Western Michigan beats Monmouth 49-14 as 5 key errors cause blowout

There may not be moral victories in college football, but there is progress.

Monmouth football went on the road against the momentary darling of the sport and a Mid-American Conference powerhouse. The final score will look predictable on paper. The Hawks lost 49-14 to Western Michigan on Saturday night in Kalamazoo. It was the first game after the Broncos ' controversial loss to Michigan had galvanized college football fans across the country in support, and WMU head coach Lance Taylor had foreshadowed the team's response after that painful finish.

"Hey, don't feel sorry for us," Taylor told reporters after the Michigan game. "Feel sorry for the teams that we're going to play."

But don't feel sorry for Monmouth, either. Overall, the Hawks (1-2) put together their best performance of the season as they went toe-to-toe with the Broncos (1-1) in the first half in particular. A much smaller percentage of Monmouth's plays were fatal self-inflicted wounds, and it was enough to obfuscate the team's considerable progress in the third game of the season.

"We did some things well. We moved the ball well, we got stops, but it's putting it all together," Monmouth head coach Jeff Gallo said. "That's a good team, but we're out here trying to compete to win and we can play better. We'll keep pushing to play better."

In terms of yards, Monmouth out-gained Western Michigan at a rate of 431 yards to 414. They had 26 first downs compared to 24 for the Broncos. They converted third downs at a superior rate, going 11-for-20 compared to 4-for-9 for WMU. But of course, the many positives were disconnected and out of sync.

A handful of lapses tell the story. Two lost fumbles at critical junctures. Consecutive drops that derailed the team's first promising drive. One disastrous instance of lacking punt coverage. And a dose of bad luck that was not Monmouth's fault, as a tremendous early interception was called back because of a dubious pass interference call.

"We had a pick in the first half they took off the board with the pass interference call," Gallo said. "I thought we did a good job trying to contain the quarterback and the running back. And in the same half, they hit some big plays over our head, but we had guys there to contest. You have to keep competing for the ball in the air."

As painful as it is to process the mistakes, that shouldn't blur the portrait of the team's progress. Monmouth's defense, when not facing drives that started in their own territory, was sharp against the high-powered rushing offense of a potential College Football Playoff contender from the Group of 6. The Hawk offense is increasingly finding winning concepts and plays that suit the strengths of their playmakers, and the depth was on display as the were able to move the football in a variety of ways.

"We have to play complimentary football, meaning getting a stop and a score. It's putting it all together," Gallo said. "Through the course of the whole game. Not a quarter, not a half, not a drive. It's playing a full game as a team."

The mistakes were disastrous, but the team's response was inspired. The errors didn't snowball like they did in the season opener against Tennessee Tech . In particular after the second lost fumble, the Monmouth defense made a tremendous stand to force a punt. The individual flashes of brilliance were numerous, and the collective groups on the offensive line and front seven are increasingly looking like they can be upper echelon units in the CAA.

Monmouth held WMU star running back Jalen Buckley to just 28 yards on 10 carries, although he had three goal line touchdowns. But the commitment to defending the run came at a cost, as Broncos quarterback Broc Lowry was 14-for-20 for 212 yards with three passing touchdowns and added another 40 rushing yards.

"We did a good job stopping their inside run game. Most of their stuff came on the wider speed sweep or option stuff," Gallo said. "If you want to win, you've got to win the line of scrimmage."

Monmouth will have to prove that the improvement is authentic next Saturday against Albany, a team that was the Hawks' kryptonite at the end of last season that kept them out of the FCS playoffs. This year's Great Danes team has seen a prompt return to contender status with wins by multiple scores over New Hampshire and Long Island plus a near-upset of MAC member Buffalo.

That matchup will be the true barometer of where the Hawks stand, coming at crucial juncture at the one-third mark of the regular season. But Monmouth is moving in the right direction, even if it doesn't feel that way after the final score on Saturday night.

"There's things to build off of. We've got to keep improving as we get into conference play," Gallo said. "The outcome is the outcome. We're gonna learn how to grow."

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After Monmouth only trailed 7-0 late in the first quarter, the team's upset hopes were still very much alive. But the second quarter marked the start of the Hawks' errors. After solid success moving the football, their first promising drive reached the Western Michigan 30-yard line. Then consecutive drops by Greg Genross and Keshawn Mister led to a turnover on downs.

Those mistakes were amplified just over a minute later when Monmouth cornerback Omar Ibrahim made a spectacular diving interception, but it was called back because of pass interference. The Broncos went on to finish the drive with their second touchdown.

Later in the second quarter after the teams traded three-and-outs, Monmouth had a costly special teams mistake that echoed the season opener against Tennessee Tech. Lackadaisical punt coverage led to a 76-yard return by WMU's Kordell Gouldsby that set up the Broncos at the Hawks' 5-yard line. They promptly punched in the touchdown to make it 21-0.

The Monmouth offense again rallied to put together another long drive, potentially scoring before the half to regain momentum. But at the WMU 5-yard, the Hawks ran a jet sweep motion and there was a mistake with the mesh point on the handoff as the play was a run to Kenny Smith . He ran into the motion man and fumbled the ball in the ultimate self-inflicted wound.

The final lapse was lesser by comparison, but it was the final nail in the coffin. The resilient Hawks got their first touchdown on their first possession of the second half. Clinging to hope while trailing 35-7, they were piecing together another scoring drive but faced a 4th-and-3 in their own territory. Smith was wide open in the flat for the first down, but yet another drop led to a turnover on downs.

Individually, there were more than a few positive takeaways for the Hawks. Beginning at the end, Keyport native Nazir Treadwell got his first career touchdown on a goal line run with 15 seconds left in the game. More broadly, his involvement brings an added dimension to the Monmouth running game.

To be clear, Smith and Jennings are quality backs and performed very well against the WMU defense, combining for 200 yards of total offense. But their skillsets are duplicative, whereas the 6-1 and 225-pound Treadwell brings a change of pace with his power. He also showed he can be serviceable as a receiver with 10-yard reception.

Those collective positives from the stable of running backs are also a testament to the continued growth of the offensive line. The Hawks kept experimenting with different combinations, but Penn State transfer Brady O'Hara has emerged as a formidable force at tackle and Lafayette transfer Reed Collins had several strong moments at the point of attack in the run game. The pass protection was also solid against the tough WMU front.

That stability in protection allowed Frankie Weaver to see a lot more growth in his third game of the season. He was 28-for-46 for 273 yards and a touchdown, and should have had even more production if not for the drops. He looked more comfortable delivering the ball on intermediate routes and found eight different receivers over the course of the evening.

None of those targets were more impactful than Tra Neal, who turned in a star showing against Western Michigan. He finished with seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown, and almost singlehandedly put the Hawks on the board with a huge run after catch on a 44-yard gain that set up his own 5-yard touchdown reception.

And lastly, the defensive front seven continues to look like a unit that can stifle CAA offenses. The pass rush left a little to be desired, but the ability to be tougher than WMU on the interior against the run was astounding. Defending the sweeps and outside runs was an issue, and so angles and pursuit might need to be a continued point of emphasis. But the general motor and ability to rally to the football was impressive. Ryan Russo was the star of the group, finishing with 10 tackles and a sack.