Monmouth football took down Delaware State on Saturday, resulting in the Hawks achieving their second highest ranking in program history.
Entering the game, Monmouth was ranked as the No. 12 FCS team in the country with the best offense in the FCS, averaging 46.0 points per game.
Delaware State, coached by former NFL pro bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson, was looking to bounce back after blowing a 14-point lead to Sacred Heart the week before.
It didn’t take long for Monmouth’s offense to get started, after receiving the opening kick, a 40-yard completion from graduate quarterback Derek Robertson to senior wide receiver TJ Speight set up the Hawks in the red zone. The drive capped off successfully with a five-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Rodney Nelson.
After forcing a quick Delaware State punt, the Hawks offense once again got to work. Seven plays into the drive, Monmouth was into Delaware State territory. On the eighth play, Speight broke through the Hornets secondary and Robertson was able to find him wide open for a 38-yard touchdown pass. A little over halfway through the first quarter, Monmouth opened up a 14-0 lead.
The Hornets were able to strike back on their next drive. The Hornets offense were able to gain big chunks of yardage over the course of 11 plays, and it would end in a 10-yard touchdown run by junior running back James Jones to cut the Monmouth lead to 14-7.
Monmouth again got into Delaware State territory on their third drive, but the offense stalled around the 30-yard line. The Hawks decided to get aggressive on fourth down with nine yards to go. An incomplete pass by Robertson meant a turnover on downs, giving the Hornets the ball back to wrap up the first quarter.
Delaware State again drove the ball down field which ended in Jones scoring his second touchdown of the game. In a little over a half of a quarters worth of game time, the Hornets went from being down 14-0 to tying the game up at 14 apiece.
Monmouth again got into Delaware State territory for the fourth straight drive to start the game, and they didn’t stall this time as a screen pass to junior wide receiver Gavin Nelson turned into a 23-yard catch and run for a touchdown.
The Hornets responded almost immediately however, as on the second play of the new Hornets drive, graduate running back Marquis Gillis would pull off a 73-yard run to set Delaware State up at the goal line. After getting stuffed on first down, Jones punched it in on second down for his third touchdown of the game, tying the score back up at 21. This touchdown marked the third consecutive drive in the game that resulted in a touchdown.
Monmouth’s offense finally slowed down and punted for the first time all game following the Delaware State score, but the Hornets were not able to take advantage and ended up punting it back after a sack on third down by junior Bryce Rooks and freshman Rob Adamson Jr.
Since Delaware State was backed up in its own territory, Monmouth started its next drive already set up in great field position. It was sophomore wide receiver Tra Neal’s turn to shine on this drive, as he caught two passes for 25 yards and scored the touchdown. Heading into halftime, Monmouth held a 28-21 lead over the Hornets.
After halftime, the third quarter featured a touchdown on every single drive. Delaware State received the ball to start the half, and after running the ball on every single play, graduate quarterback Kaiden Bennett finished it off with a seven-yard touchdown run. Monmouth responded with Rodney Nelson’s second touchdown of the game. He also had a 63-yard run to set up the Hawks deep in Delaware State territory.
It was now Delaware State’s turn to find the endzone, as another drive that featured mostly run plays ended with Gillis scoring his first touchdown of the game, tying the game back up at 35.
On Monmouth’s ensuing drive, one of the highlight plays of the season so far occurred. Robertson completed a backwards pass to Neal, who threw the ball down field to graduate tight end Jack Neri, who caught it overtop of a Delaware State defender for a 33-yard touchdown. The play was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter top 10, and it gave Monmouth a 42-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Delaware State got deep into Monmouth territory, but wound up stalling in the red zone. This forced the Hornets to settle for a field goal as Monmouth maintained a 42-38 lead.
Monmouth took advantage of Delaware State failing to score a touchdown, as Robertson found Neal for a 25-yard touchdown pass to extend Monmouth’s lead to two scores for the first time since the score was 14-0.
Delaware State’s next drive ended in disaster as an intentional grounding penalty on third down after pressure from the Monmouth defense ended the drive in a punt.
When Monmouth got the ball back, there was a little over seven minutes of game time left. They were able to drain the clock all the way down to zero without giving the ball up thanks to the efforts of Rodney Nelson and freshman running back Elijah Jennings. A fourth down pass from Robertson to junior wide receiver Josh Derry secured a 49-38 win.
Robertson threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns. He currently has 1,991 yards passing and 22 touchdown throws on the season, both of which lead the FCS. Rodney Nelson ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. He was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week following the win. Speight led the team in receiving with 145 yards on seven catches, plus a touchdown.
Following the win, Monmouth was ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, marking the second ranking in program history. It is very possible this team could become the highest ranked team in program history, topping the 2021 Spring team that was ranked No. 10. The Hawks now sit at 4-1 on the season with their non-conference slate complete. The Hawks will enter conference play in full swing as they travel to Maryland this weekend to take on the Towson Tigers.
As for Delaware State, they now sit at 3-3 on the season following the loss. They will travel back home to take on Division II opponent Southern Connecticut State this weekend as they try to snap a two-game losing streak.
