By Otto Gomez
Staff Writer
The Lions picked the best day of the year to seal their first victory of their football season. It was an incredible feat. A squad who had only managed 30 points in their first seven games — all losses — exploded for 42 points against the William Paterson University Pioneers on Saturday, Oct. 30.
The game’s theme was the Lion’s overpowering running game, one that ended up with 221 yards on the day. The main centerpiece of the attack was junior running back Chad Scott, who finished the contest with 137 yards on 29 touches.
His noteworthy statistic however, was the fact that he scored four touchdowns. He joined Nate Woodward ‘76, Joe Clifton ‘87, and Jon Hedgepeth ’03 as the only players ever in the 92-year history of the program to rush for four scores in one game. This was nothing that Scott hasn’t thought about, though, as the fact that he eclipsed 100 yards for the third game this season means he has lofty goals ahead of him.
Both teams started sloppy, as they each had trouble holding onto the football. The Lions lost a pair of fumbles and the Pioneers coughed up the ball as well in the first period. The first score came when opposing quarterback James Waldron dropped back for a short pass to his right but Lions Co-captain Shane Kelley anticipated the play and tipped the ball into his arms, securing the interception and returning it back for a 27-yard touchdown, much to excitement of the crowd.
Midway through the second quarter the Lions went up by two scores after Scott punched in a 3-yard run after a long 67-yard drive. After a score from both sides, the half ended with the Lions ahead 21-7.
The team continued to lead in the second half as Scott scored two more times while the Pioneers only responded once. After another rushing touchdown, this time not by Scott, the Lions had pulled away, scoring a total of 42 points in the game, 12 more than they have had all season long combined. On other side of the ball, Kelley finished with a team high seven tackles and a forced fumble to go along with his pick-six.
The Lions visit Southern Virginia University next Saturday and return home for their season finale on Friday, November 11 at 7 p.m. against Rowan University.
