newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JEREMY SCHILLING

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

During their recent three-game losing streak, three staples of the 2012 Monmouth football team had disappeared: a fast start on offense, a defense that stepped up in big moments, and a potent running attack.

It frustrated the players, the coaches, and the fans, and you could see it in their eyes following last week’s loss to Bryant.

But head coach Kevin Callahan had a good feeling this week, saying that the first two practices of the week were two of the best all season.

That positive mindset and hard-work paid off today with a thrilling 28-27 win on the road in Pittsburgh against Duquesne (5-3, 3-2) in a game which featured the return of all three of those Monmouth (4-4, 3-2) hallmarks: a fast start leading to a 21-7 halftime lead, a sensational game from running back Julian Hayes who ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns, and a defense which came up big in the biggest of moments.

Callahan was a very happy man after the game.

“It was a great game, both [sides] competed and played really hard,” said Callahan.” We got ourselves out to an early lead. Duquesne, like a good football team that they are, fought to get back in it. Our players showed the ability to finish the game today. With a lead in the fourth quarter, playing with some short fields, we were able to get some stops. At the end of the game with a one-point lead we needed a first down to be able to run out the clock and I thought Julian Hayes did a very good job really fighting for extra yards to get the first down.”

For a while, however, in the second half it didn’t seem like this would be a Hawks victory. Their offense stalled out and their defense let Duquesne go on top in the fourth quarter.

Duquesne took the opening kickoff to start the second half and marched right down the field, leading to a Sean Patterson throw to Gianni Carter for a 15-yard touchdown to make it 21-14 Monmouth.

Monmouth then punted twice before Patterson once again led Duquesne on a long, 12-play, 48 yard drive that led to a 29-yard Charlie Leventry field goal to make it 21-17 Monmouth with 5:23 left in the third period.

The next big play sequence came at the beginning of the fourth quarter and was where Duquesne probably thought they put the Hawks to the breaking point.

After nearly blocking two punts earlier in the game, a bad snap sent Monmouth punter Ryan Mohr going backwards to find the football, and the Duquesne pressure forced him to just sit on it. Duquesne got the ball at the Monmouth 17 yard line, poised to take the lead for the first time.

And they did exactly that, when Patterson hit Sean Brady for a six-yard touchdown strike to make it 24-21 Duquesne with 12:18 left in the football game.

Brady led all receivers with seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Patterson finished 22-of-43 for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

But Kyle Frazier and company would not let this turn of events get the Monmouth offense down. Instead, they came back with a vengeance.

On a drive that featured an 18-yard pass to Eric Sumlin and a 17-yard strike to Tristan Roberts, Frazier led the Hawks right down the field, culminating in the second Hayes touchdown of the day, this one from two yards out to put Monmouth back on top 28-21 with 9:40 left.

Frazier finished the day 15-of-23 passing for 141 yards and one touchdown strike.

Duquesne came right back however, with Patterson leading the offense down to inside the 10 yard line. But that’s where the Hawks defense begun their fantastic fourth quarter, preventing Patterson and the offense from getting in the end zone. Leventry kicked a 25-yard field goal, and it was 28-27 Monmouth with 8:09 left in the contest.

The teams would exchange punts, and after another Monmouth punt, Duquesne got the ball back with 3:22 left and one timeout. But the Hawk defense stood strong again, and when a fourth and 12 pass fell incomplete, Monmouth got the ball back with 2:02 left and a chance to seal it.

Fittingly, it was Hayes who did the job, bursting ahead for a 23 yard rush on third down to clinch the much-needed victory for Monmouth.

The quick start by the Hawks was their first in weeks. A fumble by Duquesne punt returner David Thomas extended Monmouth’s opening drive, a 25-yard pass from Sumlin to tight end Mike McLafferty helped get the Hawks deep into Duquesne territory. That led to a K.B. Asante two yard touchdown run to put Monmouth up 7-0.

McLafferty led the Hawks with 68 yards receiving.

The second quarter began with another Monmouth touchdown, this one a Hayes 10-yard run on a drive that featured heavy running (Hayes ran it 36 times in all) to make it 14-0.

Duquesne did come back on the very next drive and scored a touchdown of their own, a 9-yard Patterson strike to Thomas to make it 14-7 with 9:33 left in the first half.

Monmouth continued their fast start, however, by having the last score of the half, a Neal Sterling eight-yard touchdown reception on a fade route to make it 21-7 Hawks at the break.

It was a lead they used to get their first win in over a month to put their team back on track.

The Hawks come home next Saturday at 1 p.m. against Central Connecticut State.