PITTSBURGH, Pa.-  Monmouth's offense racked up a season-high 497 yards while junior David Sinisi (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) ran for a trio of scores to set the school record for touchdowns in a season en route to Monmouth's 37-14 victory at Duquesne. 

MU trailed 14-10 late in the first quarter, then rattled off 27 unanswered points in the win.  Quarterback Brett Burke (Wall, N.J./Wall), playing in his final game, threw for the second most yards in his career (and a season high), finishing with 263 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-23 passing attempts.  Sinisi had 174 yards on 23 attempts (7.6 avg) and three touchdowns, while tight end John Nalbone (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) hauled in two catches for 89 yards.  The Hawks wrapped up the 2008 season with a 7-4 overall mark and a 6-1 Northeast Conference record.

“The win meant a lot, not just to me personally but to the whole team and the seniors,” said Burke.  “We've won a lot of games as a group, it's a good way to end our careers.  It was a solid all-around effort by the offense, we ran the ball effectively and were able to get big plays in the passing game.”

“The credit belongs to the o-line, giving me holes to run through so I can get into the endzone” said Sinisi of setting the scoring record.  “They've done a great job all year controlling the line of scrimmage for the backs.”

The Monmouth defense held the NEC's best passing attack to 134 yards, while Duquesne quarterbacks were sacked four times.  Walsh ended his career with a spectacular day, finishing with six tackles (including four for a loss), two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.  Jose Gumbs (Queens, N.Y./Hebron) led the Hawks in tackles with eight.  Duquesne managed just 195 yards of total offense in the game, marking just the second time all season the Dukes were held under 200 yards of total offense.

“I knew it was the last game of my career and watned to go out there with that mindset and leave everything out there on the field,” said Walsh.  The defense as a whole played great, we really picked it up in the second half.  It was good to go out on a winning note.”

Monmouth received the ball first and moved down to midfield before facing their first third down of the contest.  On third and 15 from midfield, Burke found wideout Nick Romeo (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) on the right sideline for a 37 yard gain, setting up the offense up with a fresh set of downs on the 13.  Three plays later, Sinisi scored his 20^th rushing touchdown of the season as the junior took it in from the one-foot line to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead with 8:55 to play in the first quarter.

After the defense forced a three and out, Burke threw his sixth interception of the year when Duquesne linebacker Eric Halberstadt jumped a pass to the flat, returning the ball down to the Hawk 10 yardline.  One play later,  Duke quarterback Kevin Rombach ran untouched up the right side for a 10 yard game-tying touchdown.

Sinisi started the next MU drive with a 22 yard run, setting up Burke's 17 yard pass completion on the next play to senior Steve Dowens (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) that gave the Hawks a fresh set of downs at the Duquesne 35.  With 4:13 left in the first, fifth-year senior Fred Weingart (New Egypt, N.J./New Egypt) scored his 201^st career point with a 39 yard field goal that gave Monmouth a 10-7 lead.

The Dukes took over at the Monmouth 38 yardline after defensive back Willie Milhouse took the kickoff return 49 yards.  With Michigan State transfer Connor Dixon under center, the Dukes moved the ball down to the Hawk six yard line.  On second and goal from the three, Dixon connected with tight end Brian Layhue for the Dukes' second touchdown and first lead of the game. 

The Hawks answered quickly, with Burke connecting with Rodney Salomon (Marlboro, N.J./Marlboro (Maine)) for a 57 yard touchdown pass on the second play of the drive.  With Weingart's extra point, MU held a 17-14 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.  The catch was the longest of the junior's career and his second touchdown. Duquesne moved down to the Monmouth 28 but on a fourth-down field goal attempt Rombach was unable to set the ball after the snap and was tackled for a three yard loss where MU took over. 

Two impressive Bobby Giles' (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Twp) runs, including a 16 yard burst on first down, gave the Hawks a fresh set of downs on the Duquesne 42.  On third and eight, Burke hit tight end John Nalbone (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) for a first down, with the catch marking the fifth year senior's 100^th of his career.  Despite moving down to the 24 of Duquesne, MU was unable to get any points on the drive as Weingart's 41 yard kick attempt fell two yards short.  Each team had one more possession in the first half but the opening 30 minutes of play ended with MU clinging to a 17-14 lead.

Duquesne took over first in the second half, converting two third downs while moving the ball down to the Hawk 29.  On fourth and one, Duquesne ran a toss right, with running back Cleo Williams rushing inside the MU 20.  A personal foul call set the Dukes up inside the 10, but two impressive stops by linebacker Joe Valenti (Bayonne, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) pushed the home squad back to the 15.  On third down, defensive back Jon Stolarz (Andover, N.J./Hopatcong) closed on a Rombach pass breaking up the would-be touchdown at the last moment.  On fourth down, defensive lineman David Kennedy (Fort Lee, N.J./) blocked Mark Troyan's 32 yard field goal attempt.             

The following drive was dominated by Sinisi, who capped the six-play, 87 yard drive with a 33 yard touchdown run.  His 21^st  score of the season tied Chris Reed's 1998 mark for most in a single season.

Pinned on their own 13, Burke hit tight end John Nalbone for an 83 yard touchdown on third and long, the longest career pass and reception for the pair of fifth-year seniors.  With the catch, Nalbone became the seventh Monmouth player to record over 1,000 career reception yards.  The score put the Hawks up 30-14 with 1:20 left in the third quarter.  After forcing the Dukes into a third and eight, MU's Kevin Walsh (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) stripped and recovered the ball from Rombach, giving the Hawks the ball on the DU 10.  On fourth and goal from the one, Sinisi set the Monmouth single season scoring record with his 22^nd touchdown of 2008.  The touchdown ended the day's scoring and gave MU a 37-14 lead with much of the fourth quarter to play.

Sinisi finished his record setting season with 22 touchdowns and 1674 rushing yards.  With the 7-4 record, 2008 marked the 10^th time in school history the Hawks had a winning season.