Monmouth Football continued its remarkable season with a 35-7 victory over the Bryant Bulldogs this past weekend.
The win was the sixth victory in a row for the Hawks, as they remain unbeaten in CAA play. Sophomore running back Rodney Nelson was the star for the Hawks once again, as he controlled the game on the ground.
Monmouth started the game with a drive that got into the Bryant red zone, but an interception by freshman quarterback Frankie Weaver ended Monmouth’s chances at getting on the board early. Bryant was not able to take advantage of the turnover, as the Hawks defense forced a three and out.
On the Hawks second drive, Nelson struck. After he rushed for four yards on first down, he broke free for a 69-yard touchdown run on second down to give Monmouth a 7-0 lead a little under halfway through the first quarter.
After the Bulldogs went three and out on their second straight offensive drive, the Hawks got the ball back and were able to drive to around midfield, but Weaver would throw his second interception of the game. Bryant’s senior defensive back Olatunde Mkparu returned the interception for a touchdown, but an illegal block in the back penalty on the Bulldogs nullified the score. Despite the penalty, the interception stood and Bryant was set up in great field position.
On the first play of the second quarter, Bryant took advantage of the interception and scored a touchdown on a 9-yard pass from junior quarterback Jaden Keefner.
With the game tied at seven, Monmouth got the ball back and got into Bryant territory, but on fourth down the offense was stopped and the Hawks turned the ball over on downs.
The turnover on downs was followed up by Bryant’s third three and out of the game, and Monmouth followed that up with a three and out of their own.
A fourth Bryant three and out led to Monmouth’s offense finally breaking through and scoring, as Nelson punched it in from three yards out to give Monmouth a 14-7 lead.
After Bryant turned the ball over on downs, the Hawks got the ball with a little over a minute to play in the half. After getting into Bryant territory, sophomore wide receiver Tra Neal got behind the Bryant defense and Weaver found him for a 41-yard touchdown and a Monmouth 21-7 lead heading into halftime.
After Bryant punted to start the second half, Monmouth went on a long drive that took over seven minutes. That drive would end in a Weaver touchdown throw to junior wide receiver Gavin Nelson. The score made it 21 unanswered points for Monmouth, who extended their lead to 28-7.
For the remainder of the game, Bryant struggled to get anything going on offense. They got into the Monmouth red zone early in the fourth quarter, but once again turned the ball over on downs. Monmouth had one more long drive in the fourth that ate up over eight minutes of game clock and ended with a touchdown run by freshman running back Elijah Jennings. When the final horn sounded, Monmouth had won 35-7.
Weaver threw for 218 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the win. The 218 yards passing is the most in a game for Weaver this season. Nelson once again dominated on the ground, carrying the ball 34 times for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Not only was he named CAA Offense Player of the Week for the second straight week, he was also named the Stats Perform FCS Offensive Player of the Week, an accolade given to the best offensive player in all of FCS football for that week. The last Hawk to do it was graduate quarterback Derek Robertson in 2024. Nelson now has 1,485 rushing yards on the season, which is first in the FCS.
Not only does the offense continue to perform for the Hawks, the defense is also playing its best football of the season. After giving up an average of 35.2 points per game through the first six games of the season, the defense has only given up 12.7 points per game through its last three games.
The Hawks, sitting at 8-1 on the season and tied for first in the CAA, continue to rise in the FCS rankings. They now sit at No. 6 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the Stats Perform FCS Poll thanks to losses by multiple teams ranked above them last week such as Tarleton State, South Dakota State, and UC Davis.
This weekend, Monmouth returns home after a two game road trip to take on New Hampshire. The Wildcats, a team that was once ranked in the top 25 earlier in the season, now sit at 5-4 overall and 3-2 in CAA play.
As for Bryant, their struggles this season continue as they drop to 2-7 overall and are still winless in CAA play. They will look to get their first conference win as they travel on the road to play UAlbany this weekend, a team that is also winless in CAA play.
