WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Monmouth turned the ball over four times and fell to Duquesne, 16-0, on Homecoming, Saturday afternoon at rain-soaked Kessler Field. With the loss, the Hawks fall to 4-4 (3-2 NEC), while the Dukes improve to 7-2 (5-1 NEC). The win is the first for Duquesne against the Hawks since joining the Northeast Conference in 2008.

Hawks freshman running back Julian Hayes (Middletown, Conn./Xavier/The Hun School) rushed for a game-high 114 yards on 34 carries. Senior defensive back Jose Gumbs (Queens, N.Y./Hebron Academy) had a team-high eight tackles.  It is Hayes' first career 100-yard rushing day.

Duquesne's Larry McCoy rushed for 110 yards on 35 carries. Quarterback Sean Patterson threw for 68 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 50 yards and a touchdown.

"I think the weather certainly wasn't ideal to play football in," said Head Coach Kevin Callahan "In the long run Duquesne did a better job dealing with the adverse conditions than we did.  We found ourselves with some short fields on defense and didn't capitalize on short field on offense and ultimately that was the difference in the game.   They did a nice job in kicking game and were able to pin us deep.  We had difficulty throwing the ball today and they seemed to throw it a little bit better."

The Dukes won the coin toss, deferred the option to the second half and the Hawks opted to kick off. On the Dukes' second play from scrimmage, Monmouth's Ian Simon (Windsor, N.J./W. Windsor Plainsboro [Howard]) sacked Patterson, forcing a fumble that was recovered by the Hawks. But after a seven-play drive for the Hawks' offense stalled inside the red zone, the Hawks turned the ball over on downs.

Duquesne then drove 72 yards on nine plays, capped by Patterson's 19-yard touchdown run for the 5:21 mark of the first quarter. The point-after try was blocked, leaving the score at 6-0 Duquesne.

A Hayes fumble in Monmouth territory in the second quarter led to a 33-yard Charlie Leventry field goal with 2:04 left in the first half. On the ensuing Hawks possession, Tyler George (Berkley Heights, N.J./Governor Livingston) caught a pass on 3^rd-and-8, but fumbled to give the ball back to the Dukes with 57 seconds left in the first half. Two plays later, Patterson found Isaac Spragg for an 18-yard touchdown, putting Duquesne up, 16-0, at the half.

Neither team could muster any points in the second half. The Dukes missed on a pair of Leventry field goals and turned the ball over on downs inside the red zone once. Monmouth punted on both of its possessions in the third quarter, and turned the ball over on a fumble, downs and an interception in the fourth quarter.

MU quarterback Craig Peterson (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) was 5-of-13 passing with an interception and 51 yards.  George finished with two catches, which moves him into a tie with David Sinisi for seventh all-time with 83.  He is also now ranked 10^th in school history in reception yardage.  Patterson finished 6-of-15 for 68 yards and a touchdown for Duquesne. 

Monmouth has now lost six straight home games, the longest streak in school history.  The Hawks are also 8-11 on homecoming games.

The Hawks return to action next Saturday, when they travel to Loretto, Pa., to take on Saint Francis (Pa.). Kickoff from DeGol Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.