Football

Football Named November Team of the Month

The Kean University Football team has been selected as November's Team of the Month. In three games, the Cougars recorded a 2-1 record, claiming the 2006 Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast Bowl Championship.

Kean opened the month with their final regular season home game against New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent Western Connecticut State University on November 4th. The Cougars cruised to an easy 34-6 victory and in the process completed their regular season home schedule with a perfect 4-0 record. Junior quarterback A. J. Roque (Matawan, N.J.) threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one more. Junior tailback Anthony Stewart (Atlantic City, N.J.) rushed for 71 yards on eight carries. Defensively for the Cougars, senior William Parks (Newark, N.J.) recorded seven total tackles, including two sacks for 14 yards and three tackles for a loss. Sophomore George Williams (Matawan, N.J.) had six tackles and a pass breakup. In a relatively fast-moving game that lasted just two hours and twenty minutes, neither team had a turnover.

The Cougars only loss of the month came at the hands of The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J. on November 11th. The College of New Jersey scored twice in the fourth quarter to slip past visiting Kean, 14-10. Roque bounced back from a quiet first half to finish the game with 185 passing yards hitting on 13-of-32 attempts with Durell Dukes (Elizabeth, N.J.) on the receiving end of four of those passes for 112 yards and touchdown.

After a two day waiting game, the Cougars were selected as one of 12 teams to participate in six ECAC Bowl Championships. Kean took on King's College (Pa.) and shut them out to finish with their best record in 12 years at 7-4. The 37-0 victory also capped a perfect home record in 2006 (5-0). Dukes had 171 yards receiving, including two TD's, while also gaining 84 yards on the ground to garner Most Outstanding Player honors for the game. Kean dominated statistically in the game out gaining the Lions 505 to 163. The 171 yards receiving by Dukes was the third highest in school history. Roque completed just 8-of-14 passes for 225 yards. Freshman Jared Chunn (Eatontown, N.J.) had 53 yards rushing on seven carries; Stewart finished the game with 10 carries for 51 yards, while Brian Williams (Pleasantville, N.J.) added 46 yards on nine carries. Defensively for the Cougars, Parks made nine solo tackles, including two sacks. Sophomore Jake Pew (Sussex, N.J.) made seven stops, while George Williams added seven tackles and one pass defended.