclair State (2-2) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
Sep 30, 2017