Homecoming at Montclair State is always one of the year's best days. Fans and alumni from all over come to watch the Red Hawks compete in various sports. The biggest game of the day, of course, is the football game and this year, it did not disappoint.
The Red Hawks took the field on Saturday wearing stealth black uniforms. It was a fresh look, especially under the lights. A capacity crowd filled up the Red Hawk side of Sprague Field as Montclair State received the opening kickoff. After Andrew Sanborn hit Zach Lewis for a few completions, Anthony Roige caught a dump pass and took it 48 yards to the endzone, making multiple TCNJ defenders miss. It was a quick 7-0 lead for the Red Hawks not even four minutes in.
The Lions would move down the field on the ensuing possession, making their way into the red zone. After Red Hawk cornerback Sherrod Cooper broke up two throws at the goal line, TCNJ sent out the field goal unit. The kick was blocked by Keyshawn Dixon and scooped up by Jayden Brimage, who took the ball all the way to the house for an 86-yard touchdown.
It was not even midway through the first quarter before the Red Hawks scored touchdowns from their offense and special teams. TCNJ went back on offense, and it did not take long for Montclair State's defense to get on the board. Nicholas Burgess picked off Trevor Bopp and brought it all the back for a pick-six, making it 21-0 Red Hawks.
The defense stood tall once more in the second quarter as Bopp was picked off again. Sanborn and company took over at the TCNJ seven-yard line and cashed in once again on a seven-yard pass to Roige. Clarence Wilkins got involved to end the half scoring on a pass from Sanborn making it 35-0 Red Hawks going into halftime.
After a huge first half, all the Red Hawks had to do was control the ball and the clock in the second half to end the game. They were able to do just that, allowing TCNJ to find the end zone only once during the entire game. Sanborn threw one last touchdown pass to Keyshawn McCurdy in the fourth quarter, and the Red Hawks dominated the Lions 42-7. Sanborn finished the day 20-of-26 for 205 yards and four touchdowns, easily earning Player of the Game honors.
TCNJ fell to 1-3 on the year while Montclair advanced to 2-2 as they travel to Kean next Saturday in a matchup with the 0-4 Cougars.
For more scenes from Montclair State's homecoming win over TCNJ, check out more of Riley Lorenz's images from the game.
