WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – A 25-yard field goal from senior kicker Matt Mosquera (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) gave the Monmouth University football team a thrilling overtime win against UAlbany on Saturday, 38-35. Monmouth jumped out to a 21-0 lead with two touchdowns and two field goals, but the Great Danes rattled off 21 straight points to tie the game. The teams traded touchdowns after that, including UAlbany's game-tying 21-yard reception with four seconds remaining. In the extra period, the Great Danes got the ball first and their field goal attempt hit the left upright. The Hawks won it on the next possession as Mosquera's boot split the uprights.
 
Fifth-year quarterback Kenji Bahar (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall) went completed 23 of 37 passes for 291 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the win. Junior running back Pete Guerriero (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) rushed for over 100 yards in the first half, ending with 179 total yards (45 receiving) and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Lonnie Moore IV (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI) caught five passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, while Terrance Greene Jr. (Philadelphia, PA/St. Joe's Prep) compiled five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Joey Aldarelli (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean Township) matched a career high of seven receptions and totaled a career-high 74 receiving yards.
 
The defense forced five turnovers in the win, including two fourth quarter interceptions from junior defensive back Anthony Budd (Riverdale, MD/Good Counsell). Junior linebacker DeJaun Cooper (Germantown, MD/Northwest) led the team with seven tackles, and also forced a fumble on a sack.
 
Monmouth improves to 2-1 on the season, and snaps UAlbany's seven-game winning streak in the head-to-head series.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
"I think everyone can agree that was a heck of a football game. There were so many big plays on both sides. As I told our team before the game, our motto for the day was 'stay tougher longer' They're a good football team and they are going to make some plays which you saw today. I'm just really happy about and were we are today after the win."  – Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan
 
"One of the things we talk to our team about is being aggressive and playing to win and if you want them to play that way you need to coach that way. There is a fine line between being aggressive and being reckless. Going into the game we talk about fourth down situations and when we are going to go for it. We know at the beginning of every drive when it's first and 10 what yard we need to get to it to go for it." – Coach Callahan on going for two fourth-downs
 
"You just kind of look at what you did wrong on the last kick. You got to look at what you did wrong on the last kick and come back and trust yourself. It was a shorter kick so I wasn't worried about the wind but I know in pregame you had to adjust your aiming points on both sides of the field because there was a heavy cross wind. I just tried to pick out my aiming point, trust myself and follow through on my kick."
-Matt Mosquera on coming back from missing an earlier kick
 
-UAlbany converted three first downs on its first drive, but the Monmouth defense eventually forced a punt after a dropped pass and a sack.
-After senior RB Devell Jones picked up four yards on a fourth-and-1, the Hawks eventually missed a 43-yard field goal wide left.
-Late in the first quarter, Bahar rushed for 21 yards down to the Albany 26. On the very next play, Guerriero sprinted through the middle to put Monmouth ahead 7-0.
-On UAlbany's next possession, Cooper busted through the right side and stripped the quarterback of the ball. Junior DL Kurt Aumer jumped on it, and the Monmouth offense took over at the opponent's 40.
-After the Monmouth drive stalled early in the second quarter, Mosquera drilled a 47-yard field goal to put the Hawks ahead 10-0.
-The Monmouth defense came up big once again on the next drive, as senior LB Da'Quan Grimes ripped the ball out of the running back's arm. Sophomore DB Eddie Morales III eventually recovered at the UAlbany 22.
-Mosquera's next field goal was much easier, as he punched through a 21-yarder to give Monmouth a 13-0 lead with 9:49 to play in the second.
-Bahar later dropped a perfect 39-yard touchdown pass to Greene Jr. After a two-point conversion to junior WR Zach Tredway, the Hawks led 21-0.
-The Great Danes quickly answered with a 64-yard touchdown pass, their first score of the game.
-The Monmouth defense later forced its third turnover of the first half, as junior DB Justin Terry picked off a pass down the left sideline.
-UAlbany got the ball back on its own 8 yard line with 1:08 left in the first half. A 52-yard run, a 12-yard pass, and a 28-yard touchdown toss quickly made it 21-14 by halftime.
-The Great Danes opened the second half with a 12-play, 89-yard drive in 5:52 to tie the game at 21.
-The next Monmouth drive included a 13-yard rush for Moore IV, a 27-yard pass to Aldarelli, and an 18-yard pass to Guerriero. Bahar capped it off with a perfect touch pass to Moore IV for an 18-yard touchdown and the Hawks went back ahead 28-21.  
-The teams traded turnovers early in the fourth, with an interception for Monmouth's Anthony Budd and a forced fumble and recovery for UAlbany's Nick Griffin. The Great Danes capitalized with a 32-yard touchdown pass to lock it up at 28.
-With 7:36 left in the fourth quarter, Bahar sailed in another pass to Moore IV for an over-the-shoulder 32-yard touchdown. The Hawks led 35-28.  
-With 1:53 left in the game and Monmouth leading by a touchdown, Budd came up with another acrobatic interception.
-After the Hawks burned all of UAlbany's timeouts with three straight rushes, the Great Danes had 1:27 left at their own 30. On a fourth-and-10 from MU's 21, the Great Danes threw up a jump ball and came down with it in the end zone. The game went to overtime locked at 35-35.
-On its first possession in overtime, UAlbany's field goal attempt hit off the left upright.
-After Guerriero rushed for a first down, Monmouth elected to go for the field goal on second-and-4 from the UAlbany 8. Mosquera's attempt was perfect. 
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-The Hawks are 12-1 at the new Kessler Stadium dating back to 2017. MU has outscored opponents 513-338 in that span, averaging 39.4 points per game.
-With his first carry of the game, Guerriero moved into fourth all-time for career rushing yards. He now has 2372, and needs 77 more to tie Lavon Chaney (2013-16) for third. Guerriero leads the FCS with 393 rushing yards in three games this season. He had a career-high 30 attempts in today's win.
-Mosquera drilled three of four field goal attempts in the game. He's 17-21 for his career.
-Morales III earned his first career start, making five tackles with a QB hurry.
-Monmouth was just 6-of-20 on third downs, but was 3-of-3 on fourth down.
-Budd now has four career interceptions, including three in the last two games.
-Terry totaled six tackles and an interception.
-With six more today, Grimes remains the team leader with 20 total tackles.
-The Hawks held the advantage in time of possession, 35:07 to 24:53.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will travel to Montana next Saturday for a 3 PM (EST) contest. The teams will be meeting for the first time.