Kean football storms past Western Connecticut in Homecoming win

By Raymond Gurbisz

 

The Kean University football team put on a thrilling show in their 58-7 blowout win over Western Connecticut State University, giving fans and students who attended something to enjoy during the Cougars’ homecoming game.

The Cougars have won their last three games after dropping the first two of the 2012 season. At 3-0 in conference play, the Cougars kept their hot streak alive by giving the Colonials their fifth straight loss of the start of the season.

Star running back Darius Kinney rushed for over 200 yards for the third straight week, while also punching in two touchdowns. Junior quarterback Christian Bailoni completed 10 of 14 passes for 171 yards, three of those going for touchdowns

The Cougars were on the board early, jumping to a 6-0 lead when junior Sean McKee scored off a 36-yard touchdown run. But the Cougars failed to convert on the extra point. The Colonials quickly answered with a touchdown of their own, getting the ball all the way down to one-yard line and pounding it across the goal line with junior Octavius McKoy.

Down 7-6, the Cougars put the ball in Kinney’s hands, as he ran in a five-yard touchdown, concluding a six-play 54-yard drive to end the Colonials’ only lead of the game. The remaining time left in the first half seemed to go all in the Cougars’ favor.

The Cougars scored three more times to make it 31-7 before halftime. McKee took one into the end zone for a second time off a 10-yard run, putting the Cougars up 21-7. Kinney then caught a 32-yard screen pass from Bailoni for a touchdown, a drive that was set up by an interception by senior Chris VanFechtmann. Junior kicker Bill Cullen tacked on a 45-yard field goal that sailed through the uprights with just over a minute left in the second quarter.

The Cougars carried their momentum into the second half, not allowing the Colonials to put any more points on the board. Junior Chris Johnson wound up scoring two touchdowns in the second half, while senior teammate Louis Haynes caught a 52-yard touchdown ball from Bailoni. Kinney also broke an impressive 87-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Cougars have to be happy after their large-margin homecoming win. The 58 points marked the most in a single game for any Kean football team since 1992, when the team put up 70 points in a victory over Salisbury. Aside from the offense, the Cougar defense should also be satisfied with their efforts in the homecoming win after forcing the Colonial offense to make four turnovers.

It will be interesting to see if the Cougars’ offense can keep rolling. One thing that is certain for the Cougars, however, is that if the offense can keep up their current play, things certainly will come a lot easier against the tough upcoming opponents.

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