EPHRAIM, Utah, November 12, 2022 – The Mustangs' defense made its presence known in front of a national audience on Saturday, as the Monroe College football team took on No. 5 Snow College at Terry Foote Stadium in the NJCAA Game of the Week on ESPN+. The defense took the ball away five times in the game, but it was ultimately not enough to upset the highly ranked Badgers, who picked up a 34-14 win. The Mustangs fall to 3-5 overall, while the Badgers improve to 7-2 as they make a push for the NJCAA Football Playoff.
 
The Mustangs nearly caught a break on the game's opening kickoff when Snow returner Deuce Roberson had the ball jarred loose, but the Badgers were able to get it back and start the first drive of the day. A 20-yard completion from Daisean Cash to Elijah Ervin put the Badgers in Monroe territory. The Mustangs had Snow down to 4th-and-5, but Cash was able to find Ervin again for a 12-yard game to convert. On 2nd-and-6 from the 11, Carsen Manooken took a handoff to the left side and went untouched to the end zone to put the Badgers ahead, 7-0.
 
Midway through the second quarter, both teams started to get a little sloppy with the football. On a 3rd-and-3, Mason Boothe dumped off a screen to Justin McDuffie, but the ball came loose on the tackle and Snow recovered to start a drive on Monroe's half of the field.
 
A 37-yard catch for Ervin put the Badgers in the red zone. Fahsul Faison then took the handoff to the right and hit the edge, but Michel Lucien chased him down and punched the ball loose from behind, sending the ball across the goal line and out of bounds for a touchback to get the ball back for Monroe. However, three plays later, Boothe was stripped on a sack, allowing Snow to take over once again. Two plays after that, Dionte Davis was wide open in broken coverage for a 30-yard touchdown pass from Cash, pushing the home team's lead to 14-0.
 
After the Mustangs were held off the board on the next drive, the defense made a play to get the ball back. On second down, Jeffery Wilson jumped the route and picked off Cash, giving the offense the ball on Snow's 43-yard line. However, a big penalty on the drive cost the Mustangs precious yardage, forcing them to turn it over on downs, eventually resulting in the game going to the half with Snow ahead, 14-0.
 
The Mustangs went three-and-out to open the second half, but once again, the defense stepped up to the plate. Two plays into Snow's possession, the Mustangs knocked the ball loose from Manookin and fell on it, which the refs confirmed after a long discussion, giving Monroe the ball Snow's 30. After a delay of game penalty on Monroe, the Mustangs took their shot and connected. Mason Boothe stepped back and lobbed one up down the left sideline, where Jamarii Robinson separated himself from the defender and grabbed it just inside the pylon for a 35-yard touchdown, getting the Mustangs back in the game at 14-7 with 11:58 still left in the third quarter.
 
The defense continued an excellent effort two plays into Snow's next series. Cash tried to throw it to the sideline, where JayShawn Hardy dove and grabbed it before it could hit the ground, once again bringing ball back to Monroe.
 
On 3rd-and-10, Boothe dumped it off to Ernest Blackshear, who looked to be stopped, but he managed to break free from a few defenders and scamper down the sideline for 14 yards and a new set of downs. The Mustangs were then held on Snow's 17-yard line and forced to kick. Sebastian Aranda's 34-yard attempt was blocked by Snow, keeping the Mustangs from getting closer to the Badgers.
 
A few minutes into the fourth quarter, the Mustang defense forced a fourth down on their own 25-yard line. The Badgers chose to go for it, and he tossed one up to the back of the end zone, finding Davis, who managed to get his feet down in bounds for the score. The Badgers attempted to go for two, but the Mustangs made the stop, leaving the score at 20-7 with 12:16 left in the fourth.
 
The Mustangs pushed the ball into Snow territory on ensuing drive, but Boothe was picked off over the middle. On the very next play, Jessiah Gildersleeve chased down Cash and knocked the ball out on a sack, once again giving the ball back to the offense. Just two plays later, Boothe found Sean Bell Jr. streaking across the back of the end zone for a 10-yard score, getting the Mustangs back within one score at 20-14 with 9:41 still left on the clock.
 
The Badgers responded well after the Mustang score. A facemask penalty on the Mustangs helped move Snow down to Monroe's 30. A 10-yard run by Manookin put the Badgers in the redzone. Taylor Larsen then snuck down the sideline on a wheel route and was steps away from the endzone with nobody close to him, allowing Cash to hit him for the 20-yard score, pushing Snow's lead back up to 13 points at 27-14 with 8:14 to go.
 
Two drives later, the Badgers put together a long drive to run off most of the clock. On the seventh play of the drive, Manookin took the snap in the wildcat formation, pushing through the line to reach the goal line for a 14-yard touchdown run, making it a 33-14 lead for Snow with just 2:47 left.
 
Nareece Wright and Quentin Hunter-Colvin matched for a team-high 11 tackles in Saturday's game, with Wright making three tackles for loss. Lucien also made 10 tackles, while Trei Dansby made six tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Jonah Kurker made five tackles and a sack. Nazaiah Paul had a pair of pass breakups in the game.
 
Boothe completed 18 passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the game. Robinson led the team with 92 yards, adding a 35-yard touchdown to go with his four receptions. Bell made four catches for 49 yards and a score. Blackshear ran the ball 14 times for 35 yards in the game, but was effective in the passing game, making a team-high five receptions for 63 yards.
 
Saturday's game was selected as the NJCAA Game of the Week, a new feature from the NJCAA this season after a new partnership with ESPN. Saturday's game was broadcast on ESPN+, ESPN's live streaming service. ESPN+ will continue to partner with the NJCAA throughout the year, broadcasting the NJCAA Football Playoff matchups, numerous NJCAA basketball games, and many NJCAA Championships.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 11 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs). Read Full Article