By Tyler Fennell
Staff Writer
On Saturday, Sept. 27, the college defeated Juniata in dominating fashion, winning 35-0.
Coming into the game, Juniata was 2-1, while the College was 2-0. This game was not just dominant on the defensive side of the ball, like the College’s previous game, it was also dominant on the offensive side.
The Lions have continued to rely on their strong rushing offense in every game so far this season. This game was no different. The College put up a staggering 300 yards of rushing offense, while just passing for 99 yards, not even a third of their ground output.
Senior running back Joe Visaggio opened up the scoring in the first quarter with two touchdowns. Visaggio had 54 yards rushing as well. Visaggio has been very involved in the Lions' ground attack, averaging over 16 carries a game for coach Tyler Moody’s new look offense.
The College’s running backs continued their dominance in the second quarter, with sophomore Jordan Morrell scoring a touchdown of his own. Morrell yet again led the team in rushing yards with 89. The second-year back has run wild this season, now with a team-high 280 yards on the year.
Senior quarterback Dean Licari followed this up with a rushing touchdown of his own. After a scoreless third quarter, junior wide receiver Alex Dille scored a touchdown to start the fourth quarter and close out the game.
The defense as a collective also continued their excellent start. Not allowing any scoring certainly tells how well the defense played. Senior linebacker Nick Surdo had a sack that set Juniata back four yards, along with freshman linebacker Remy Feniello having a sack that pushed Juniata back for six yards.
Head coach Moody said this about starting 3-0 in his first season of coaching TCNJ football, “Obviously it’s a good win, so I'm excited. I’m really excited for the guys, they worked really hard, so that’s really the biggest thing there. I’ve been here for really five, six months, and what’s exciting is that everybody knows this place is a great place. So if we can provide, or add to that with football, then I’m happy. We did that today and that’s what’s important.”
Moody’s squad has been nothing short of perfect, sweeping their first three games of non-conference action. The College’s rushing attack has been its calling card, rushing for 948 yards through just three contests, while passing for just 204 yards. The College will need to prove they can move the ball through the air, however, as they face a top ten team in their next match.
After dominating their non-conference schedule, the college has their first New Jersey Athletic Conference game away against a ranked opponent, Salisbury, on Saturday, Oct. 4. The college defense is going to need to be strong against a Salisbury offense that has not had a single game in which they failed to reach 40 points. For context, the Lions have yet to have a game where they scored more than 40 points, despite coming close this past weekend. After Salisbury, the Lions will return home Saturday, Oct. 11, to host William Patterson for their second NJAC game and their Homecoming game.
