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Monmouth football avenges season-ending loss with 1st road win at Albany since '06
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- Monmouth football avenges season-ending loss with 1st road win at Albany since '06
The flashes of brilliance were always there. In the spring showcase, and in fall camp, there were scattered moments that foreshadowed a breakthrough season for Monmouth football's defense. On Saturday against a perennially frustrating foe, they turned in a masterclass performance from the opening series to a final goal line stand.
The Hawks set the tone on the road against SUNY Albany when JJ Lewis tipped the first pass attempt of the game and Ryan Russo intercepted it for a 30-yard pick six. Four quarters later, the defense made a goal line stand that culminated with a Hunter Watson sack on 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line. It was the relentless performance necessary to erase the memories of last year's season-ending loss as Monmouth beat Albany 28-20 on Saturday afternoon.
"This was for all of our guys. Monmouth has played Albany since I can remember," Monmouth head coach Jeff Gallo said. "It's a big game and our guys knew that. This is for our alumni. This is for the guys who played last year, who had their last game end poorly. And then this is for these guys, they're coming up here and winning in a tough environment."
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And on top of that recent history, it was the Hawks ' (2-2) first win in Upstate New York against Albany (2-2) in two decades, dating back to a 19-0 win back in 2006. It was both a turning point for a new chapter and a defensive homage to that shutout victory 20 years ago.
Monmouth football aims to avenge 2025 finale loss to Albany | preview
Monmouth football beat Albany 28-20 on Sept. 19.
The touted front four delivered on its considerable potential with lights out performances on third down. Mo Keshen, the star of that spring showcase , led the way with 1.5 sacks. In addition to the tip that led to the pick six, Lewis added his own sack. Donovan Dyson had a strip sack, but the Hawks couldn't recover the fumble. Hunter Watson added his sack and Jahide Lesaine had a half sack in addition to several pressures. Jaeden Jones turned another star performance with an interception and a team-high seven solo tackles.
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"It's really 11 guys, in each of their minds, deciding they're gonna do the job at high level," Gallo said. "Because at some point, there's only so many schemes. It's just 11 guys playing as one. That's what we've been trying to push on. And having confidence that we can play the ball in the air and confidence that, I can rush this guy because the other guy's got the other guy . It's just 11 guys playing as one."
Mounir Keshen celebrates after a big defensive stop. Monmouth football beat Albany 28-20 on Sept. 19.
There were some of the same maddening lapses that held the Hawks back in their previous three games, particularly the two losses to Western Michigan and Tennessee Tech. Albany's first touchdown came after a fake punt, another frustrating special teams lapse. But it took a spirited effort for the Great Danes just to remain competitive against a Monmouth defense that tallied six sacks, eight tackles for loss and two interceptions. Former Monmouth player Matthew Iuvara had to make a tightrope catch on a heave to the corner of the end zone to get Albany's second touchdown.
That was also a testament to the way the Hawks seized control on the road in the opening quarter. After that pick six, that forced a three-and-out on the following possession. Frankie Weaver then unleashed one of his best passes of the season on a deep ball to Gavin Nelson to extend the Monmouth lead to 14-0.
Monmouth receiver Gavin Nelson scores a 46-yard touchdown. Monmouth football beat Albany 28-20 on Sept. 19.
"It was just great ball placement," Gallo said. "We had to make our shots count. We made our first two shots count, which was good. Good routes, good ball placement, speed. Those three things, when they were work well, can do explosive plays."
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The fake punt happened on the last play of the first quarter and led to an eventual 10-yard touchdown run by Albany's Joey Koch. But the Hawks remained resilient, and Weaver ripped another deep ball that might've been even better than the first one on a post to Tra Neal for a 60-yard touchdown with 11:35 left in the second quarter. Neal had his second straight game with more than 100 receiving yards as he finished with 138 on five catches.
Monmouth's Tra Neal eludes defenders as he finishes off a 60-yard score. Monmouth football beat Albany 28-20 on Sept. 19.
The improvement was evident across the board as Monmouth's execution was consistently better than that of Albany. They opened the second half with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a short touchdown run by Nazir Treadwell. The more intricate offensive designs and game plans are still to come, but the Hawks are honing the bread and butter plays that can be the foundation for future success.
Weaver was well on his way to producing his best performance of the season, but got a bit overzealous with two second half interceptions. The first one was particularly costly, as it came in the red zone as the Hawks were on the verge of putting the game out of reach late in the third quarter. But while those two mistakes look glaring on paper, he was 11-of-13 for 200 yards and two touchdowns aside from those lapses.
