WEST LONG BRANCH – Monmouth University won the opening coin toss and elected to receive the ball. That would be as close as Bryant University would get to beating the Hawks on Saturday as Monmouth rolled to a 55-17 victory over the Bulldogs in front of a boisterous Homecoming crowd on a picturesque day at Kessler Stadium.
“I was very pleased with how we came out of the open week,” said Monmouth head coach Keven Callahan. “Sometimes you have a bye week, and it slows your momentum down, and you’re not as sharp as you were heading into it. But we had a good week of work this past week, so there was no doubt in my mind we would be ready for this game.”
The Hawks showcased a balanced attack that shredded the Bryant defense for 584 total yards, including 328 yards rushing and 256 yards through the air.
“We made plays on both sides of the ball,” added Callahan. “We were able to move the ball well on offense, and defensively, we came up with some really big plays at key times. We forced a couple of turnovers and had some key fourth-down stops. All in all, it was an excellent game.”
After rushing for just 49 and 74 yards in their first two games of the season, the Hawks exploded for 242 yards on the ground against Maine in their third game and have rolled out a relentless rushing attack in each game since.
“First of all, that starts with the guys on our offensive line,” said Callahan. “They’re doing a really good job for a group that has four new starters, and they’re really coming along. We have a number of dynamic running backs, including guys like Rodney, Makhi, and Sone. We can put the ball in a number of different players’ hands, and we use the passing game to complement the running game and open people up.”
Saturday, sophomore running back Rodney Nelson had a team-high 101 yards rushing on 16 attempts for a 6.3 yards per carry average. For the season, Nelson has gained 552 yards on the ground on 83 carries for a 6.7 average – sixth in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
Running mate Makhi Green added 63 yards on just five carries (12.6 yards per carry) while graduate running back Sone Ntoh reclaimed the FCS lead in rushing touchdowns, adding four on Saturday, giving him 17 for the season.
“Coach Gallo always preaches we have to be violent and physical whether it’s the running game, the passing game or blocking downfield, and I think we did a good job of that today,” said Ntoh. “I’m very happy and proud of this group and how we bounced back after the bye week.”
Quarterback Derek Robertson engineered the attack to perfection, finishing with a 167.3 quarterback rating. He completed 22-of-29 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Robertson entered the game leading the CAA in passing efficiency, passing yardage, and passing touchdowns.
The Hawks offense scored on 7-of-8 chances in the red zone, converted 6-of-10 third-down plays, and were 1-for-1 on fourth-down plays. That’s how you win football games.
“That’s something we put a lot of emphasis on and something we almost practice daily,” said Callahan of the team’s success in the red zone and on third-down conversions. “We had a lot of different players contribute in those situations today, and the more we can spread the ball around, the more explosive we can be on offense, and the harder it is for defenses to zero in on any one guy.”
Senior wideout T.J. Speight had seven receptions for 51 yards, including two touchdowns, and added a spectacular 64-yard touchdown run on a reverse.
The Hawks ever-improving defense played its best game of the season. They didn’t allow a Bryant touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, long after the starting unit, which was mercifully removed early in the fourth quarter, had taken a seat. The starting unit held Bryant’s offense, which entered the game ranked second to Monmouth in the CAA in passing yardage, to under 200 total yards and held Bryant to a 5-for-14 conversion rate on third downs.
“I think it might’ve been,” said Callahan when asked if he thought it was the defenses best game of the year. “Some of the points they got were off a special teams score and against guys who haven’t to much football this year, but overall I was very happy with the way the defense performed out there. We hustled, we ran to the ball and we got off the field on third down and we came up with some timely turnovers.”
Senior linebacker Remi Johnson had four tackles (three solo), a sack and two tackles for loss to spearhead the defensive effort.
“You gain a lot of experience when you open the season against a nationally recognized program like Eastern Washington,” said Johnson when discussing the defense’s progress. “I think the defense has matured years in only a few weeks. The defense is playing amazing right now and doing a great job and we’re really only scratching the surface of what we can do.”
Defensive tackle Joe Loiseau and end Miles Mitchell added sacks as well.
Sophomore cornerback Isreal Clark-White had a team-high seven tackles (five solo), two quarterback hits, a pass breakup and an interception at the Hawks one-yard line that he returned 65 yards to the Bryant 34-yard line. Five plays later, backup quarterback Frankie Servino found Speight in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to put the finishing touches on the Hawks’ 55-17 victory.
Senior safety Justin Bannon also had an interception that led to a touchdown late in the third quarter. Senior defensive tackle Isaiah Rogers pressured Bryant quarterback Myer Brennan on the play and Bannon made the pick at the Bryant 34-yard line.
On first down, sophomore wideout Josh Derry went 31 yards on a reverse, and two plays later, Ntoh ran it in from a yard out for his fourth touchdown of the game, pushing the score to 48-10 at the time. Derry also had seven receptions for 83 yards.
Monmouth went 86 yards on 11 plays on the game’s opening drive to take a quick 7-0 lead. The Hawks drive, led by Robertson, was so precise that they never even faced a third-down play on the drive. Ntoh finished off the drive with a five-yard run up the middle.
Bryant’s Keylijah Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the Hawks 41-yard line, but Monmouth’s defense turned Bryant’s offense over on downs at the Monmouth 36-yard line, and on the next play, Speight took a handoff on a double reverse 64 yards for the score and a 14-0 lead.
Following a Bryant punt, Monmouth went 57 yards in six plays to take a 21-0 lead with 2:17 left in the first quarter. On third-and-8 from the Bryant 37-yard line, Robertson connected with Derry for a 36-yard completion down to the one-yard line. Ntoh then took a direct snap in for the score, his second of the game.
Williams then returned Monmouth’s ensuing kick 86 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Hawks’ lead to 21-7 with 4:18 left in the first quarter.
Monmouth answered on its ensuing possession, driving 59 yards in five plays to push its lead to 27-7 with 8:25 left in the half after a missed extra-point kick by Michael Calton Jr., who also missed a chip shot 25-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Tra Neal finished off the drive with a 16-yard touchdown catch, his fourth of the season, from Robertson.
The Hawks’ special team’s unit had a rough outing, particularly in kickoff coverage. They gave up 289 yards on returns and missed an extra point and field goal.
On Bryant’s five first-half possessions, the Hawks defense forced three punts and two turnovers on downs, including a goal-line stand where Rogers stopped Bryant running back Ryan Clark on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line before the Bulldogs put together a 10-play, 27-yard drive that resulted in a 41-yard field goal to pull with 27-10 right before the half.
Monmouth’s defense forced a Bryant three-and-out on their first possession of the second half and following a punt that pinned the Hawks back at their own seven-yard line, the Hawks went 93 yards in 14 plays to take a 35-10 lead. Green had a nifty 35-yard jaunt on the drive before Ntoh ran it in from five yards out on the 14th play of the drive.
The Hawks scored on all four of their possessions in the second half and held Bryant to a meaningless touchdown with 2:13 left in the game, long after the starters were removed.
Late in the third quarter, Robertson and Speight hooked up for a seven-yard touchdown, increasing Monmouth’s lead to 41-10.
Monmouth has now won four of its last five games. Its only blemish during the streak is a one-score loss to Delaware, which is transitioning to the FBS level next season, in a game they had a chance to win late.
Stay tuned. As we head into the final stretch of the season, things are starting to get really interesting.
