NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 7, 2019 – Fueled by a 35-0 halftime lead, the No. 15-ranked Monroe College Mustangs football team was triumphant in an NJCAA Top-20 battle against No. 19 Nassau Community College by a score of 52-27 Saturday afternoon at Joseph F. Fosina Field. The Mustangs improve to 2-0 on the season with the win, while Nassau drops to 1-1.
 
The Mustangs were equally impressive on both offense and defense in the big win. Fresh off a five-touchdown performance a week ago, quarterback Dominique Shoffner completed 22-of-32 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing nine times for 39 yards and another score.
 
Clayton Scott carried the ball 21 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns, adding three receptions for 24 yards. Halim Dixon-King had a big day, catching four passes for a game-high 97 yards and two scores. Lucas Nunez made five receptions for 86 yards, while Jevin Frett and Idrissa Nikiema both came down with touchdowns in the win.
 
On the defensive side, Jahron Gayle dominated in the trenches, registering three sacks for a total loss of 20 yards, and had five total tackles on the day. Emmanuel Appiah-Tahkyi matched last week's two-interception performance with another two picks in Saturday's win. Appiah-Tahkyi also broke up two more passes and made three tackles.
 
Devin Love, Jamelle Ryals and Nadir Pineda all picked up a sack in the game. The Mustangs registered 13 total tackles for loss, including two from each of Heath Stephen II and Ryals. In addition to three tackles on the day, Charles Amankwaa also blocked an extra point in the fourth quarter and returned it all the way for a score to give the Mustangs two points on the play.
 
The Mustangs did not waste much time getting on the board in Saturday's contest. On their first drive, they went on a four-play, 61-yard drive, including a 41-yard touchdown run by Scott, for an early 7-0 lead. On their next possession, they went another 82 yards on just six plays. Shoffner hit Dixon-King for a 43-yard completion during the drive, and capped it off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Dixon-King to make it a 14-0 game.
 
Just seconds into the second quarter, Shoffner rushed it in from a yard out to push the lead to 21 points. Later in the second, Nassau quarterback Stephen Sanchez threw a backward pass on a screen play that hit the ground, allowing D'Andre Satchell to scoop it up and get the ball back for the Mustangs on Nassau's 19-yard line. Shortly after, Shoffner connected with Dixon-King once again for another score to make it a 28-0 lead for Monroe.
 
Nassau was putting a drive together and was bailed out in Mustang territory by a pass interference call. On the next play, Appiah-Tahkyi intercepted Sanchez in the corner of the end zone to keep the Lions off the board and bring it back to Monroe. The Mustangs responded with an 80-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 10-yard pass from Shoffner to Frett, to make it a 35-0 lead just seconds before halftime.
 
The Mustangs received the kickoff to open the second half. They moved a little slower on the drive, taking 12 plays to go 75 yards, but it resulted in a two-yard touchdown run for Scott. The ensuing extra point was blocked, but the Mustangs still pushed their lead to 41-0.
 
On the first play of Nassau's next drive, Appiah-Tahkyi took it away again from Sanchez once again, setting up the Mustangs on Nassau's 15-yard line. With the second-team offense on the field, the Mustangs could not move the ball, settling for a 24-yard field goal by Nikiema to take a 44-0 edge midway through the third quarter.
 
Nassau responded with an 11-play, 75 yard drive that ended in a two-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Jaelin Hood for the Lions' first points of the day. On the next drive, the Mustangs were once again unable to get anything going, and a muffed snap on the punt saw the Mustangs turn the ball over on downs on their own 35-yard line. The Lions took advantage with another touchdown to make it a 44-14 game.
 
Nassau attempted an onside kick, recovering the ball on the play to start another drive. Three plays and 33 yards later, the Lions scored on another touchdown pass by Sanchez to make it a 44-21 score.
 
The Lions attempted their third onside kick of the day on the next kickoff, once again recovering after kicking it off a Mustang blocker. The Lions drove for another touchdown on the drive, but the extra point was blocked and returned by Amankwaa, leaving the score at 46-27 in favor of Monroe.
 
The Mustangs elected to bring their first-team offense back on the field to try and ice the game. They succeeded in doing so, driving 43 yards on six plays and completing a 12-yard touchdown pass from Shoffner to Nikiema. The snap on the extra point was botched, but the Mustangs made it a 52-27 game, which eventually proved to be the final score.
 
As a team, the Mustangs totaled 488 yards of offense, while holding the Lions to 266 yards. The Mustang defense held the Lions to -41 yards rushing, while the Mustangs totaled 151 yards on the ground. Monroe picked up 28 first downs in the win, while holding the Lions to just 16.
 
The Mustangs get a week off before hitting the road for the first time this season on Sunday, Sept. 22, when they will take on Delaware Valley University JV in Doylestown, Pa. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).