Box Score 

WAYNE, N.J. – Sophomore Marcus McKinney (Paterson, N.J./John F. Kennedy) gained 224 yards and scored four touchdowns on a school-record 42 carries as William Paterson (3-3, 2-3 NJAC) celebrated Homecoming with a 43-28 victory against The College of New Jersey (4-2, 3-2 NJAC) Oct. 17 at Wightman Stadium.

McKinney broke the single-game rushes record of 35 that he established earlier this season at King's (Sept. 19), and he just missed breaking the program's single-game rushing yardage (257, John Milmoe, vs. Pace, 9/13/86) and rushing TDs (five, Terry McCann, vs. Jersey City State, 11/3/78; and Altarik White, vs. Upsala, 10/12/91) marks. For the Pioneers, it was their first win against the Lions since a 24-19 home triumph during the 1993 season (9/17).

Despite TCNJ having the most prolific offense in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (45.4 points and 489.6 yards per game), William Paterson's defense held the Lions to just 105 yards on the ground and 294 yards in total. The WP offense churned out 447 yards of total offense (209 rushing, 238 passing), and owned an advantage of 6.4 to 4.1 in average gain per play.

Senior Joel Rivera (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken) caught eight passes for 181 yards and two scores for the Pioneers. He also added 50 yards on two kickoff returns for a total of 231 all-purpose yards. Senior Matt Marshall (Burlington, N.J./Burlington City) completed 13 of 23 passes for 238 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Junior cornerback Chris Thomas (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) made eight tackles (six solo), broke up a pass and returned an interception 22 yards. Junior Jim Hamill (Stanhope, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) also had eight stops (five solo), while senior linebacker Jared Burke (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J./Egg Harbor Twp.) had seven tackles (one solo, 1.5 TFL) and two passes broken up. Junior Dyon Moore (Brooklyn, N.Y./Hudson Catholic), sophomore Doug Dudek (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) and senior Keith Sayball (Milford, Conn./Foran) each contributed six stops to the Pioneers' defensive effort.

Senior quarterback Chris James was 14-for-34 for 189 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for TCNJ. Sophomore running back Justin Doniloski gained 99 yards on 18 carries, scoring once, and senior wide receiver Mark Gardner caught five passes for 88 yards and two TDs. Freshman linebacker Gregory Burns and junior defensive back Matthew Kreider each made 10 tackles to lead the Lions' defense.

Ahead by a 21-14 score at the break, TCNJ's Terry Woolverton recovered a Marshall fumble to end the Pioneers' first possession of the third quarter, and seven plays later James found Gardner at the back-left pylon for the four-yard touchdown. Senior Marc Zucconi converted the extra point, and the Lions surged ahead by a 28-14 count midway through the period.

Rivera returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards, and a TCNJ offside call on the play set the Pioneers up on the TCNJ 43-yard line. Following a McKinney three-yard run and a 13-yard completion from Marshall to sophomore Joe Muraglia, Jr. (Belleville, N.J./Queen of Peace), Marshall connected with Rivera for a 27-yard TD. With a successful PAT by freshman Ryan Brzycki (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic), the Pioneers made it a 28-21 game with 5:45 left in the third.

Two short rushing gains and an incomplete pass forced the Lions to punt during their next possession, but the snap was over the head of Zucconi, and his recovery of the football in the end zone resulted in a William Paterson safety (28-23, 4:07).

McKinney finished off the next drive with a four-yard score, handing WP its first lead of the game at 29-28 with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter. The Pioneers elected to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point advantage, but Marshall's completion to Kyle Hart (Lambertville, N.J./South Hunterdon) was ruled down just inches shy of the goal line.

The College of New Jersey threatened to snatch back the lead during the opening minutes of the fourth, but a James fumble on fourth-and-four inside the WP 25-yard line was recovered by Pioneer senior defensive tackle Dan Jones (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead). Two plays later Marshall found Rivera for a short gain, but the senior wide-out made three Lions miss and raced up the left sideline, a 70-yard touchdown that helped break open the game at 36-28 with 11:49 remaining.

The William Paterson defense forced TCNJ to punt to end the Lions' next two possessions, and the Pioneers put the game away with a 14-play, 94-yard drive that consumed 6:38 of the clock. McKinney was entrusted with the ball on 13 of the 14 snaps, including the final one-yard run for a touchdown and a 43-28 score with 1:10 left in the game.

On third-and-nine during the Lions' game-opening drive, James found Gardner over the top of the coverage, a 57-yard scoring play for the first points of the game. Zucconi was good on the extra point, handing TCNJ a 7-0 edge 3:48 into the contest.

The Lions began the second quarter with another touchdown, this one a 15-yard burst by Doniloski, for a 14-0 score with 14:26 to play. William Paterson fought back, answering during its next possession with a five-play, 71-yard scoring drive. A 43-yard completion from Marshall to Rivera gave the Pioneers first-and-goal at the TCNJ-2, and McKinney pushed across the goal line on the next snap. With the extra point, the Pioneers were within seven at 14-7 with 12:12 on the clock.

With less than four minutes to play before halftime, Thomas intercepted a James pass and returned it 22 yards to the Lions' one-yard line, and McKinney took the next snap and scored, knotting the game at 14-14. However, TCNJ was able to march 55 yards down the field, a drive capped by a Kevin Brown (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) one-yard carry, for a 21-14 score 19 seconds before the break.

William Paterson will host SUNY Cortland Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1:00 p.m.