Rowan 42, Montclair State 13
Dec 04, 1999
UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. — If defense truly does win championships, then Rowan is ready to go to Salem. The Profs' defense equalled its offensive output as each scored three touchdowns in a 42-13 romp against Montclair State in the East regional final at Sprague Stadium. Dec 04, 1999
By Pat Coleman, D3football.com
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Sophomore safety Clinton Tabb rolled up 157 yards in returns and scored twice, once on a 95-yard fumble return in the second quarter that gave Rowan (11-1) a 14-0 lead, then added a 43-yard interception return to put the game away 28-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Tabb didn't even know how the ball popped out of Montclair State quarterback Ed Collins' hands. "All I saw was the ball pop up, so I took it and ran 50 yards, then I got tired. (Defensive tackle) Cornelius (White) threw me a good block and I went the rest of the way."
The return came shortly after junior cornerback Ron Gibson was whistled for a late hit and received an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for protesting the call, giving the Red Hawks (9-2) possession in the Profs' red zone.
From there it was off to the races, as the Montclair State first-string offense could only score when it got the ball at the 28-yard line in the third quarter. The Red Hawks had had a field goal blocked with 2:51 left in the first quarter and turned the ball over eight times on the game.
"We desperately tried to get back into the game," said Red Hawks head coach Rick Giancola, "but the harder we tried ther more the turnovers came."
Rowan allowed only 208 yards of total offense before Montclair State's backups added a touchdown in the closing minutes.
"We've decided, 'this is a championship defense and let's take our shots' ", said Rowan head coach K.C. Keeler, whose Profs won the East Region title for the fifth consecutive season. "I thought it was the best defense we've seen. They feed off each other."
"We knew the severity of this game and once we tasted some blood we went after it," said White, who was second on the team with five tackles, three for lost yardage. Tabb led Rowan with seven tackles, all solos.
Rowan took the opening kickoff and marched 56 yards in 12 plays for the score, a 4-yard pass from Mike Warker to Bobby Woolfolk with 10:20 remaining in the first quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 12-yard Warker run on a sprint draw, which put the Profs in the Montclair State red zone.
"We added the sprint draw and used a stretch play instead of a toss play," said Keeler. "Offensively we (had gotten) predictable and stagnant," in the team's previous meeting, a 28-24 win by Montclair in Week 11 that put the Red Hawks in the playoffs and cost Rowan the top seed in the East.
After Tabb's fumble return made the score 14-0 at the half, Rowan scored on its first possession of the second half on an 8-yard Jason Frabasile run with less than four minutes gone in the third quarter. Montclair State answered with a 1-yard run by Ron Lewis at the 6:53 mark, but Tabb's second return and two scores within a 34-second stretch of the fourth quarter turned the game into a rout.
Rowan advances to play at Mount Union for the right to go to Stagg Bowl XXVII.
"They're the best, we're considered the second-best, and we want to beat them to be considered the best," said Keeler.
"We know we have to play perfect football to beat a team like Mount Union," said senior linebacker Mark Hendricks.
NOTES: Seniors John Gavlick (linebacker) and Justin Wright (running back) could return for the Mount Union game. Gavlick had an emergency appendectomy on Thanksgiving Day, while Wright ruptured his ACL earlier in the season. Wright played in the second-round win against Ursinus and re-aggravated the knee, but would have played this week, according to Keeler, if the game were not on artificial turf. ... Freshman quarterback Warker (16-for-22, 168 yards, two touchdowns) had the back of his left (throwing) hand stitched up after the game but is expected to practice and play. Behind Warker is a linebacker, Hendricks, and wideout Taman Bryant after Jeff Orihel left the team in October. ... Collins was 11-for-35 with five interceptions and had five passes broken up before being yanked in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Jason DeVirgilio (5-for-8, 70 yards) led the final scoring drive.