M onmouth Football returned home to Kessler Stadium for the first time in nearly a month on Saturday, and they delivered the Homecoming crowd a win over the Towson Tigers in a high-scoring thriller.
The Hawks got the ball first and went to work immediately. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Frankie Weaver completed a 38-yard pass to wide receiver Tra Neal. Three runs by Kenny Smith Jr. later, Monmouth already had a 7-0 lead just over a minute into the game.
After the two teams exchanged punts, Towson scored on an impressive drive that was headlined by a 45-yard pass from quarterback Andrew Indorf to wide receiver Aaron Enterline. Enterline also caught the touchdown pass later in the drive. A missed extra point allowed the Hawks to maintain a one point lead.
Monmouth’s offense got a good drive going on their next possession, and faced with a 4th & 6 in the Towson red zone they elected to go for it. They converted the first down, but offensive pass interference nullified the play, and Monmouth settled for a 40 yard field goal that gave them a 10-6 lead.
Towson’s next drive was slow and composed, as the Tigers drove down the field in 11 plays to score a touchdown and take a 13-10 lead.
Monmouth’s offense returned to the field looking to respond with their normal no huddle offense, and that they did as it took nine plays for the Hawks to take the lead back. Tight end Greg Genross caught his first career Monmouth touchdown from nine yards away, and it gave the Hawks a 17-13 lead.
The longest drive of the game up to this point came on Towson’s next drive, and it ended with the Tigers scoring another touchdown in 13 plays to retake the lead.
Monmouth’s next drive ended a streak of five consecutive scoring drives, as an interception ended the first half and Towson took a 20-17 lead into halftime.
Towson received the opening kick of the second half, and their offense continued to roll as they drove down the field again, and a one-handed grab by Cleveland Charlton in the back of the end zone gave Towson a 27-17 lead to begin the third quarter. For the first time all game, a team had a lead of more than one score.
That wouldn’t last long however, as Monmouth answered right back when Gavin Nelson got open in the end zone on a third down pass from Weaver, cutting the Towson lead to 27-24.
After Monmouth’s defense was able to force a punt for the first time since the first quarter, the Hawks got to start their next drive in excellent field position. They were able to drive into Towson’s red zone, but an offensive pass interference call stalled the drive and forced the Hawks to settle for a field goal. Heading into the fourth quarter, the game was all even at 27.
One of the turning points in the game came on Towson’s next drive. Shortly after the Tigers entered Monmouth territory, Indorf threw a third down pass that was intercepted by Monmouth’s Amori McNeil. McNeil ended up returning the interception all the way for a pick six, giving Monmouth the lead for the first time since the second quarter.
Towson bounced back from the pick six and tied the game at 34 with a touchdown on their next drive, but Monmouth’s offense responded once again as Nelson once again got wide open and Weaver found him for a 41-yard touchdown pass with five minutes to go in the game, giving the Hawks a 41-34 lead.
Towson got the ball back with a chance to tie. On a fourth down deep in Monmouth territory, Indorf was pressured by Monmouth defenders and threw a heave into the end zone that was tipped and caught by Charlton on a diving play. That made the score 41-40, and after the play, Charlton was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting Monmouth players. That moved the extra point attempt back 15 yards, and as a result the attempt was no good. Monmouth now had the ball back with a lead and an opportunity to run the clock out.
Monmouth got one first down early in the drive, but Towson still had timeouts. Their second first down came after another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Towson, and this first down would end the game and secure a 41-40 win for Monmouth.
Weaver finished the game with 218 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Smith Jr. and Elijah Jennings both had strong games on the ground. Jennings ran for 92 yards, and Smith Jr. ran for 82. Nelson led the team in receiving with 100 yards on the dot. McNeil’s pick six, arguably the turning point of the game, earned him CAA Rookie of the Week honors.
With the win, Monmouth is now 4-2 overall on the season and 3-0 in conference play. This week, they returned to the FCS top 25 for the first time since the preseason, checking in at No. 24 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
The Hawks now have a bye week before returning to play on Saturday, Oct. 17 against New Hampshire on the road. Their next home game will be on Oct. 31 against Bryant.
As for Towson, their rough start to the season continued as they fell to 0-6 on the year. They will look to earn their first win of the season at home on Saturday against Stony Brook.
