WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson football team (0-3) rallied from a seven-point deficit to force overtime, but the Pioneers fell short during the extra period, 19-16, against Moravian (1-3) during a nor'easter Sept. 26 at Wightman Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Greyhounds finished their first offensive possession with a 39-yard field goal 4:23 into the contest.
- The Pioneers responded eight minutes later when senior quarterback JC Landicini (Egg Harbor City, N.J./Cedar Creek) rushed right for three yards into the end zone. The PAT was missed, making it a 6-3 WP lead with 2:37 on the clock during the first quarter.
- A poor snap on a punt attempt resulted in Moravian's recovery in the William Paterson end zone, handing the Greyhounds a 10-6 advantage 3:47 before halftime.
- The Pioneers received the ball to start the second half, and capped off a 12-play, 74-yard drive with an Omar Rodriguez (Cliffside Park, N.J./Cliffside Park) 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 10-9 (8:06).
- A 22-yard pitch and catch pushed Moravian ahead by a 16-9 margin with 4:04 remaining in the third period.
- The WP defense forced a turnover on downs at the Moravian-35 during the final seconds of the third, and senior running back Ethan MacNair (Beacon, N.Y./Somerville) answered with carries of 22 and 13 yards for a Pioneer touchdown. Rodriguez added the extra point, knotting the score at 16-16 at the 14:55 mark of the fourth.
- Moravian had the ball on first-and-goal from the 15 when sophomore linebacker Terrill Yankson (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) intercepted the pass and raced 40 yards up the right sideline, keeping the Greyhounds off the scoreboard and setting up the WP offense near midfield. The Pioneers marched the ball into the red zone and lined for a game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining, but the snap was low on the wet turf, allowing the clock to hit 0:00 with the score still 16-16.
- William Paterson was on offense first during the overtime period, but a pair of short runs and two incompletions turned the ball over on downs.
- The Pioneers started their defensive possession by forcing a pair of incompletions and seemingly recording a sack on third-and-10, but a facemask penalty gave Moravian a new set of downs. Four snaps later, the Greyhounds converted a 27-yard field goal to secure the victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Landicini finished 12-for-24 for 123 yards.
- MacNair carried 29 times for a career-best 175 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 29 yards.
- Junior running back Tyler Brookes (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) contributed a 50-yard reception.
- Sophomore defensive lineman Kaiden Rex (Totowa, N.J./Passaic County Technical) led the Pioneers with career bests of nine tackles (seven solo), 5.0 stops for a loss and 2.0 sacks.
- Junior defensive lineman Joseph Pressley (Allentown, Pa./Pemberton) posted six stops (four solo, 3.0 TFL), 1.0 sack and a blocked PAT.
- Yankson and freshman defensive back Charles Prezzy (Elizabeth, N.J./J. Christian Bollwage Finance Academy) each made five solo tackles.
- The WP defense tallied 5.0 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss overall.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson plays at No. 14 Christopher Newport Saturday, Oct. 3, at 1:00 p.m.
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