WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Redshirt freshman quarterback Cody Williams (Springfield, MA/Central) connected with sophomore wideout Reggie White, Jr. (Randallstown, MD/Milford Mill Academy) on two touchdowns, including a 50-yard screen pass for the go-ahead score as the Monmouth University football team outlasted Bryant, 31-24, Saturday afternoon at a rain-soaked Monmouth Stadium. Williams also ran for a 22-yard touchdown as the Hawks improved to 2-3 on the season. Bryant falls to 2-2 with the loss. 

"I was really pleased with the way our guys maintained our focus throughout that fourth quarter," said Monmouth Head Coach Kevin Callahan. "That was the type of game where we knew we had to come out and execute early, which we did. In the fourth quarter we were focused on doing our jobs and getting it done, I was very happy with that."

Lavon Chaney (Edgewater, MD/South River) rushed 23 times for 140 yards and added three receptions for 30 yards. Williams finished with 70 yards on the ground. Fifth-year senior Pat Gray (Westfield, NJ/Hargrave Military Academy [Westfield]) caught five passes for 40 yards, while Darren Ambush (Dickerson, MD/Urbana) made four receptions for 37 yards.

Mike Basile (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) had a team-high 10 tackles and a quarterback hurry, while John Sieczkowski (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) returned an interception five yards for a touchdown and added two tackles for loss. Anthony McDonnaugh (Philadelphia, PA/West Catholic [Salisbury]) also added six tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Joe Johnson (Manchester, NJ/Manchester Township) chipped in with an interception, a pass breakup and five tackles, while Malcolm Powers (Baltimore, MD/Gilman School) also added an interception.

Bryant quarterback Dalton Easton finished with 256 yards passing and two touchdowns, one each to Chad Ward and Jose Depadua. Ward led the Bulldogs with four receptions for 105 yards, while Depadua finished with 43 yards receiving. Taylor Barthelette made three catches for 41 yards and secured a two-point conversion from Easton. Ricardo McCray led Bryant on the ground with 94 yards and a touchdown.

"The fact that we came into this game 1-3 and heading into conference play, this was a very important game," said Callahan. "They're all important, but I think the momentum that this win can generate for us will be huge. We've had some trouble not starting fast in the first couple of games, but I thought we got off to a really good start today. We were focused on what we had to do."

Monmouth scored on its opening possession for the second time this season as Williams capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 22-yard scamper on 4^th-and-2. Matt White's (Gibsonia, PA/Mars Area) extra point was good as the Hawks took a 7-0 lead at the 11:20 mark of the first quarter. A 14-yard Chaney run and a 12-yard reception by Ambush got the Hawks into Bryant territory, before Williams drew the Bulldogs offside on 4^th-and-1 to again move the sticks, setting up the redshirt freshman quarterback's touchdown run on the next set of downs.

After Monmouth stopped Bryant short of the 50, the Hawks moved 12 plays for 85 yards covering 6:01 on another touchdown drive. Williams converted a 3^rd-and-6 with a 25-yard swing pass to Chaney, getting the Hawks into Bryant territory. He then completed a six-yard pass to Ambush on 3^rd-and-3 to move the chains. Williams picked up another fourth-down conversion with a nine-yard run on 4^th-and-6 from the Bryant 25. On the next play, Williams found Reggie White, Jr., in the back, left corner of the end zone for 16 yards and the score. Matt White's extra point was good, putting Monmouth on top, 14-0, at the 3:04 mark of the first. 

After both teams saw their next drive stall, Bryant moved 67 yards on five plays over 2:16 to get into the end zone. McCray ran four times for 57 yards, including a 38-yard run off left tackle for the score. The extra point was good, making it 14-7 Monmouth with 12:56 left in the second quarter.

Bryant capped a seven-play, 54-yard drive when Easton connected with Depadua over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown on 3^rd-and-7 to tie the game at 14-14 with 6:30 left in the second quarter. Easton's 18-yard pass to Keenan Thompson got the Bulldogs into Monmouth territory, before a 15-yard connection with Barthelette gave Bryant another first down at the Monmouth 22.

Monmouth took a 17-14 lead with 6:15 left in the third, when White hit a career-long 40-yard field goal with the wind at his back. Williams converted the Hawks' third fourth-down opportunity of the game with a 27-yard run into Bryant territory on the drive.

The Hawks' defense got off the field when McDonnaugh shot into the backfield to tackle McCray for a loss. But the Bulldogs downed the punt at the Monmouth 1 and Chaney was tackled a yard deep in the end zone for a safety on the Hawks' first play from scrimmage, cutting Monmouth's lead to 17-16 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.

Monmouth later returned the favor in the punting game, with Matt White pinning the Bulldogs inside the one early in the fourth quarter. Bryant couldn't move beyond the one, with Easton's pass on 3^rd-and-10 being tipped and intercepted for a pick six by Sieczkowski. The senior linebacker returned it five yards for the touchdown and Matt White's extra point was good, giving Monmouth a 24-16 lead with 11:32 left.  

Bryant took little time to respond, with Easton connecting with Ward on play action for a 68-yard touchdown pass on the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage. Bryant successfully went for two, with Easton rolling out to the right to find Barthelette to tie the game at 24-24 with 11:12 remaining.

Johnson's interception with 6:31 remaining gave Monmouth great field position at the Bryant 31. The Hawks pushed the ball to the Bryant 10 to set up a 27-yard field goal attempt. But a delay of game penalty pushed the attempt back to 32 yards and Matt White pushed it wide left with 2:58 remaining.

But Monmouth forced a three-and-out, resulting in a Bryant punt to the Monmouth 39. Williams completed a five-yard pass to the sideline for Reggie White, Jr., on 3^rd-and-4 at the 50 yard line, before going back to White on the next play for a 50-yard touchdown on a screen pass. White outran the Bulldogs' defense for 45 yards after the catch and Matt White's extra point was good to put Monmouth on top, 31-24.

Bryant drove all the way down to the Monmouth 12-yard line, but the Hawks' defense held, forcing consecutive incomplete passes as time expired.

The Hawks return to action Oct. 10, when they open Big South play in Charleston, SC, against Charleston Southern. Kickoff from Buccaneer Field is scheduled for noon. 

Additional Quotes:

Coach Callahan

"I think you saw the momentum swing back and forth several times until the very end. You had [LB] John [Sieczkowski's] interception for a touchdown that gave us the lead. When they came back and tied it, [QB] Cody [Williams] came out throwing the ball and [WR] Reggie [White Jr.] making a terrific play for the go-ahead touchdown.  [RB] Lavon [Chaney] was a workhorse for us on the offensive side of the ball. It's a good win for us to get as we head into conference play. It's something that we can certainly build on."

Cody Williams on Reggie White's TD

"We had some really good blocks downfield by our lineman and receivers. For him to make that play for us was real big. I was excited for him, excited for the team, and excited that the defense came back out and got a stop for us."

Reggie White on his TD

"It was a backside screen. [Monmouth C] Alex Thompson and [TE] Hakeem Valles led the way for me. I got some great blocks from my teammates and I just followed them."

Coach Kevin Callahan

"We're really confident in what [QB] Cody [Williams] and [WR] Reggie [White] can do for us. They were with us last year but didn't play. I think we're now starting to see glimpses of the potential they have and the things that they can do."

Coach Callahan

"I think we've had a very challenging and very competitive non-conference schedule, and I think what we've done is grow. I think that's going to help us headed into league play because every single Big South game is very tough. We played every team in the Big South last year except Kennesaw State. I think having that knowledge and that previous experience is going to help us as we start preparing for those conference games."?