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Rowan wins 24-17. It was a tale of two halves. Rowan started rookie quarterback Kenny Brock.  Brock a freshman, from Burlington, New Jersey spent last year at Bridgton Academy prep school in Maine. Bridgton plays against Ivy league and DIII JV programs.

There were some dropped balls and some misfires as it was the first time Brock and his wide receivers played a real game.  Some rhythm was found as the Profs were able to move the ball and go up 17-0 in the first half.  Except for the misfires, it was pretty much a mistake free first half.

The second half began with a 73 yard touchdown run by running back Keith Corcoran putting Rowan up 24-0.   Lycoming got on the board when Brock threw a 25 yard interception to safety Chuck Bellitto.  Bellitto returned the interception for a touchdown.  The Warriors scored the next ten unanswered points.  Rowan penalties and two more turnovers contributed to Lycoming drives and field position.

The Profs (ranked 36th) have a bye next week.  In two weeks, they go on the road to No. 25 ranked Montclair.  Montclair made it all the way to the NCAA semi-finals in 2009.  Rowan has time to correct some of the miscues and  forced errors before facing the Red Hawks.

Corcoran carried the ball 21 times for a 7.3 average. Quarterback Kenny Brock  competed 15 of 34 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown in his collegiate debut. He also had a one yard touchdown run. Wide receivers Justin Long  and Khalil Wallace  tallied 46 and 45 receiving yards respectively. Wideout Marcus Lee had three grabs for 15 yards and one touchdown.

The Profs’ defense was led by linebacker Jerome Gordon  with 12 tackles (3-9). Linebacker Steve Hague registered nine stops (5-4) and two tackles for a loss (-3 yards). Defensive end Justin McCulley  had a sack (-13 yards) and a forced fumble. Safety Bobby Carroll also forced a fumble.

By CELESTE E. WHITTAKER • Courier-Post Staff • September 4, 2010

GLASSBORO — Rowan senior defensive lineman Matt Hoffman wants to end his collegiate football career with a bang.

“Since I’ve been here, we haven’t made the playoffs,” said Hoffman, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound Burlington Township graduate. “This is finally the year, I think, we can break through. My first year, we went 4-6. . . . We were 8-2 in 2008 and 7-3 last year.”

Rowan, which kicks off its season at 1 today against Lycoming, last reached the Division III playoffs in 2006 — a long absence for such a traditionally strong program. The Profs have made five appearances in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

Granted, the New Jersey Athletic Conference has gotten stronger, with defending league champion Montclair State, SUNY-Cortland and Kean, among others, upping the competition. Rowan, however, is poised to make some noise this year.

The Profs will likely have to win the conference to reach the playoffs, at least that has been the pattern. The conference champion receives an automatic berth, but no other team is guaranteed a spot.

Rowan was picked to finish fourth in the conference by the coaches,while SUNY-Cortland, Montclair and Kean, respectively, earned billing as the top three.

“Those teams have definitely come on really strong, so we have more of a challenge,” said Hoffman, who led the team with 6 1/2 sacks last season to go with 42 total tackles (12 for loss). “We have a strong group of seniors, strong group on defense and offense. We’re bringing back a few guys that got injured last year. This camp, we’ve been looking very good at all positions and we’re real excited to start this season.”

Said Rowan senior quarterback Tim Hagerty, a Glassboro High School graduate: “I think there’s definitely a big chip on a lot of our shoulders. We haven’t won the conference in the past three years. That’s not the Rowan way. We’re used to being on top of the conference. Everybody’s ready to compete. We have to prove ourselves. Nothing’s going to be handed to us. This conference is stronger than it’s ever been.”

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Check out WOL News’ youtube channel for eight pre-season interviews of Lycoming football players and their coach Mike Clark.

