Brandon Kuse had one of those games most football players can only dream about. The College of New Jersey’s senior defensive lineman had five total tackles, including 2.5 sacks for a 14-yard loss and a pair of forced fumbles, when the Lions defeated Franklin & Marshall in the second game of the season. “That was an awesome experience,’’ said Kuse, of the career day. “Especially since I didn’t put up the stats I wanted last year and being able to contribute to my team and get us a win was nice. It was awesome experience.’’ After a wild game with Muhlenberg — a 55-52 loss in which TCNJ nearly completed a remarkable comeback only to have a field goal blocked as time expired — the Lions (2-1, 0-0 NJAC) are back on the Lions Stadium turf on Saturday at 3 p.m. against Montclair State (2-1, 0-0 NJAC) in the first game of the New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule. “Things have been great and we are coming off a bye week,’’ added Kuse, who played his high school ball at Freehold Twp. “We’ve had a close group of guys and we know what the standard is for this team. This has been the best team I have been a part of and I know what we are capable of and this week will define the start to conference play and hopefully it’ll set the tone for the NJAC.’’ TCNJ first-year coach Eric Jendryaszek has a little trepidation, though. “Coming off a bye week can be both a blessing and a challenge,’’ Jendryaszek stated. “On one hand, it provides players with much-needed rest and recovery, which can be crucial for maintaining performance throughout the season. On the other hand, there can be concerns about losing momentum or rhythm, especially if the team was performing well before the break.’’ This is a veteran group and one that should be able to respond. “It’s important for our team to stay focused, maintain their game plan, and come back ready to compete,’’ said Jendryaszek. “Hopefully we have emphasized the need to stay sharp and use the time to prepare thoroughly for the upcoming opponent.’’ One of the positives that came from the shootout with Muhlenberg was TCNJ’s ability to recover from a 41-17 deficit with 5:35 left in the third period. “It showed the resilience of our team and the fact we are not going to quit.’’ declared Kuse. “I couldn’t believe it as the offense kept scoring and I said we have to get some stops because we are still in this game. It was a great learning experience for us.’’ Kuse, who is a biology major and a two-sport athlete competing in the throws on the track and field team, is looking toward a chiropractic career and one of the lessons he’s been forced to learn has been time management. “My freshman year there was a big adjustment finding the balance between football and academics,’’ recalled Kuse. “It was difficult. What has helped has been allotting time and not allowing myself to get stressed out.’’ Keeping away from stress on the field, Kuse has been working on focus and preparation. “I’ve been working on my mindset and trusting my preparation throughout the week and trust my ability to execute and play with more confidence,’’ said Kuse. “I want to have the approach that Micah Parsons brings to the field. It’s a never satisfied mindset and I try to embody that and bring that into when I’m playing.’’ Both Kuse and Jendryaszek know those attributes are going to be important against the Red Hawks. “I think one of the big things is they played Last week against a good Union football team and we didn’t play against anyone,’’ stated Jendryaszek. “So they had another opportunity to test things out and continue to find their Identity. Montclair State is one of those teams that is going to demand your very best, because of how they are coached. MSU has always been a tough and physical team.’’ The TCNJ defense has been allowing 26.7 points per game, but Kuse believes it’s up for the challenge. “The defense is still the strongest part of the team and that has been the backbone of this team for years,’’ Kuse said. “Against Muhlenberg, we just didn’t do our part and it was a rude awakening  and we have to learn to adapt and keep improving throughout the year.’’ No better place to start then against Montclair State. TCNJ Gameday WHO: The College of New Jersey (2-1l, 0-0 NJAC) vs Montclair State (2-1, 0-0 NJAC ) WHEN: Saturday at 3 p.m. in Lions Stadium at 3 p.m. COACHES: TCNJ’s Eric Jendryaszek (2-1, 1st season ) and Mike Palazzo (7-6, 2nd season) SERIES: Montclair State leads the series, 56-32-2, including a 42-7 win in 2023 LAST WEEK: TCNJ is coming off a bye week, Montclair State defeated Union 17 – 15 17-13. SIGNIFICANCE: First conference game of the season TCNJ SCOUTING REPORT: The Lions put up 688 yards of offense the last time out against Muhlenberg and this has been an amazing offensive team to this point and it should continue against Montclair State. The Lions are averaging 34.3 points a game and churning out 539.3 yards of offense each game. Can it continue is the question? Trevor Bopp has been nothings short of exceptional with 1,139 yards passing in three games for 11 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 120 attempts. The running game with Jayson Schmidt has come alive and Malin Jasinski leads in receptions with 36 for 541 yards and four touchdowns. Justin Kurc leads the defense with 21 tackles and Jack Young has 20. Shootouts like the one at Muhlenberg are exciting, just not sustainable. This is usually a low scoring game, but not with the TCNJ offense. MONTCLAIR STATE SCOUTING REPORT: Since the Red Hawks were the only NJAC game last weekend they swept the Player of the Week honors with sophomore back Chris Arnold the offensive honor, Nicholas Burgess was the Defensive Player of the Week and Michael Fitzpatrick got the special teams honor. As a team they do a good job of limiting damage through the air and that stat will be tested against TCNJ. Hopewell Valley’s Henry Lewis leads the rushing attack and Aiden McLaughlin has done a good job under center and he has only been picked off once. If the Red Hawks are going to pull off the upset it’s going to happen because of the defense. Burgess, a senior linebacker, leads the conference in tackles with 29 and the secondary is going to have to get pressure on Bopp and make some big plays. KEY MATCHUP: TCNJ passing attack against MSU secondary. EXTRA POINTS: Bopp, who was the Player of the Week after the Muhlenberg game has thrown for 4,669 career yards and that is third best all-time and he has thrown for 35 touchdown passes. … The Lions are first in the nation in passing offense with 379.7 yards a game and Jasinski is the best in the country in receiving yards with 541. …TCNJ’s Jayson Schmidt leads the NJAC in rushing with 127 yards a game. …The Lions are seventh in the nation in fumbles recovered with five. …Local Player on Red Hawks, Colin Henderson (Hamilton West), Greg Casimir (Steinert), Henry Lewis (Hopewell Valley). …Other NJAC games this week, Rowan (2-1, 0-0 NJAC) at No. 22 Johns Hopkins (2-1, 0-0 Centennial) on Friday, then on Saturday, William Paterson (1-2, 0-0 NJAC)  at Kean (0-3, 0-0 NJAC), Christopher Newport (2-1, 0-0 NJAC) at No. 13 Salisbury (3-0, 0-0 NJAC), PREDICTION: TCNJ 31, Montclair State 20