WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson football team's (0-2) comeback bid fell short against Salve Regina (3-0), 24-12, during the Pioneers' home opener Sept. 20 at Wightman Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Seahawks got on the scoreboard first with a 28-yard field goal 4:39 into the contest.
• A 60-yard pass play by sophomore quarterback Nigel Jennings (Garfield, N.J./Eastside) to sophomore wide receiver Kyle Manley (Philadelphia, Pa./Red Lion Christian Academy) set the Pioneers up deep in SRU territory, and senior Matt Davidson (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) later cashed in from 27 yards away for the game-tying field goal to make it a 3-3 score with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter.
• A five-yard touchdown run pushed Salve Regina ahead by a 10-3 count with 7:59 to play before halftime.
• SRU found the end zone twice during the third quarter with a one-yard carry (17-3, 12:14) and a four-yard pass (24-3, 1:50). 
• Jennings raced up the right sideline for a 60-yard touchdown and Davidson added the PAT, making it a 24-10 margin with 13:07 remaining.
• Two WP drives were stymied at the SRU-31 with 6:10 and 1:53 left in the fourth.
• The Seahawks elected to run out of the back of the end zone on fourth-and-five for a safety with 34 seconds on the clock, finishing the day's scoring.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Jennings finished 18-for-36 for 169 yards and three interceptions under center, and also rushed a team-high 11 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Manley caught three passes for 75 yards.
• Sophomore linebacker Terrill Yankson (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) led the Pioneer defense with nine tackles (six solo, 2.0 TFL), forcing and recovering a fumble. Senior linebacker Jayce Harmon (Milford, Del./Sussex Tech) made seven stops (five solo), and senior defensive back Anthony Macera (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) added an interception to his three tackles.

 
UP NEXT:

• William Paterson will visit Moravian Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1:00 p.m.

 
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