Last year, Rowan topped Lycoming, 29-7 in Williamsport, PA. Profs’ quar­terback Frank Wilczynski completed eight of 17 passes for 79 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball 10 times for 86 yards and one TD. Superback Ryan Leafey rushed for 68 yards on 18 touches. Wideout James Kinloch recorded a 39 yard touchdown catch. Kicker Mark Getsinger con­nected on three of three field goal attempts and two of three PAT tries. Rowan limited Lycoming to 104 yards of total offense (70 passing and 34 rushing). Linebacker Kevin Taylor led the way with seven tackles. Defensive end Matt Hoffman posted five tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss (-16 yards) and 1.5 sacks (-13 yards). Linebacker Steve Hague had one sack (-12 yards) and one interception, which he returned for a TD. Safety Mike Barone also inter­cepted a pass, while linebacker Jerome Gordon had one sack (-10 yards).

Lycoming has six returning starters on offense. The Warriors will have a new face at quarterback. Competing for the job are Tim Hook and Zach Klinger. Josh Kleinfelter will once again be the starting running back. Last sea­son, he ran for a team-high 821 yards and five touchdowns on 186 carries. Kleinfelter also caught 19 passes for 168 yards. Nick Milardo is the Warriors’ fullback. The wide receivers include Ryan Wagaman, Josh Dixon, Mark Ryan, Jarrin Campman and Sean Saylor. Wagaman led the team with 51 receptions for 671 yards and five TDs. Dixon followed with 31 catches for 269 yards and four touchdowns. Saylor made 15 grabs for 146 yards and one TD. Tight end Adam Paulhamaus totaled 184 yards and three touchdowns on 11 catches. Kleinfelter, Wagaman and Paulhamaus all earned Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) All-Conference second team honors. Four of the five starting offense linemen are back for Lycoming. The group includes center Glen Hughes, tackles Tim Okken and Andrew Wagner and guard Cody Moyer. Matt Land­siedal is the other guard and he saw action in four contests last year. The offense averaged 20.1 points, 94.3 rushing yards and 173.2 passing yards per game.

All-Conference first team defensive lineman Anthony Marascio leads the defensive unit that brings back five starters. A tackle, Marascio totaled 76 tackles (38 solo, 38 assisted), 14.5 tackles for a loss (-52 yards), five sacks (-36 yards), two forced fumbles and one interception. The remainder of the line is new with ends Tyler Geis and Dillan Rudloff and tackle Roger Jayne. The linebacker corp consists of Corey Schuster, Jamie Reitzi and Chris Kish. Kish tallied 30 tackles (18 solo, 12 assisted), three tackles for a loss (-9 yards), 1.5 sacks (-7 yards) and one pass breakup. Schuster appeared in five games making two solo stops. Cornerbacks Matt Talerico and Jim Daley are the starters for the second straight year. Daley was fourth on the squad with 48 tackles (34 solo, 14 assisted), one tackle for a loss (-3 yards), four intercep­tions and five pass breakups. Talerico added 39 stops (31 solo, eight as­sisted), one tackle for a loss (-2 yards), three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. All-Conference second team safety Chuck Bellitto is also back. He was first on the team with 84 tackles (55 solo, 29 assisted), three tack­les for a loss (-6 yards), four interceptions, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Veteran Ray Bierbach will occupy the other safety spot. He registered 37 tackles (22 solo, 15 assisted), four interceptions, two pass break ups, one force fumble and one fumble recovery. The War­riors’ defense gave up 120.6 rushing yards and 205.8 passing yards per game.

Rowan must put pressure on the rookie quarterbacks by forcing passing situations.  Last year, the Profs limited Lycoming to 104 yards of total offense.  Rowan graduated most of their starting defensive backfield, so the newcomers and part-timers from last year must pick up the slack.  I expect the defensive line and linebackers to be tough against the run on Saturday.

Offensively, this will be a first indication of how Rowan will move the football.  Consistency and variety will be the keys to success.  Last year, the Profs were a little too reliant on Wilczynski’s legs.  When the good teams shut down his running lanes, and forced him to throw, the outcomes weren’t good.

It will be interesting to see the Profs in an unfamiliar roll as a NJAC underdog.  Usually, Rowan is the team with the target on their backs, playing the roll as the favorite or one of the favorites.  I actually think the Profs can embrace this roll, and if they can find the playmakers in their roster, could be fighting for the conference title near the end of the season.