Run game paves way for Monmouth's dominant first-ever win over UNH
· Yahoo Sports
It's one thing to break down a longstanding barrier, it's another bulldoze right through it. Monmouth football did the latter on Saturday afternoon in Durham, N.H.
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For four straight years, the Hawks had lost to New Hampshire since joining the Coastal Athletic Association in 2022. They made sure that the fifth opportunity would erase any lingering memories of those past disappointments. Monmouth went on the road and dominated the Wildcats for four quarters, getting their first-ever victory over New Hampshire in a 42-21 rout to improve to 5-2 and remain unbeaten in conference play.
"On the road, winning a CAA game is huge," Monmouth head coach Jeff Gallo said. "It's about this team, this year, and our opportunity to come get this game and make a point. It's for our former players who played these games and lost some tough ones to them. And I felt good going into it. We fought all the way through. We started fast, we out-physicaled them, and we took control of the game."
The final score would be enough of a testament to the team's dominant effort, but the manner in which the win unfolded further reflected the emphatic showing by the Hawks. FCS No. 20 Monmouth ran the ball 62 times for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Both Kenny Smith Jr. (175) and Elijah Jennings (126) surpassed the century mark on the day on what was easily the team's most prolific ground performance of the season.
The Hawks raced out of the gates and never looked back. After forcing a three-and-out, Monmouth ran the ball with Jennings on the first six plays of the game before the seventh was a 3-yard touchdown run by former Keyport standout Nazir Treadwell, who added 22 more rushing yards to the impressive total.
After another UNH three-and-out, the Hawks' second drive of the game was the start of a career day for Smith, as five of the seven plays were runs to the redshirt freshman including the 6-yard touchdown to finish it and give Monmouth a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
"We wanted to come up here and be the more physical team, the more energized team," Gallo said. "To be able to run the ball into the wind and find some throws with the wind at our back. And I think just the o-line and running backs, we set the tone."
The Hawks were also the beneficiaries of several New Hampshire lapses that combined with difficult windy conditions to put the Wildcats in an early hole. There were several drops, offset by many overthrows, as the UNH offense couldn't get anything going in the first half. To further exasperate the situation for the home team, swirling winds undermined any attempts by either team to punt. That was less of an issue for Monmouth, who started in opposing territory on four of their first six drives and each of those resulted in a touchdown.
Monmouth seized on New Hampshire's struggles and capitalized on every opportunity. The strong run game set up a play action pass from quarterback Frankie Weaver to Tra Neal for 35-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0 after the first quarter.
After the offense stalled slightly on the two next possessions, the Hawks finished the half strong by going back to the run game. The wide-open running lanes were cleared by upperclassmen that had experienced the years of struggles against New Hampshire, like senior center Kevin Shriner, guard Michael Petito, and tight end Shane Garrett, all of whom got to enjoy the catharsis of a physically-dominating effort upfront.
For Garrett, that effort was appropriately rewarded with a play action touchdown pass from Weaver to close out the first half with a 28-0 lead. It was the first career touchdown reception for the redshirt junior from Ocean Township.
"He's a program kid. He works his butt off. He's everything you want in a player," Gallo "Shore kid, great family, son of a coach. He comes to work every day and he does all the dirty work. And when we throw it to him, he's gonna catch it."
New Hampshire's offensive challenges were exacerbated by the Monmouth defense, and the Wildcats decided to make quarterback change after starter Brooks Bentley was just 3-for-11 for 29 yards at halftime. That did appear to slightly spark the Wildcats momentarily, as they opened the second half by forcing a three-and-out and then running back Myles Thomason, a former Seton Hall Prep standout, authored a two-play drive with 44 rushing yards and a touchdown.
But that would be the only glimmer of hope for New Hampshire. The Hawks answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a 27-yard touchdown by Smith. The Hawks carried a 35-7 lead until the final five minutes, when both teams added late points with the game already decided.
Those seven points allowed until garbage time are strong testament to the Monmouth defense, which took advantage of the New Hampshire mistakes and created plenty of negative plays on their own. Ryan Russo had a crucial forced fumble that set up the Hawks' touchdown before halftime. Mounir Keshen and JJ Lewis both contributed sacks, an impressive showing for two front four players that are also reliable run defenders. And a third down pressure by Jahide Lesaine resulted in an interception by Jaeden Jones in the third quarter.
The win is quite the milestone for the Hawks. It's obviously always a breakthrough to get a first-ever win against a conference opponent, but it was also encouraging that there was no lag in the team's performance coming out of the bye week. Furthermore, it was their first game since Monmouth rejoined the FCS top 25 two weeks ago. They'll likely see another rankings bump after the decisive victory.
More importantly, the Hawks continue to sit atop the CAA standings as the only 4-0 team in conference play. They'll be on the road next Saturday against 1-6 Hampton and will need to not look past that game even as a potential Halloween showdown at home against Bryant (5-2, 3-0) looms.
"Focus on what matters, and that's playing your best football," Gallo said. "Was it our best football? No. We can play better. We played relatively well, but there's room for improvement. And now we focus on the next one at Hampton and we're gonna bring the same mentality. It's a road game in the CAA. It's their homecoming. It's a great opportunity for us and a great challenge. The rankings don't matter to me, it's more about how we play."
Obviously a recurring theme for the Hawks is one-week seasons and that will need to crucially continue to avoid any let downs before the key matchup against Bryant in two weeks. But for this week's season, finally beating New Hampshire carried a bit more weight and thusly, a bit more cathartic relief.
"We were aware that we hadn't beaten them, but it was about this team, this year, this game," Gallo said. "We came out and really got after it, which was great to see. And it's great for our alumni, it's great for our university, it's great for our fans. It's a good program win."
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Run game paves way for Monmouth's dominant first-ever win over UNH