CORTLAND, NY – Rowan University running back Withler Marcelin ran for 245 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-14 victory over SUNY Cortland on Saturday afternoon.
It was the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener for the Profs. Rowan has an overall mark of 2-2. The Red Dragons have an overall record of 0-4 and they are 0-2 in the NJAC. The victory is the first for the Profs at Cortland since winning 14-7 in overtime during the 2005 season.
Marcelin (jr. Ocean Twp., NJ/Ocean Twp.) carried the ball 26 times. It's the second 200-yard rushing game of his career and the ninth time that he's ran for over 100 yards in a contest. Quarterback Bill McCarty (jr. Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) completed 14 passes in 25 attempts for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jahsiem Rover (fr. Burlington Twp., NJ/Burlington Twp.) ran four times for 20 yards and running back Dante Tobler (so. New Milford, NJ/New Milford) had 14 yards on six rushes. Wide receiver Russ Forchion (jr. Clementon, NJ/Hammonton) made six catches for 67 yards and one touchdown.
Linebacker Darren Dungee (jr. Morristown, NJ/Morristown) led the defense with 12 tackles. Linebacker Tyler Jenkins (sr. Woodbury, NJ/Woodbury) recorded 10 tackles and two pass defenses. Defensive end Chris Alvarez (sr. Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) and cornerback Eddie Davis (jr. Camden, NJ/Camden) each tallied six tackles. Davis also had four pass defenses.
Cortland quarterback Lou Buschi (jr. East Meadow, NY/East Meadow) threw for 135 yards
(14-35) and one touchdown. He also ran the ball 13 times for 45 yards. Quarterback Jon Grassi (jr. Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) had 11 completions in 21 attempts for 78 yards and one TD. Running back Layton Lassiter (so. Madison, NJ/Madison) rushed the ball for 25 yards on eight carries. Wide Reciever Jack Delahunty (jr. East Northport, NY/Northport) caught seven passes for 81 yards and one touchdown. Wideout Jon Mannix (so. Elwood, NY/John H. Glenn) had 35 receiving yards on seven receptions and one score.
Defensive lineman Gabe Ostrow (sr. Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) collected 11 tackles, four for a loss
(2 yards). Defensive lineman Jake Ceresna (jr. New Fairfield, CT/New Fairfield) tallied 10 tackles, four for a loss (4 yards) and linebacker Matt Ambrose (jr. Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) had nine tackles, two for a loss (2 yards).
Marcelin put Rowan on the scoreboard with a 54-yard touchdown run at the 8:52 mark of the first quarter. The scamper capped off a three-play 72-yard drive that took 58 seconds off the clock. On the first play of the Profs' next possession Marcelin ran the ball 75 yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead with 7:38 remaining. Cortland cut the deficit in half as Delahunty caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Buschi with 5:37 on the clock. The six-play, 85-yard drive included 27 yards on the ground for Buschi. With 34 seconds to play in the first frame, McCarty hit Forchion for a 42-yard touchdown, ending a drive that went 67 yards in four plays. The second quarter was scoreless and Rowan took a 21-7 lead into halftime.
Kicker Tyler Knighton (fr. Gibbstown, NJ/Paulsboro) ended a nine-play, 27-yard drive with a 34-yard field goal, giving Rowan a 24-7 advantage with 8:25 left in the third quarter. Marcelin extended the lead to 31-7, scoring his third touchdown of the game on a 28-yard run at the 10:02 mark of the fourth quarter. Marcelin ran for 39 yards on the 56-yard drive. Mannix caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Grassi with 7:54 to play in the fourth. The seven-play drive went 41 yards and made the score 31-14. McCarty found wide receiver Warren Oliver (sr. Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown that capped off a five-play, 55-yard drive at the 2:36 mark of the fourth.
Rowan hosts William Paterson University on Saturday, October 11 at 1 p.m.