The football team traveled to Sacred Heart on Saturday and defeated the Pioneers 3117. Monmouth improved to 43 on the season, 31 in the Northeast Conference. The Hawks stayed perfect on the road, sporting a 40 record away from Kessler Field. Sacred Heart fell to 43 on the season, 22 in the NEC.
Monmouth had a huge second half to secure the win in this game. At the half, the Blue and White led 107. They went on to score three second half touchdowns and cruise to a 14point win over the Pioneers.
The Hawks relied heavily on the run. Running back Julian Hayes carried the ball 25 times for 84 yards and three touchdowns. All three touchdowns for Hayes came in the second half, when the team needed to rally. He was able to score from eight, four, and 15 yards away.
This is the second week in a row that Hayes carried a heavy workload. Last week against Bryant, he carried 32 times. Hayes also scored three touchdowns in that game.
As a team, MU carried the ball 41 times. Despite being able to gain 133 yards rushing, the time of possession was just about even.
Craig Peterson started at quarterback in this contest. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 192 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Neal Sterling and Mitchell Pollard both had good games. Combined, the two accounted for seven catches and 111 yards. Justin Pandorf had two catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.
The defense was bringing pressure all game. Pioneers’ quarterback Tim Little was sacked six times. Eric Macik led the defense with two sacks. Brad Harris, Chris Luma, Mike Upham, and Austin Kugler also contributed to the sack count.
The defense also forced a few turnovers. Steve Barroso and Patrick Gray each recorded interceptions. Ian Simon was able to recover a loose ball and give the Hawks possession.
“I have to credit our defensive line for the pressure that they were able to put on their quarterback and that certainly made coverage a lot of easier,” said Head Coach Kevin Callahan. “We knew that they were an explosive offense that put up a lot of points and yards a week ago so we knew it was going to be a four-quarter game. I was really proud on the ways our guys continued to play hard and take control of the second half.”
The Hawks defense was also rock hard against the run. The
Pioneers tried to run the ball 30 times. They managed only 40 yards, a miniscule 1.3 yards per carry.
Monmouth is in sole possession of third place in the NEC. At 31, they trail Duquesne (41) and Albany (40) in the standings. Monmouth plays both of these teams at home in the next three weeks. Winning these two games would put the Hawks in great position to win the conference and advance to the postseason.
Bryant and Sacred Heart are right behind Monmouth in the standings. Wins against these teams the last few weeks could prove significant when tiebreakers become important.
The Hawks return home, where they are winless on the season, coming off their two-game win streak this week. Duquesne comes to West Long Branch for an NEC showdown. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm Saturday.
Duquesne will be a test for Monmouth. The Dukes have scored over 30 points four times this season. Twice they have scored over 40 points. The Hawks defense will need to continue generating pressure, bringing down the quarterback, and forcing turnovers.
The Hawks offense has been scoring a lot lately as well. The last two games, MU has scored 40 and 35 points respectively.
