NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Fueled by 376 yards on the ground, a pair of return touchdowns and another lockdown performance by the defense, the No. 17 Monroe College football team finished up its four-game road stand to start the season with a 58-0 victory at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology on Saturday at Bevilacqua Stadium. The Mustangs improve to 4-0 with the win, while Stevens drops to 3-1.
Three different running backs rushed for more than 90 yards in Saturday’s win. Makiya Caesar totaled 98 yards on 15 carries and scored on a 23-yard run in the first quarter. Malique Merchant rushed for 91 yards on nine carries, and capped off the win with a 36-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Tyler Bailey rushed nine times for 90 yards, and also caught two passes. From the quarterback position, Jalen Brown rushed seven times for 57 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown in the third. Rasheed Martin added 45 yards on four carries.
Special teams were also showcased in Saturday’s win, especially by returner Dejohn Rogers. Rogers opened the scoring in Saturday’s contest with an 82-yard punt return touchdown to quickly put the Mustangs up, 6-0. He later took the opening kickoff of the second half 87 yards to the house to make it a 41-point lead for the Mustangs right at the top of the third quarter.
Quarterback Sean Kelly went 10-of-22 for 95 yards, throwing a pair of touchdowns and rushing for another. Brown went 5-for-5 for 40 yards in the air.
Nyjaliek Williams made the most of his two receptions, hauling in an 11-yard touchdown from Kelly in the first, and another from four yards out in the third. Aaron Lewis made four catches for 58 yards, while Tyler Hodge had three receptions for 20 yards. Shea Holbrook made a 17-yard catch, while Shawn McFarland had one for 10 yards. Merchant added two receptions for 11 yards.
On defense, LeAndro DeBrito registered his first interception of the season. Tyrik Glenn forced a fumble on a rush behind the line of scrimmage, while Jeremy Perry was able to jump on it and recover it for the Mustangs. Perry also made four tackles and a tackle for loss in the win. Richard Butler came up with a pair of tackles for loss, while Gene Brown picked up a sack. Clayton Glasco also made three tackles, including one for a loss of yards. Quasim Butcher also registered a tackle behind the line of scrimmage in the win.
The Mustangs are finally set for their 2017 home opener, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Joseph F. Fosina Field at City Park in New Rochelle. The Mustangs will host the New Jersey Warriors on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.