FB 11.13.19
Sports

Football Rises to 15th in the Nation

Just a week after receiving their highest national ranking in program history, Monmouth football moved up four spots in the polls to number 15 in the country after handing it to North Alabama by a score of 49-38 on Saturday for their eighth win of the season.

Kenji Bahar threw five touchdowns on the afternoon for the second time in his collegiate career while converting 27 of his 36 passes for 319 yards on his way to becoming Big South Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season and second consecutively.

“We are really excited to get the win and our goal is to just keep moving forward,” said Head Coach Kevin Callahan. “We came out this week to go 1-0 today and we got the job done. We showed a lot of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Kenji had a great game but I think all 11 guys were out there contributing.”

Bahar also received an enormous accolade on Saturday at Kessler Stadium as he passed Brian Boland for the most touchdown passes in program history with 59 after throwing two first half touchdowns. The first kicked off the day’s scoring as following two forced fumbles by the defensive line, Monmouth used their field position to execute a 24-yard strike to junior wide receiver Terrance Greene Jr. The wideout broke off the would-be tackler with ease which was a theme of the game as Greene Jr. hauled in nine catches for 125 yards and a score.

After North Alabama would tie the game up early in the second quarter, Bahar broke the all-time passing touchdown record on a 15-yard fade route to the back of endzone. Junior wide receiver Lonnie Moore IV came down with the phenomenal catch for the first of his two touchdowns on the day to make the score 14-7.

“Being a fifth year, and a veteran on the team it is important for me to step up to the plate and lead these young guys on the team whether it be handing the ball off, throwing the ball, or using my legs,” said Bahar. “Whatever way I have do it because that’s the position they put me in and I want to step up to the plate.”

Bahar opened the second half with pin-point precision, leading the Hawks downfield with ease while staying connected to his favorite target on the day, Greene Jr. After a quarterback draw made it first and goal, fifth year running back Devell Jones took the direct snap up the middle for his ninth touchdown of the season to make it 21-7.

After MU stopped a strong Lions’ drive in its tracks on the goal line to force a field goal, Bahar broke the game wide open on a busted coverage finding fifth year tight end Quentin Parham untouched down the sideline for the 61-yard score. This was the first of Parham’s two touchdowns on the day which marks a first for him in his collegiate career.

The Hawks closed out a 21-point third quarter with their third forced fumble of the game, this time at the hands of senior captain linebacker Evan Powell. This set up Bahar’s fourth touchdown, yet another touch pass to Moore IV who brought it down strong with two hands in the back of the endzone making the score 35-17.

After the Lions brought the deficit a little bit closer with a touchdown of their own to make it 35-24, Bahar put his fifth and final score on the board in exceptional fashion with a trick play fake reverse finding a wide-open Parham to complete a 10 play 60-yard drive.

Devell Jones put the finishing touches on the blue and white’s scoring as the fifth year’s second touchdown of the game was his tenth of the season and 29th for his career. North Alabama was able to tack on a couple meaningless scores in the final seconds of the game resulting in the 49-38 final.

Monmouth, the only team in the Big South that is unbeaten in the conference at 4-0, will now take on Campbell at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday for a decisive matchup in determining who will win the conference.  

PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth Athletics