Visiting Morrisville State College held host Montclair State University to just seven points, but couldn’t find the end zone offensively, as they fell short in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) defensive battle Saturday afternoon in Montclair, New Jersey.
Morrisville State drops to 0-3 on the season, 0-1 in conference play, while the Red Hawks collect their first win of 2012 to improve to 1-2 overall, 1-0 in NJAC action.
The Mustangs defense held Montclair State to just 203 total yards offense, a team that on average gains 344-yards per game, while limiting Red Hawk quarterback Drew Cathey to just 55-yards on the day on 7-of-10 completions. Cathey entered the game averaging 247.5 yards per game in the air.
AJ Scoppa led all ball carriers in the running game, netting 169-yards on 34 carries and posting the lone touchdown of the afternoon.
Defensively, Dan Avento led the Red Hawks with eight tackles, including three solo stops, while Marc Aspinwall added six. Matt Mancino registered two interceptions for 14-yards returned.
Senior quarterback Mychael Hardamon (Roosevelt, N.Y.) completed 7-of-21 passes for 131-yards for the Mustangs, three to wide receiver AJ Latta (Middletown, N.Y.) for 104 yards, while Austin Henchey (Unadilla, N.Y.) added 30 yards on the ground on 10 carries.
Jeremy Stewart (Moravia, N.Y.) led Morrisville State’s defensive efforts, registering 10 total tackles, including three solo stops, as teammate Freddie Gaetan (Bronx, N.Y.) added eight. Travis French (Newark Valley, N.Y.) and Darry Albright (Long Beach, N.Y.) each recorded seven stops, including a sack on two separate occasions for a loss of combined 23 yards, adding a combined 7.5 tackles for a loss of a net 41 yards on the day.
The lone score of the day came midway through the first quarter on Montclair’s second drive of the contest. Starting at their own 37, the Red Hawks used Scoppa on five plays to move the ball down field, before he broke free and reached the end zone on a six-yard scoring run at 7:46.
Following a scoreless second quarter, Morrisville State launched an early third quarter attack, as Hardamon connected with Latta on a 49-yard pass play down to the Montclair 28 yard line. On the ensuing play, however, Mancino picked off Hardamon at the three, returning possession to the Red Hawks.
Late in the quarter, the Mustangs put together another offensive effort, but a blocked field goal attempt kept Morrisville State off the board.
Montclair State’s defense registered two straight sacks on quarterback Manny Magliocco (Rochester, N.Y.) late in the fourth quarter, halting a last effort drive by Morrisville State, to record the conference win.
Morrisville State returns to the field Saturday, Sep. 22, hosting rival Cortland State at 7 p.m. on Drake Field on the Morrisville campus.