WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University football team won its 100th all-time game on Saturday, defeating Bryant 10-6 in Northeast Conference action on Kessler Field.
"It is good to see the program get its 100th win," said head coach Kevin Callahan. "It's not just about me, but for the program and all the kids that have been a part of Monmouth Football since 1993."
The Hawks even up their record at 4-4 overall this year and move to 3-2 in the league, while Bryant falls 3-5 and 2-3 in the conference.
Another milestone occurred in the game when Monmouth fifth-year senior running back David Sinisi (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) became the first Hawk ever to rush for at least 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. Sinisi ran for 139 yards on 29 carries in the contest, his 23rd career 100-yard game.
"I am grateful to be a part of this program," said Sinisi. "I am very excited to have my part in the 100th win. It's a very special day for coach and I'm glad he was able to get the milestone win on Kessler Field."
Bryant received the ball first and got one first down before the Hawks collected their first of three first half interceptions when Mike Avent (Upper Marlboro, Md. /Eleanor Roosevelt) stepped in front of a Michael Croce pass for his second pick of the season.
MU was unable to get any points on the ensuing possession, and punted the ball back to Bryant. The Hawks ended up punting on their first four drives. The Bulldogs took the game's initial lead when kicker Chris Bird drilled a 27-yard field goal to complete a 15-play, 70-yard drive with 1:17 left in the first quarter,
The Blue and White was able to quell to other BU first half drives via the interception, one from Kenny Amsel (Demarest, N.J. /Northern Valley Regional), his third of the season, and the other from freshman Elijah Philips (Willingboro, N.J. /Holy Cross), his first career pick. The Hawks and Bulldogs went into intermission with the score holding at 3-0.
The Hawks scored the game's only touchdown with just less than seven minutes left in the third quarter when quarterback Kyle Frazier (Gaithersburg, Md. /Damascus) hit Sinisi on an 11-yard screen pass to take a 7-3 lead.
Bryant responded with an 11-play, 50-yard drive that took almost six minutes off the clock when Bird drilled another 27-yarder to cut Monmouth's lead to one point. The Hawks added some much-needed insurance when kicker Jake DelVento (Toms River, N.J. /Toms River South) drilled a 28-yard field goal to put the Hawks up 10-6 with 6:37 left in the game.
Monmouth outgained Bryant 262-255 in total offense in the game. The Bulldogs ran for 176 yards, but MU limited the Bulldogs to 79 passing yards in the game. MU converted 8-of-16 third downs, while limiting BU to 3-of-12 third down conversions.
Frazier went 9-for-23 passing with 126 yards and the one score. Sinisi also caught four passes for 29 yards while Ron Lauch (Wall, N.J./Wall) caught three balls for 68 yards. Freshman Matt Plautz (Harmony, Pa. /Seneca) added one grab for 21 yards.
Jerell Smith led BU with 139 yards on 32 carries, while Mike Canfora added 40 yards on five carries. Croce was 8-of-19 passing for 79 yards to go along with those three picks. Canfora added three catches for 18 yards while Matt Tracey had two catches for 27 yards.
MU's defense, which sacked Croce three times, was paced by Jose Gumbs (Queens, N.Y. /Hebron Academy) and Joe Valenti (Bayonne, N.J. /St. Peter's Prep), who each had 11 tackles. Kendall Haley (Olney, Md./Good Counsel) added eight stops while the Hawks had five tackles for loss as a team.
Jason Riffe led Bryant with nine tackles, including one for loss, while Don Smith added six stops and a game-high two sacks.
Monmouth allowed its fewest points in a game since its 19-0 win over Albany on November 11, 2006, which claimed the program's fifth league title. The Hawks return to action next Saturday when they travel to Loretto, Pa. for a 1:00 pm game with Saint Francis (Pa.).
