WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Behind a career-high 122 receiving yards from junior wide receiver Lonnie Moore IV (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI) and 152 rushing yards from junior running back Pete Guerriero (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst), the Monmouth University football team edged Lafayette on Saturday, 24-21.
 
The Hawks led 21-7 at halftime, but the Leopards made it a three-point game after a touchdown pass with 4:38 left in the fourth. The Blue & White later sealed the win with a 16-yard run by senior Devell Jones (Iselin, NJ/Lincoln) on fourth-and-1 from Monmouth's own 30.
 
Senior Matt Mosquera's (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference, as his third made kick of the day snuck inside the left upright.
 
Early in the third quarter, junior defensive back Anthony Budd (Riverdale, MD/Good Counsel) came up with an acrobatic interception in the end zone to keep Monmouth ahead. The Hawks defense as a whole held Lafayette to -12 rushing yards, compiling 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, and six quarterback hurries.

In Head Coach Kevin Callahan's 275^th career game, Monmouth improves to 1-1 on the season.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
Obviously, I'm very happy to get our first win of the year. It was good to come away with that win today. I thought going into halftime that we had that game in control. Up until that point we had the game in control, we went out and started the third quarter and I thought we were going to add to the lead. Lafayette did a good job and hung around, we didn't seem to click in the third quarter the same way we did in the first half and that allowed them to get back into the game. Then we had the blocked punt which brought it right down to the wire. Matt (Mosquera) had big field goal there that eventually provided the margin of victory.  – Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan

Callahan on the run game
"Pete ran tough all day, finishing with 26 carries for 152 yards. You have to give Devell and the offensive line credit too for what they were able to do in the closing minutes of the game to grind out those tough yards."

Callahan on the play of the defense
"Overall I thought they played very well. We had that long 80-yard play where our guys assumed he was down and there is a lesson there. I think that play gave Lafayette some life there. Up until there we did a pretty good job.

-After rolling out right for a 14-yard rush, senior QB Kenji Bahar hit junior WR Terrance Greene Jr. two plays later for a 16-yard pass down to the Lafayette 32. On 2nd-and-10, Guerriero made one cut and went untouched for a 19-yard score. Monmouth took a 7-0 lead with 3:30 left in the first.
-Moore IV hauled in a 48-yard pass from Bahar at the end of the first quarter. Mosquera later connected on a 35-yard field goal to give the Hawks a 10-0 lead.
-After the Monmouth defense forced a three-and-out, the Hawks used an 11-yard rush from senior RB Devell Jones and an 11-yard catch from fifth-year WR Brandon Batts to get into Lafayette territory. Two incompletions in the red zone led to a 23-yard field goal from Mosquera. The Hawks led 13-0 with 7:01 left in the second quarter.
-Late in the second, Lafayette converted on a 4th-and-10 from the Monmouth 35. Two plays later, the Leopards cut their deficit to 13-7 with a 13-yard touchdown run.
-With just 1:21 left in the first half on their own 36 yard line, the Hawks were able to get into Leopards territory with a 32-yard completion down the right side from Bahar to Moore IV. On 1st-and-goal, Bahar hit junior wideout Joey Aldarelli across the middle for a 10-yard touchdown with five seconds remaining. After a two-point conversion to Moore IV, Monmouth led 21-7 at halftime.
-Lafayette struck first in the second half on a 3rd-and-10 from its own 20. WR Nick Pearson caught a pass 20 yards downfield, spun out of a tackle, and ran in for an 80-yard score.
-Guerriero broke multiple tackles on a 38-yard run in the third, but the Hawks fumbled two plays later. The Monmouth defense answered as Budd made an incredible leaping interception in the end zone, getting a hand in the field of play on his way down.
-With 10:50 left in the fourth, Mosquera hit his third field goal of the game, a 40-yarder.
-Trailing 24-14, Lafayette blocked a Monmouth punt with 5:34 left in the game. The Leopards capitalized with a 13-yard touchdown pass to get within three.
-Monmouth was faced with a 4th-and-1 on its own 34 yard line with 2:47 left in the game. Jones took a direct snap and powered through for a 16-yard gain to seal the win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH

• The Hawks are 11-1 at the new Kessler Stadium dating back to 2017. MU has outscored opponents 475-303 in that span, averaging 39.5 points per game.
• Bahar finished 15-29 with 194 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
• Aldarelli hauled in his second career touchdown.
• Senior LB Da'Quan Grimes led the team with seven total tackles.
• Sophomore DL Nick Shoemaker registered his first career sack in the first quarter. Senior DL Russell Davidson recorded his first career sack in the fourth.
• In addition to four catches for 100 yards in the first half, Moore IV had a 33-yard kick return.
• The Hawks outgained Lafayette 280-107 in the first half.
• Monmouth had 22 first downs compared to Lafayette's 11.
• Guerriero's 26 carries was a career high, one more than his previous best set against Lehigh in '17
• Sophomore Eddie Morales returned a punt for 23 yards in the fourth quarter, a career-long.

 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will host Albany next Saturday, September 14 at 1:00 PM. The Great Danes lead the all-time series 12-4, including seven straight wins.