One of the fascinating things about athletics is the bond that develops between players and coaches. When The College of New Jersey football team defeated Franklin & Marshall, 17-13, last week one of the positive things on display was the unity within the Lions. “Our guys didn’t flinch and we had each other’s back,’’ recalled TCNJ coach Eric Jendryaszek. “We had some grown up moments. We did a lot of things good.’’ Running back Jayson Schmidt had a career day with 174 yards rushing, Malin Jasinski caught 13 passes and Brandon Kuse racked up 2.5 sacks and forced two fumbles, which earned him the conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. Quite possibly though the most significant factor was the way the Lions responded when down 13-10 in the third period and then went on a 17-play, eight-minute drive to deny F & M the ball. “Any time you can win against a well-respected program you are going to be excited about it,’’ said Jendryaszek. “When you get win like that it makes it easier to look at the entire performance.  It was awesome to get the win but we haven’t played our best football yet.’’ The Lions (2-0) head to Allentown, Pa., on Saturday to face another storied program in Muhlenberg (1-1). The Mules, who are receiving votes in the Division III polls, are coming off a 59-38 loss to the New Jersey Athletic Conference’s Salisbury. It’ll be a reunion of sorts for Jendryaszek as Nate Milne, the Muhlenberg head coach, was his offensive line coach when he played at Cortland State. “I have a lot of respect for their staff, Coach Milne was my offensive line coach when I was at Cortland,’’ said Jendryaszek. “I know he’s going to have those guys ready to go.’’ The Lions are building confidence each week and will be looking to surprise the Mules. “This is an incredible opportunity for us,’’ said Jendryaszek. “We are going to be in the limelight and we are going to get a chance to show what we can do. This is just another great opportunity for our football team.’’ Through two games The College of New Jersey has shown it’s not a one-trick pony as the running game with Schmidt takes some pressure off quarterback Trevor Bopp and Jasinski has established himself as an extremely talented football player. Over Jasinski’s time at TCNJ he filled a hole in the secondary, competed at the quarterback slot and now has 28 receptions in two games for 291 yards. “He has been awesome for our program,’’ said Jendryaszek, of Jasinski, who played at Shawnee.  “We were so happy when he decided to stay home and we need more of those guys like him stay home.’’ There were so many positive things in the win over Franklin & Marshall the Jendryaszek hopes to rely on them in the future. “There are a lot of things from that game that we are going to have to store and look back on in certain situations,’’ said Jendryaszek. “So when those situations arise we can say we’ve done this before so we can do it.’’ TCNJ Gameday WHO: The College of New Jersey (2-0, 0-0 NJAC) at Muhlenberg (1-1, 0-0 Centennial) WHEN: Saturday at 1 p.m. on Frank Marino Field in Scotty Wood Stadium COACHES: TCNJ’s Eric Jendryaszek (2-0, 1st season ) and Muhlenberg’s Nate Milne (42-9, 5th season) SERIES: Muhlenberg leads the series 6-0, winning last year, 38-10 LAST WEEK: TCNJ defeated Franklin & Marshall, 17-13, Muhlenberg lost to Salisbury, 59-38 SIGNIFICANCE: Snap six-game losing streak to Muhlenberg TCNJ SCOUTING REPORT: The Lions are coming off an impressive effort against Franklin & Marshall that saw all phases of the games rise to the occasion. This will be their toughest test so far this season and this is a game that might come down to the team with the least turnovers. Trevor Bopp has established himself as a top quarterback in the conference, Malin Jasinski and Thomas Burke are two top receivers and Jayson Schmidt is coming off a career day as a running back. The Muhlenberg defense allowed 59 points last weekend and TCNJ should be able to move the ball. The Lions defense will be tested as the Mules are averaging 35.3 points a game. TCNJ has a veteran squad and the leadership by the seniors will be counted on to keep the team focused. MUHLENBURG SCOUTING REPORT: Last week the Mules put up 532 yards of offense and still lost the game allowing 59 points. The offense is led by dual-purpose quarterback Joe Repetti. He leads the team in rushing with 155 yards and has completed 67 percent of his passes. Wide receiver Christopher Ardito has 990 career yards in receptions. The offensive line has some size and does a good job protecting Repetti. If there’s an Achilles Heel it was the defense allowing 59 points and it will need to play better to contain the TCNJ offense. This might turn into a shootout. KEY MATCHUP: TCNJ defensive front against Mules offensive line EXTRA POINTS: The NJAC leads the series with the Centennial Conference 4-3 after the first week. …Bopp has thrown for 586 yards in two games with six touchdowns. …Local players on the Muhlenberg roster, Hunter Ginsberg (Conwell-Egan) and Christopher Rausch Jr. (Pennsbury). …Other NJAC games, Christopher Newport (1-1, 0-0 NJAC) at Gettysburg (1-1, 0-0 Centennial), Kean (0-2, 0-0 NJAC) at Dickinson (1-1, 0-0) Centennial, William Paterson (0-2, 0-0 NJAC) at McDaniel (0-2, 0-0 NJAC), Montclair State (1-0, 0-0 NJAC) at Franklin & Marshall (1-1, 0-0 Centennial), Salisbury (2-0, 0-0 NJAC) at Johns Hopkins (2-0, 0-0 Centennial) and Rowan (2-0, 0-0 NJAC) at Ursinus (2-0, 0-0 Centennial) PREDICTION: Muhlenberg 35, TCNJ 31