GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University football team registered the final 14 points of the game but it was not enough in a 24-17 loss to Wesley College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contest on Saturday.
The 21st-ranked Profs dropped to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the conference. The Wolverines improved to 5-2 and remain in a tie for first place with a 5-1 NJAC mark.
Wide receiver Alex Kemp (so. Magnolia, DE/Caesar Rodney) led Wesley with four catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. Running back Jamar Baynard (sr. Townsend, DE/Middletown) ran the ball 27 times for 98 yards and a score. Quarterback Dan Kesack (jr. Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) was 15-of-32 passing for 248 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also added a rushing touchdown. Wideout Bryce Shade (sr. Erial, NJ/Timber Creek) had five receptions for 57 yards.
Linebacker Ben Robinson (sr. Suitland, MD/Wise) recorded 12 tackles, 3.5 for a loss (20 yards), and one interception. Linebacker Samer Manna (jr. Germantown, MD/Northwest) notched 11 stops, 1.5 for a loss, one sack (8 yards) and one fumble recovery. Defensive end Isaiah Ingram (jr. Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) had two sacks and forced two fumbles.
Rowan running back Gawain Bragg (jr. Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Twp.) totaled 48 yards on 15 carries. Running back Anthony Diorio (so. Medford, NJ/Shawnee) added 37 yards on 11 attempts. Both reached the end zone one time. Wide receiver Zac Frantz (sr. Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) caught five passes for 73 yards and wideout J.J. Kulcsar (fr. Westwood, NJ/Bergen Catholic) had four catches for 88 yards. Quarterback Dante Pinckney (jr. Lawnside, NJ/Haddon Heights) was 18-of-33 for 195 yards.
Linebacker Ryan Brenner (sr. Northfield, NJ/Mainland Reg.) posted a game-high 18 tackles and one sack. Linebacker Jeff Rodriguez (sr. Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge) tallied 10 tackles and one sack. Defensive back Shaquille Lee (jr. Millville, NJ/Millville) forced a fumble and defensive lineman Will Flake (sr. Tabernacle, NJ/Seneca) recovered one. Defensive back Travelle Curry (so. Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech.) had one interception.
In the opening quarter, Rowan had the ball at its own 30. Pinckney was stripped by Ingram and defensive tackle Nmandi Njoku (sr. Florence, NJ/Florence Twp. Mem.) recovered and returned the ball to the Profs' 17. Two plays later, Baynard ran it in from 15 yards out and Wesley had a 7-0 lead.
The Profs responded with a six-play, 50-yard scoring drive. The first two plays of the drive were a 36-yard pass from Pinckney to Kulcsar and a Diorio 21-yard run. They put Rowan at the Wesley eight-yard line but the Profs had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Knighton (jr. Gibbstown, NJ/Paulsboro) and a 7-3 deficit.
On the ensuing drive, Wesley advanced to the Rowan 12 but Lee stuffed Kesack's sneak attempt on fourth-and-one. In the second period, the Profs held the football at the Wolverines' 40. Pinckney fumbled again and Manna recovered to set up Wesley at its 46. The Wolverines then went 54 yards on six plays, aided by a 48-yard hookup between Kesack and Kemp. Kesack ran it in himself from seven yards to conclude the drive and Wesley took a 14-3 lead.
After a Rowan punt, it took two plays for Kesack to find Kemp again, this time for a 62-yard scoring strike. The point after gave the Wolverines a 21-3 advantage. Wesley closed the half with a nine-play, 30-yard drive that ended with a 21-yard field goal by kicker Eric Speidel (sr. Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrenceville Prep).
The Wolverines threatened again on their first drive of the third quarter. At the Rowan 24, Kesack looked deep but was picked off by Curry. The Profs' defense made another stop later in the frame, forcing a turnover on downs at their 22. Rowan followed with a 10-play, 78-yard drive capped by a five-yard TD run by Diorio. That put the Profs within two scores at 24-10.
In the fourth quarter, the Rowan offense took over at its own 32. It took eight plays to go 68 yards, including a 27-yard pass from Pinckney to Kulcsar, and Bragg ran in from the one-yard line to put the Profs within seven (24-17) with 10:08 to play.
Wesley responded by taking 8:32 off the clock with 13 plays. That set up a 28-yard field goal attempt but Curry blocked the kick and the Profs took over at their own 25. Rowan got as far as the Wolverines' 44 but could not convert on fourth down. Wesley was able to run out the clock for the victory.
The Profs travel to Frostburg State University for a NJAC game on Saturday, October 29 at 1 p.m.