Rowan Owls Upsets Kean Cougars 28-27 in Season Finale for Both Teams

The Kean Cougars hosted the Rowan Owls at Kean University in Elizabeth, NJ on Saturday afternoon. Kean was aiming to finish at .500. Rowan was looking to play spoiler.

Rowan got the ball to start and was having an impressive drive when Zambardino intercepted Quinn Collins’ pass. Unfortunately, Zambardino fumbled and Rowan recovered, giving the Owls the ball back. They would have to settle for a 31-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Rowan would block Kean’s punt on the ensuing drive and take advantage of the very good field position. Anthony Dorio rushed for a two yard score to give the Owls a 10-0 lead. They brought that lead into the second quarter.

Following a Nate Lanier interception in the first quarter, Rowan would score again when Quinn Collins connected with John Mannion for a 12-yard touchdown. They were in command now, up 16-0 following a failed conversion.

Following consecutive turnovers by both teams, Kean got on the board when Charles App found David Patterson on a nine-yard strike.

The Cougars were on the comeback. On the ensuing drive, App found Ben Guarino for a 30 yard score. All of a sudden, it was 16-14. That would be the score at the half.

The lone score in the third, a 33-hard field goal from Marcin Zaldo, gave Kean a 17-16 lead headed into the final quarter. A 34 yard field goal to begin the fourth made it a 20-16 game.

A little over four minutes later, App found Robertson for the second time to make it a 27-16 game. Kean had completely changed the moment at that point.

Rowan wouldn’t go away that easy, however. Naldy Tavarez threw a four yard touchdown to Jamel Smith to close the gap at 27-22.

The Owls would get the ball back with 1:39 left, down five. With just one second left, John Mannion rushed for what would be the game-winning touchdown as Rowan upset Kean by a final score of 29-27. Kean finishes their season at 4-6 while Rowan also finishes at 4-6.