The Rowan University football team opens the 2019 campaign by hosting Widener in a non-conference matchup on September 7, in "Saturday Night Lights", at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium. The Profs went 6-4 (5-4 NJAC) last season while Widener was 4-6 (4-4 MAC).

Fan Info: "Saturday Night Lights", sponsored by Trifecta Therapeutics, will feature a post-game fireworks display. The first 1,000 fans in the stadium will receive a free funnel cake or fried Oreos. There will be a "Fun Zone" for children and a beer garden for patrons 21 and older. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.  General admission is $8 and visiting college students with ID, children and senior citizens are $5.  Children under three years old are free.  Rowan students are admitted free with ID.      

GAME NOTES

WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS

60 Years in the Making
This marks the 60th year of football at Rowan as the program got its start in 1947, when the school was named Glassboro State. The program was discontinued from 1951 to 1962, and then returned as a junior varsity team in 1963, before the varsity program returned in 1964. The school's all-time record is 364-219-8.
 
The Series
This is the seventh all-time meeting between Rowan and Widener and marks the second year in a row that the teams are meeting in their respective season openers. The Profs lead the all-time series, 5-1, and have won four in a row against the Pride, including last year's 41-34 double-overtime victory in Chester, PA.
 
Accorsi at the Helm
Head coach Jay Accorsi enters his 18th season as the head coach of the Profs and his 27th overall and becomes the longest-tenured coach in program history. Accorsi owns the most wins (125) and most games coached (182) while the Profs have posted a record of .500 or better in all but two seasons under his guidance.
 
About the Profs
Rowan went 6-4 in 2018 and returns a trio of All-NJAC players from that squad - senior DE David Gajderowicz, senior WR/KR Elijah Rehm, and junior OL Scott Dunscomb.
 
Flying Starts
The Profs have traditionally started strong under Jay Accorsi and own a 43-17 record in games played during the month of September. There have been only two seasons in which Rowan had a losing record in the season's first month, as it went 1-2 in both 2011 and 2014.
 
Familiar Foes
This will be the 11th straight season that Rowan has played a team from the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) to start the campaign, and the second year in a row that Widener is its opponent. The Profs are 7-3 in the previous 10 games to begin the year.
 
Picking the Profs
Rowan has been picked fifth in the 2019 NJAC Preseason Coaches Poll, with Wesley earning the top spot.
 
Captaining the Profs
The Profs will be led by four captains this season – David Gajderowicz (DE), Nick Grosso (WR), Anthony LaRosa (LB) and Elijah Rehm (WR). Grosso and LaRosa were both high school teammates at Washington Township High School.
 
Early Honors
Senior WR/KR Elijah Rehm was selected to the D3football.com Preseason All-America offense first team as a return specialist while DE David Gajderowicz was named to the Preseason All-America defense second team. In 2018, Rehm was chosen to the D3football.com All-America second team as a return specialist. He was also selected to the NJAC All-Conference first team for special teams and was on the second team offense at wide receiver.  Gajderowicz was a member of the 2018 NJAC All-Conference defense first team and the D3football.com All-East Region second team.
 
Topping the Profs      
Messiah Divine is the leading returning rusher for the Profs, as he averaged 34.9 yards last season. Elijah Rehm topped the team in receiving (50.8 yds) and in kick returns, with an average of 29.4. Rehm was also the squad's leader in all-purpose yards with an average of 156.0.
 
Up Next:
The Profs will host Linfield College on Saturday, September 14 at 2 p.m. at Wackar Stadium. Linfield went 7-2 last year and won its last six games. That matchup will serve as the season opener for the Wildcats, who begin the year ranked 12th in the D3football.com preseason rankings.