On Saturday, October 30, the Monmouth University football team (5-3, 4-0 Big South) beat North Carolina A&T (3-5, 2-3) 35-16 increasing their Big South winning streak with an outstanding performance from Tony Muskett.
In their away game down in North Carolina, star quarterback, Tony Muskett threw for two touchdowns and ran for a pair of scores. Aside from Muskett, the offense showed up with Joey Aldarelli scoring his fifth touchdown of the season and Lonnie Moore IV hauling in a major pass for a touchdown.
Aldarelli scored on a bubble screen which gave the Hawks a 7-0 lead with a little over eight minutes left to go in just the first quarter. Then, with a 29-yard one-handed pass, Muskett threw his second touchdown pass to Lonnie Moore IV. Thanks to Moore’s show of athleticism, the Hawks increased their lead to 14-0.
NC A&T scored on a quick strike. They went 75 yards on five plays which started off with a 27-yard run by Jah-Maine Martin. Martin then finished the drive which cut Monmouth’s lead of 14-0 in half to 14-7 with just under 15 minutes left in the second quarter.
Jaden Shirden then quickly scored in a brisk style on Monmouth’s longest drive of the first half increasing the score to 21-7. The Aggie’s then scored nine straight points. One was on a safety and the team then drove 56 yards on seven plays forcing the Hawks to go into halftime with a score of 21-16.
In the second half, the Hawks defense did not allow one point which led to them providing NC A&T their first homecoming loss since 2010. Standout players of the game were Muskett and Justin Terry. The superstar quarterback executed a 15-play. 87-yard drive in the third quarter which ended in a one-yard touchdown by Muskett increasing the lead to 28-26.
A&T drove late in the third quarter when senior Justin Terry committed his second interception in two weeks letting the Hawks set up at their own 19. Muskett then finished the scoring on yet another long drive resulting in Monmouth’s dominant performance of 35-16.
This very win, gave Monmouth its ninth consecutive road conference game, setting a Big South record. Not only did the Hawks set one Big South record, but they set two by scoring 30+ points in 14 consecutive conference wins.
Looking ahead, the boys in blue and white take on North Alabama at Kessler Stadium this Saturday, November 6 at 1 pm.
