10/5/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Falcons were dominant on both sides of the ball from start to finish, whipping the Monroe University Mustangs, 44-13, at PenFed Field at Scranton Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening.
 
The #11 Falcons (4-2) had 370 yards of offense, while holding Monroe (2-3) to -19 yards rushing and a miserable 2-for-18 on third down. Quarterback Bryan Johnson (Woodbury, NJ) accounted for four touchdowns, two passing and two running, and Lackawanna put up 181 yards rushing and averaged 4.2 yards per carry in the victory.
 
Lackawanna put together an opening drive that went 12 plays and shaved nearly five minutes off the clock, capping things with a one-yard run for Johnson to take a 7-0 lead. The Falcons doubled that lead later in the quarter, when Johnson found receiver Daryl Harper (Montgomery Village, MD) on the left side, as Harper scampered 15 yards for the score to make it 14-0.
 
Kicker Keegan Hughes (Scranton, PA) kicked the first of three field goals on the day from 35-yards out in the second quarter to make it 17-0, then the Falcons scored again six minutes later. A bad snap on fourth down gave Lackawanna the ball at the Monroe 38. On third-and-four from the 32, a potential offsides penalty gave the Falcons a free play, and Johnson lofted a pass down the right sideline, where Carmelo Taylor (Roanoke, VA) hauled it in for a touchdown to make it 24-0, Lackawanna.
 
Monroe eventually got on the board with a 24-yard score with 4:41 to go in the half, but Chris Campanelli (Kenoza Lake, NY) blocked the extra point to keep it at 24-6. Lackawanna had two more possessions in the half, both ending in Hughes field goals from 40 and 25 yards away, helping the Falcons hold a 30-6 lead at the break.
 
Lackawanna scored on its first drive in the second half, when Johnson held on to the ball on the read, ripping it away from his running back and jetting 29 yards up the middle of the field for the score, making it 37-6, Falcons.
 
Monroe scored on its next possession, hitting a 63-yard touchdown pass to make it 37-13, but the game ground to a halt, offensively, from that point, as neither squad could do anything with the football. Lackawanna got an interception from Nyair Graham (Camden, NJ) that was set to put the Falcons at the Monroe nine-yard line, but a penalty pushed the line of scrimmage back to the 24. Then, another penalty later in the drive pushed the Falcons out of field goal range, forcing Lackawanna to punt from the opponents' 39-yard line. Later, another Lackawanna drive stalled out at the Monroe 39, forcing a punt in plus territory again.
 
Lackawanna scored on its next drive, covering 54 yards in seven plays and getting a touchdown on a Galamama Mulbah (Fairless Hills, PA) one yard run that made it 44-13, ending the scoring for the night.
 
Johnson finished 11-for-23 for 187 yards and two touchdowns through the air, then ran for an additional 59 yards and two scores. Maurice Edwards (Mundelein, IL) ran 19 times for 72 yards, while Mulbah rumbled for 42 yards and a score. Taylor had two catches for 50 yards and a score, while Harper had three grabs for 42 yards and a touchdown. Carrington Nickens-Yzer (Centreville, VA) led the receivers with four catches for 80 yards.
 
Defensively, Lackawanna had eleven tackles-for-loss and three sacks. Andrew Marshall (Carroll, OH) had eight tackles and three tackles-for-loss, along with two sacks. Patrick Body, Jr. (Monroeville, PA) had five tackles, while Damonte Foreman (Elizabeth City, NC) had five tackles and a tackle-for-loss.
 
The Falcons are 4-2 entering their bye week. They get back to action on Saturday, October 19^th, when they are set to host Sussex County Community College. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm ET at PenFed Field at Scranton Memorial Stadium, and it will be Homecoming for Lackawanna College.