HAWKS TOPPLE ROBERT MORRIS FOR FIRST TIME
With the 15th season of Monmouth football kicking off this August, www.GoMUHawks.com will revisit the 15 greatest football victories of the past 14 years, with one game released each week until the Hawks open the season against Maine on Sept. 1, 2007.
Monmouth entered week two of the 1995 season with a 0-1 record after dropping its first game to Marist in heartbreaking fashion, 16-15. The Colonials traveled out to West Long Branch with a 1-0 record after blasting Waynesburg 41-6 but would leave the Jersey Shore with an even record.
Robert Morris struck first on their second drive of the day, with an 82 yard touchdown run by Tim Hall. The Hawks punted after their first drive stalled, pinning the Colonials on their own 12. MU recorded their first of six sacks three plays later, setting up a third and 16 for the Colonials. With Monmouth expecting a pass, Hall raced around the left for the 82 yard touchdown putting Robert Morris ahead 7-0.
Monmouth was forced to punt, setting up a first down for RMC on its own 31. After letting up a 10 yard pass the Hawk defense took over, with Stacy Dixon sacking Robert Morris quarterback Jake Newman for a loss of eight yards. Two plays later Newman attempted a quarterback sneak but Jason Gmitter forced the signal caller to fumble on his own 33, which was recovered by Matt Putchat. Monmouth moved the ball down to the Colonial 21, where junior Jim Varick nailed a 37 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 with 4:04 left in the first quarter.
The second quarter turned into a defensive struggle, with the two teams combining for eight punts. The Hawks got the ball back with 2:27 left in the half on their own 25, where quarterback Dan Sabella went to work moving the ball efficiently down the field. MU moved to the Robert Morris 11 with a series of passes, including a pair of throws to Will Holder that went for 34 and 17 yards, respectively. With time running out Varik attempted a 22 yard kick but it sailed wide left and the Hawks went into the lockeroom down four
.
“That win was big for our program because Robert Morris had been a very successful team for years and it helped bring respect to us,” recalled Sabella. “It proved to our opponents that we were a good football team, which we knew, but now everyone else did too.”
One play after the kickoff, Monmouth took its first lead of the game after Sabella and Holder hooked up for a 70 yard touchdown pass. After the next two drives ended in punts, Robert Morris mounted a bit of a drive, moving from their own 12 to the Hawk 37 in 10 plays. On the 11th play a flea flicker was snuffed out by the Hawk defense and Gmitter forced his second fumble of the game, which was recovered by defensive back Steve Covello. Unfortunately the Hawks would turn the ball over on the ensuing possession, with Sabella's pass being intercepted at midfield.
The Hawk defense got to work, stopping RMU after just 10 yards gained, forcing three straight incomplete passes from the Hawk 40. Monmouth and RMC exchanged punts and the Blue & White found themselves with t the ball on the Colonial 29 with 7:11 to play in regulation. Sabella started the drive out with a 13 yard strike to Holder, which was followed up with a pair of four yard runs by Varick. On fourth and one from the RMC seven yard line and time running out, head coach Callahan decided to go for the touchdown rather than attempt the field goal. Junior Ralph O'Neil got the call, rumbling on the right side for a five yard gain and the first down. Chris Reed plowed in from two yards out on the next play, giving Monmouth a 16-7 lead with 4:19 left in the game.
Robert Morris would not go away quietly, opening up what would be their final drive with a 62 yard bomb from Newman to Ralph Clark. On second and goal from the Monmouth six, Newman hooked up with DeLonte Perkins for RMC's second score of the day. After kicker Chris Longo hit the extra point, the Colonials decided to forgo the onsides kick despite just 3:46 remaining on the clock. Monmouth's Varick and O'Neil sealed the win for Monmouth, converting two first downs over five plays thus ending any chance at a Colonial comeback.
Sabella finished the day going 13-of-16 for 210 yards, including five to Holder for 147 yards and a score. O'Neil led the ground effort with 52 yards on 12 carries, as the Blue & White tallied 120 yards on the ground. Holder would go on to lead the Hawks in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 1995, with the wideout eventually becoming the first Monmouth player to sign a professional contract to play football.
The defense stifled RMC for 122 yards, not counting the 82 yard run and 62 yard reception. Monmouth sacked Newman six times, including two sacks from Gmitter. Junior Michael James finished with 11 tackles in the contest, while linebacker Anthony Berke had nine.
“At the time, it was a big win over a very talented Robert Morris team”, recalls head coach Kevin Callahan, who earned his 10th career victory with the win. “This game seemed to set the tone for all the Robert Morris-Monmouth games to follow.”
“Anytime you beat a coach like Joe Walton, it is an important win,” said Sabella. “That was one of the games that laid the foundation for what the Monmouth football program has become. Coach Callahan was excited after the win, and that's when it hit us that it was an important victory for the program.”
The Hawks went 6-2 the rest of the way to finish up 7-3 on the year, in their last season before joining the Northeast Conference.