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"He made some really good throws," Gallo said. "And now it's seeing these two and knowing, hey if I'm under duress, throw the ball away, take the sack if we have to . It's those little things. But he made so many strides."
Monmouth football beat Albany 28-20 on Sept. 19.
And the unsung heroes of the day were the offensive line and the running backs. There was only one "explosive" run (a run of 20-plus yards) in the game, but Elijah Jennings and Kenny Smith combined for 156 rushing yards on 31 carries. Smith sealed the victory with an incredible effort on a carry on 3rd-and-7. And in addition to clearing space in the running game, the offensive line didn't allow a sack.
It was an ideal performance for Monmouth as they improve to 2-0 in CAA play and got an additional boost when Stony Brook stunned league favorite Rhode Island in a 56-24 upset, clearing the way for a wide-open race to the conference title. Incrementally, the win is big for the Hawks as they prepare to face a tough Dartmouth team on the road next week after the Big Green nearly upset No. 7 Lehigh, but lost 24-20 on a last-second interception.
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But sometimes, it's just important to count the victories that mean more in their individuality than they do in the grand scheme.
"We're 2-0 in conference, we're in the spot we want to be in. Gotta keep getting better," Gallo said. "But for the program, the alumni, for the guys last year, for our team this year—it was all of those things. I'm very happy and proud of that."
Steady run game and explosive passes spark Hawks' offense
Maybe the most impressive part of the offensive success was that it didn't come as a result of novel concepts, it was just quality execution while capitalizing on Monmouth's talent advantage against a retooled Albany roster.
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The two explosive touchdowns came against two-high safety looks from Albany (and presumably Cover 2). The first touchdown came out of a trey trips formation (three wide receivers to the right and in-line tight end on the left) and featured two curl routes by the outside receivers and a dig from the inner slot, opening up Nelson for the post as the second receiver in the set. The throw from Weaver was superb as Nelson came away with the touchdown.
The second long touchdown pass came out of a similar concept in a different formation. The Hawks protected the long pass with a six-man protection and three-man route concept. Again it was two curl routes that occupied defenders while freeing up Neal in the slot to hit the post route for the 60-yard score. There will be future explosive passes that can be schemed up with clever new formations and concepts, but it's a boon to be able to execute these types of shot plays this well early in the season against conference opponent.
The running game began to introduce some newer looks, but it mostly appeared to be as simple as strong execution across the board on a predominantly zone blocking scheme. The one unique look was the goal line wildcat package with Nazir Treadwell, particularly the touchdown run that allowed him to glide into the end zone after being stopped the first two times. The Hawks came out with six offensive lineman and ran a unique form of power look with Reed Collins pulling for the key block and Shane Garrett clearing the way from his H-Back spot.
In the broad strategic scheme of a season, this game is a massive victory. Being able to get road wins and score touchdowns with explosive plays or in the short yardage situations is always a goal, but being able to do it without having to use proverbial bullets in the chamber is another plus. The more intricate looks are still to come with eight games left in the regular season.
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Monmouth defense makes strides across the board
The third down pressures and sacks were well-designed looks in the front, but so much of Monmouth's success is pure execution with a lot of individual standout performances, and it's worth highlighting a few more.
First, a quick rundown of the defensive numbers against Albany. The Hawks held the Great Danes to just 3.4 yards per carry even as they conceded 148 yards and two touchdowns in the run game. It's not perfect, but it's inefficient for the Albany. Monmouth held Albany's two quarterbacks to 14-25 for 173 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The only negatives were a few glaring instances of multiple missed tackles on isolated plays, but overall it was a sharp performance with big stops in key instances as Albany was 5-for-13 on third down. Russo and Jones were flying all over the field and were also stalwarts in coverage. Omar Ibrahim continues to come into his own at corner opposite Christian Palmer with the added bonus of Mir Haskett, who had a tackle for loss.
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The defensive line rotation is steadily realizing the vision of position coach Codey Cole as a deep unit with great interchangeability. Keshen's contributions can't be overstated as he is a linchpin player that is able to generate a pass rush on early downs while still being a stout run defender. The same is true for Hunter Watson, but his best moments sometimes go unnoticed as he creates space for others as a disruptor on slants and stunts.
And while Lewis was undeniable, the interior defensive line was excellent in an understated way on Saturday. Bryce Rooks and Brendan Bigos are the baseline players with their experience, but the rise of former Red Bank Catholic standout Avery Barnes is an added dimension.
Overall, the defensive improvement is palpable for Monmouth. The improvements in the spring and fall were not a mirage, as this unit is increasingly looking like an oasis for Hawk fans and an unforgiving desert for opponents.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth football avenges season-ending loss with 1st road win at Albany since '06
