LORETTO, Pa.- Monmouth University's (5-4, 4-2 NEC) football team scored a season-high 48 points in a 48-45 shootout win over Saint Francis University (2-8, 1-6 NEC) at DeGol Field in Loretto, Pa. on Saturday.

The offense, led by Julian Hayes' (Middletown, Conn./Xavier/The Hun School) career high 128 -yard, four-touchdown day, withstood 28 second half points by the Red Flash.  MU quarterback Craig Peterson (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) had a career-high 328 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20-of-29 passing.  The two teams combined for 93 points and 955 total yards in the offensive battle.

It was the most points scored by MU since a 49-7 victory over Sacred Heart in 2007. Monmouth finishes the regular season 5-0 on the road for the third time in school history and the first time since 2006.

"It was an incredible effort by our offense, they just wouldn't be denied," said MU Head Coach Kevin Callahan. "They retook the lead every time we relinquished it.  IT was an outstanding effort by Craig Peterson and our receivers did a nice job.  I really liked the way Julian Hayes carried the ball and how hard he ran." 

Saint Francis took their first lead since the first quarter on a 25 yard touchdown pass with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter.  The Hawks answered by going on a 91 yard drive, capped by Hayes' fourth touchdown of the game.  Saint Francis had two shots to retake the lead, the first of which ended with their 39 yard field goal being blocked.  The second ended when quarterback John Kelly threw his first interception of the game.  From there the Hawks were able to run out the clock.

The second half started with a three-and-out for the Hawks which was followed up three plays later by a 78 yard Kyle Harbridge touchdown that cut Monmouth's lead to 27-24 with 12:40 to play in the third quarter.  The TD run was the longest the Hawks have allowed since Wagner's Eric Foxworth scored from 51 yards out in 2010.

Sophomore Mitchell Pollard (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) put the Hawks back on the board with an electrifying punt return for a touchdown, the first Hawk to do so since Kevin Falkner's 2002 return against Robert Morris.  Pollard's 52 yard return put the Hawks up 34-24 with 7:41 to play in the third quarter.

The Red Flash offense answered once again, this time on a 10 yard Keion Wade delayed handoff.  Wade's score cut the lead back down to three with 5:13 to play in the third.

Julian Hayes' 26 yard touchdown run with 2:37 to play in the third quarter gave the Hawks a 41-31 advantage.  The play was the longest rush for Hayes, who recorded his third three-touchdown performance of the year.

That lead wouldn't last long as SFPA quarterback Kelly scrambled for a 16 yard touchdown on one drive then found A.J. Alexander for a 25 yard touchdown on the next Red Flash drive.  The pass gave the Red Flash a 45-41 lead, their first since the end of the first quarter.

Peterson led the Hawks on another touchdown drive, which ended on a six yard Hayes touchdown.  The offensive unit was sharp on the drive, going 91 yards on 11 plays.  Peterson was 4-for-4 on the drive, including a 34 yard pass to tight end Mike McLafferty (Morgan, N.J./War Memorial).  That play gave the Hawks a 48-45 lead with 7:26 to play.

Saint Francis drove down to the MU 22 where the Hawk defense forced a fourth and long.  The Red Flash lined up for a game-tying 39 yard field goal but it was blocked by defensive lineman Mike Upham (Clifton, Va./Centerville).

The Red Flash had another shot at the comeback, forcing a three and out with 2:07 to play in the game. After a first down run by Harbridge, Kelly threw a ball over the middle which skipped off his receiver's hands and right into Pat Gray's (Westfield, N.J./Westfield/Hargrave Military Academy) hands.  Monmouth was able to convert the one-timeout they needed to clinch the three point victory.

Saint Francis scored on the opening drive of the game, mostly with Harbridge who plowed in from six yards out on a fourth and two for his 12^th touchdown of the year.  The junior accounted for 51 of his team's 66 yards on the drive which found the Red Flash up 7-0 with 9:56 to play.

Monmouth answered right back with a Hayes three yard touchdown, the freshman's 10^th of the year.  Peterson threw back to back first down passes to Neal Sterling (Belmar, N.J./Manasquan) and Pollard before junior wideout Tristan Roberts (Ansonia, Conn./Ansonia/Lackawanna C.C.) sprung a screen for 44 yards down inside the SFU five.  The extra point was blocked, the first miss of the year for the Hawks.

Saint Francis junior kicker Josh Thiel expanded his team's lead to 10-6 with a program long 47 yard field goal.  The Hawks answered right back with a 65 yard drive, capped by Hayes' second TD of the game.  On that drive Peterson was three of four for 37 yards, including a 17 yard completion to tight end Tyler George (Berkeley Heights, N.J./Govenor Livingston).  Spillane hit the extra point and MU took a 13-10 lead with 12:37 to play in the second frame.

Monmouth's defense forced the first punt of the game on the next SFU drive and the Hawk offense responded with another touchdown.  The score didn't come easy as MU converted three third downs and one fourth down on the drive.  Peterson tossed his third touchdown of the year, hitting Roberts on a 12 yard slant to put Monmouth up 20-10 with just under five minutes to play in the half.  The drive took up 4:55 of clock covering 69 yards on 12 plays.

The Monmouth defense forced a fumble on what would have been a John Kelly first down.  The ball was recovered by defensive lineman Jimmy Lawson (Manchester, N.J./Manchester).  Three plays later, Peterson hit Sterling for a 58 yard touchdown to put MU up 27-10 with 2:01 to play.  Sterling make a great catch over the Red Flash defensive back and out ran the SFU defense for his longest catch of his career. 

Saint Francis drove down for a late first half TD in efficient fashion, cutting the lead to 27-17 on a two-yard Harbridge.  The Red Flash went 58 yards on 10 plays and took just 1:33 off the clock.

Sterling led the team with 87 yards on four catches, while Roberts had a career-high 82 yards on five grabs.  Pollard led all Hawks with 162 total yards, including 53 yards receiving.  Safety Jose Gumbs' (Queens, N.Y./Hebron Academy) 11 tackles led the Hawks, and moved him into third place all-time at Monmouth with 299 career tackles.

Harbridge finished with 197 yards and three scores, adding 23 yards receiving.  Kelly was 17-of-30 for 194 yards and one touchdown.  Linebacker Anthony Bowman led all defenders with 17 tackles, all assisted.

Monmouth returns home to host Albany next week at 12 p.m.