Monmouth football took down the Stony Brook Seawolves on homecoming weekend to improve to 6-1 on the season.
With the win, the Hawks continue to have their best start to a season since 2017, a year in which they started 9-1. Stony Brook entered this game having won two in a row and three of their last four.
After winning the opening coin toss, Monmouth elected to receive the opening kick to start the game, allowing an offense that was averaging 44.7 points per game to try and get off to a hot start, and that they did. Graduate quarterback Derek Robertson led the offense down the field quickly, with back-to-back completions to junior wide receiver Gavin Nelson that lead to a Monmouth touchdown, giving the Hawks an early 7-0 lead.
After a decent kick return, Stony Brook found themselves in a 4th & 1 situation around midfield on their opening drive. The Seawolves elected to be aggressive and go for it, but graduate running back Roland Dempster got stuffed by the Monmouth defense, giving the Hawks excellent field position to start their second drive.
It would not take long for the Hawks offense to find the endzone again, as Robertson found junior wide receiver Josh Derry for a 19-yard touchdown pass on the fifth play of the drive, giving the Hawks a 14-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.
Monmouth’s momentum came to a screeching halt on the kickoff after the touchdown, as Stony Brook’s junior wide receiver Jayce Freeman found an opening and burst for a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown, quickly cutting the Monmouth lead to 14-7.
Monmouth got the ball back and Robertson found Derry for what would have been a 75-yard touchdown, but an illegal formation penalty on the Hawks brought it back. A sack of Robertson on third down led to the first punt of the game.
Stony Brook drove deep into Monmouth territory on its next drive, and on 2nd & goal, graduate quarterback Chris Zellous attempted to run it in on his own for a touchdown. As Zellous attempted to lunge across the goal line, the ball was knocked out by a Monmouth defender and rolled out of the back of the endzone, resulting in a touchback and a turnover for the Seawolves.
Monmouth took advantage of the turnover by driving down the field and scoring, with Robertson finding sophomore wide receiver Tra Neal for his fifth receiving touchdown of the season.
On Stony Brook’s ensuing drive, they got into Monmouth territory before finding themselves in another fourth down situation. Another stop by the Monmouth defense led to a second turnover on downs for the Seawolves.
Monmouth’s next drive was one of the longest of the season, lasting a whopping 17 plays. It ended in zero points however, as three straight runs on goal to go for the Hawks got nowhere. A fourth down incompletion from Robertson ended the drive.
Stony Brook took advantage of Monmouth’s failure to score with an efficient 11 play, 95-yard drive that culminated in a Dempster touchdown run. Heading into halftime, Monmouth held a 21-14 lead.
Stony Brook received the opening kick to start the second half. On a third and long, Zealous would be sacked by freshman defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr., and it forced the ball loose and led to a recovery by freshman defensive Lineman Rob Adamson Jr. for the Hawks.
Despite Monmouth being set up in great field position, the drive got nowhere as a sack on third down knocked the Hawks out of field goal range. On that third down sack, Robertson fell hard to the ground, getting injured. The leading passer in the FCS did not return to the game for the Hawks. He was later seen on the sideline with a sling on his non-throwing arm.
After a punt by the Hawks, Monmouth’s defense continued their tremendous game with an interception by junior linebacker Ryan Russo. He returned the interception 50-yards for a pick six, the first for the Hawks this season. It extended Monmouth’s lead to 28-14.
With Robertson injured, the keys to the Hawks offense was given to freshman Frankie Weaver. After a three-and-out on his first drive, Stony Brook would score a touchdown to cut Monmouth’s lead to 28-21. On his second drive, Weaver threw a ball over two Seawolves defenders to find Derry for a 41-yard gain. Later in the drive, he found Neal in the back corner of the end zone, giving him the first touchdown pass of his career and extending Monmouth’s lead to 35-21.
On the second play of Stony Brook’s ensuing drive, Zellous threw his second interception of the game, this time to sophomore defensive back Jaeden Jones. Jones nearly returned it for a touchdown, but he was tackled at the two-yard line. Just two plays later, sophomore running back Rodney Nelson scored to give Monmouth a 42-21 lead.
After the teams exchanged punts, Stony Brook once again failed to convert a fourth down in Monmouth territory, as backup graduate quarterback Casey Case, who replaced Zellous, threw an incompletion on fourth down.
In control of the game, Monmouth secured the win with Rodney Nelson breaking free for a 73-yard touchdown run. The Hawks wound up winning by a final score of 49-21.
Robertson threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns before exiting with the injury. Weaver threw for 61 yards and a touchdown when he stepped in. Rodney Nelson led the team in rushing with 141 yards on 20 carries. Derry led the team in receiving with 109 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. The defense had its best game of the season, with three stops on fourth down and four turnovers, including a pick six.
After the win, Monmouth was ranked No. 9 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, giving the program its highest ranking in its history.
The Hawks, now 6-1 overall and 3-0 in CAA play, travel to Virginia to take on a struggling Hampton team on Saturday. Stony Brook sits at 3-4 overall and 1-2 in CAA play, and they return home to take on the Towson Tigers, also on Saturday.
