By Tyler Fennell
Staff Writer
Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, was the College’s homecoming. For the football team, it was their second New Jersey Athletic Conference game of the season. After a crushing defeat to Salisbury in their first NJAC game, a statement win was necessary, and they delivered. The College took a commanding win at home against William Patterson with a final score of 42-0, all while donning throwback jerseys, paying homage to the Trenton State days.
When asked what the mindset going into this game was going to be, head coach Tyler Moody said, “It was respond, right, and that's what we did. We had to respond on Monday in the weight room, and we did that. It was really just one day at a time for us to get here, get the win, and put us at 4-1. We’ve got 24 hours to celebrate the 4-1 and let's move on to be 5-1.”
The College continued a run-heavy offense this game, just like every other game this season, posting 226 net rushing yards with 54 attempts. When asked the reasoning behind the reliance on the rush, Coach Moody said, “I think you see why. It's a mentality, it's a mindset, it's toughness, it's an identity, that's what I think TCNJ is. We wore the Trenton State unis today, I think that’s about toughness as well, and I think that's what running the ball does, it makes you tough, and it forces teams to play tough.”
The win against William Patterson was a must-win game, and the Lions delivered. So far, their run-heavy offensive scheme has not failed them yet. The benefits of keeping the ball on the ground is limiting turnovers as well as improving the safety of the quarterback. It limits sacks since the quarterback spends less time sitting in the pocket. On top of that, if you have a run game that nets you at least 3.5 yards per carry, in theory, a team could never have to pass the ball since the team will get 10 yards in at least three downs.
Senior running back Joe Visaggio led the team in rushing yards (56) and touchdowns (two). Senior wide receiver Jaiden Johnson recorded his first touchdown of the season early in the fourth quarter. Sophomore running back Jordan Morrell got the second touchdown of the game in the first quarter and was third in rushing yards for the team.
It wasn’t just the offense that played well; the defense had major plays as well. Sophomore linebacker Matt Cassidy had a 26-yard defensive touchdown after intercepting the ball late in the fourth quarter. That wasn’t the only defensive touchdown in this game. Freshman linebacker Chimmy Ozokpor recovered a fumble made by a sack from senior defensive back Christian Bennet in the endzone early in the fourth quarter for a touchdown.
When asked about the fumble recovery, Ozokpor said, “It feels amazing, CB (Christian Bennet) came in on a blitz, killed the guy and the ball fell right into my lap and I was able to get the touchdown.”
Their next game is on Saturday, October 18, away at Castleton. Despite being in Vermont, this will be their third NJAC game of the season. Castleton is coming off a three-game losing streak after opening up their season 2-0. So far, they have lost both of their NJAC games, the first of which was to William Patterson.
