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EWING – The slow start for TCNJ Lions Football (0-2) has not been without plenty of positives to take away, especially with what appears to be an improved offense over the last few seasons under Coach Wayne Dickens.
They look to finally put the pieces together against NJAC rival Kean University (1-0) today at noon, an opponent the Lions have had recent success against in conference play, winning the last two and three out of five. This will be TCNJ’s second straight home game at Lions Stadium, and they are in the middle of a four game home-stand that Dickens believes can give them traction in upcoming weeks.
“This week’s game is significant to our program to avoid going 0-3 into our bye week,” Dickens said. “We were in two close games the last two weeks, coming out on the losing end in both. We need to get the taste of winning,”
Last season, in front of a sparse Ewing crowd, the Lions picked up their second and final win of the season against the visiting Cougars, defeating them 20-10, with Kean’s only touchdown coming in the late seconds of a no-longer-important fourth quarter. The Lions led throughout and dominated.
Dickens, however, is not willing to say that this gives his team an advantage against a revamped Kean offense led by running back Damian Corredor and dual-threat quarterback Tyler Rodriguez, who ran for 86 yards and threw for 190 in the Cougars’ opening-week win at home against Bridgewater State.
“This year’s teams are significantly different for both schools,” said Dickens. “There is no edge based on the recent history.”
For The College of New Jersey, however, its hope perhaps comes more from the aforementioned offense, which has mustered a respectable 25 points per game in its two losses. Last week, the scoring attack was driven by senior running back Victor Scalici, an embattled starter who missed six games last year with injuries.
In the home opener against FDU-Florham, Scalici had 94 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, a strong return for the running back. He will be available for today’s contest, and Dickens does not expect there to be a loosening of his workload.
“The ball’s not that heavy,” said Dickens. “He’ll continue to have a similar workload for the remainder of the season.”
Other notable storylines for the Lions are the emergence of NJAC Defensive Rookie of the week, linebacker Kevin Hennelly, who has 20 total tackles through two games, and the improving play of quarterback Michael Marchesano, who now averages 214 yards per game through the air.
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