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.

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"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."

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.

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.

"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."

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.

"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."

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.

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.

"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."

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.

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."