NOVEMBER 7, 2009
KING'S FOOTBALL FALLS TO FDU-FLORHAM, 28-21
MADISON, NJ – Reserve quarterback Matt Jeffers completed 20-of-42 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns and Bayshawn Wells ran for a 55-yard touchdown to break up a tie game as the FDU-Florham football team posted a 28-21 over visiting King's College Saturday at Robert T. Shields, Madison, NJ.
With the loss, King's slipped to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Middle Atlantic Conference while FDU-Florham improved to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in league games.
King's just tied the score at 21-21 on a three-yard pass from Corey Lavin to Mike Verbitski when the Devils struck quickly with what proved to be the game-winning score when Wells took a handoff at the FDU 45 and raced straight up the middle to the Monarch end zone.
The FDU defense then held off two Monarch touchdown chances, the last coming from its own one-yard line with less than six minutes left in the game.
FDU pushed across the first score of the game following a King's punt on the opening possession of the game. After driving to the King's 41, the Devils faced a fourth-and-five play from the King's 35. From there Devils quarterback Matt Jeffers fumbled the snap from center, but tailback Brendon Griffin picked up the loose ball and ran 17 yards for a first down at the Monarch 18. The Devils would take a 3-0 lead on a 29-yard field goal by Travis Mullen with 8:03 left in the first quarter.
Three possessions later, King's took over at its own 46 following an FDU punt. Two short runs and a five-yard pass to Verbitski gave King's a first down at the Devil 41 on the final play of the first quarter. On the next play, Lavin found Verbitski all alone at the Devil five-yard line and the King's senior split end reached the end zone untouched to put the Monarchs on top. Andrew DeRito added the point after kick as King's took a 7-3 lead with 14:53 remaining in the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff Wells returned Ryan Cain's offering to the Devil 44, but a face-masking penalty on King's moved the ball to the Monarch 41. Jeffers found Louis Pietrangelo for 17 yards the King's 24 before the pair hooked up again on the next play for a 24-yard touchdown. Mullen's conversion gave FDU a 10-7 lead with 14:05 left in the half.
King's responded on its next possession when Lavin found Justin Dalton for 35 yards and a first down at the FDU 35. A personal foul on the Devils at the end of the play gave King's a first down at the FDU 20. O'Connor carried for eight yards, and then picked up a first down with a four-yard run to the Devil eight. On the next play, Lavin scored on an eight-yard quarterback draw as King's recaptured the lead. DeRito's conversion gave the Monarchs a 14-10 advantage with 11:06 left in the half as both teams combined for 21 points over a 3:47 span.
FDU took advantage of a King's mistake when forced to punt from the Monarch 43. King's Brian Mitros attempted to field the punt at the Monarch four-yard line, but fumbled the catch and FDU recovered at the three. The Monarch defense would hold and the Devils were again forced to settle for a Mullen field goal, this time from 20 yards, to cut the King's lead to14-13 with 6:50 remaining in the half.
After forcing a King's punt, FDU looked to recapture the lead just before the half as the Devils drove from their own 35-yard line to the Monarch 25. But the King's defense stiffened, forcing a 42-yard field goal on fourth-and-10 with 0:50 on the clock. Mullen's kick, however, was just short as King's clung a 14-13 lead into the halftime break.
The Devils would start off the second half with excellent field position at their own 47 following a King's squib-kick. The Devils used three runs by Brendan Griffin to move the ball to the Monarch 39. But on a fourth-and-four play from the King's 33, Jeffers hooked up with Bukowiec on a short slant and the Devil senior, who appeared to be stopped short of the first down, broke a tackle, changed direction, and raced down the left sideline for a 33-yard score. The Devils attempted a two-pint conversion and Jeffers found Griffin on a screen pass to push the FDU lead to 21-14 with 12:01 remaining in the third quarter.
King's began the ensuing drive at their own 27 and Lavin immediately went to work with a 22-yard pass to Verbitski to the Monarch 49. After a short run, Verbitski picked up another first down with an eight-yard catch at the Devil 39. Lavin then broke a tackle on an option keeper and ran for 10 yards to the FDU 29. After a short run, Lavin scrambled to avoid a sack and picked up 12 yards to the Devil 17. Two plays later FDU was flagged for pass interference, giving King's a first-down at the two-yard line. On third down, Lavin found Verbitski in the left corner of the end zone for a Monarch score. DeRito's point-after kick knotted the score at 21-21 with 7:06 left in the third quarter.
The Devils, though, immediately countered on its next possession when Wells took a second-down carry straight up the middle and raced 55 yards untouched to the King's end zone. Mullen's extra-point kick gave the Devils a 28-21 lead with 6:16 remaining in the third quarter. From there it was the Devil defense that came up big.
Early in the fourth quarter King's would stop a FDU drive and marched 67 yards to the Devil 20. After three straight incomplete passes left King's with a fourth-and-10 play from the 20, the Monarchs attempted a 37-yard field goal. DeRito's kick, however, sailed wide right as the Devils maintained a 28-21 lead with 9:40 left in the contest.
The Monarch defense took its turn coming up with a big play on the Devils' next possession when Justin Zlotek forced a FDU fumble and Eric Fay recovered at the Devil 31, giving the Monarchs a golden opportunity to cash in and tie the game.
After two Claude O'Connor runs advanced the ball to the Devil 19, Lavin added 14 yards on a bootleg, giving King's a first-and-goal from the Devil five. O'Connor would rush for four yards to the one and Lavin was stopped at the line on a quarterback sneak. On third-and-goal, O'Connor was stuffed for no gain, giving King's a fourth-and-goal situation from the Devil one-yard line. From there, King's was flagged for a critical false start penalty, moving the ball back to the FDU six. The Monarchs would bypass the field goal and a pass to Verbitski into the end zone fell incomplete as the Devils took over with 5:17 left in the game.
FDU would pick up two first downs, running 5:00 off the clock before punting and the Monarchs took over at their own 43 with 0:17 left.
After two incomplete passes left 0:07 on the clock, Lavin's Hail Mary pass down the right sideline was intercepted by Dan LaBrutto at the Devil 20 as FDU held on for the victory.
Jeffers, who replaced injured four-year starter Bill Winters, was solid in his first career start, directing the Devil offense to 21 first downs and 432 yards of total offense in the game. Pietrangelo posted a team-best seven catches for 86 yards and one touchdown while Bukowiec added six receptions for 85 yards. Wells finished with 62 yards on eight carries, 55 of the yards coming on his decisive touchdown run, while adding an additional 55 return yards. Griffin added 52 yards on 20 carries while Jeffers 35 rushing yards gave him 285 yards of total offense for the game.
King's, which mustered 313 yards but only 149 in the second half, was led by Verbitski with eight catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Lavin completed 10-of-32 passes for 162 yards while rushing for a team-high81 yards on 12 carries. O'Connor, who entered the game averaging 95 yards per-game, was held to 60 yards on 22 attempts. Mike Selby led the defense with 10 tackles on the day while Mike Schifalacqua added eight.
The Monarchs will wrap up the 2009 season on Saturday when King's hosts Wilkes University in the annual Mayor's Cup game slated for 1:05 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium.
The game will be televised live locally on WQMY-TV MyNet TV on Comcast Cable channel 11 and Service Electric Cable channel 4. The game will also appear on Direct TV and Dish Network channels for WQMY MyNet TV.
