FINAL SCORE
No. 14/14 Rhode Island 37 (8-1, 5-0 CAA)
Monmouth 28 (4-5, 2-3 CAA)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Monmouth's strong start wasn't enough to hold off a second-half surge by No. 14/14 Rhode Island, as the Hawks fell 37-28 at Meade Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks are now 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), while Rhode Island improved to 8-1 and 5-0 in the CAA with the win.

Monmouth opened the game with a nine-play drive capped by Sone Ntoh's 7-yard touchdown run, putting them ahead 7-0. Rhode Island responded with a long, 88-yard drive, ending in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Devin Farrell to Marquis Buchanan to tie the score. Late in the first quarter, Derek Robertson connected with Jack Neri on a 4-yard touchdown pass, putting the Hawks up 14-7.

In the second quarter, Rhode Island managed a 29-yard field goal by Ty Groff, cutting Monmouth's lead to 14-10. Monmouth answered with a 12-play, 84-yard drive, and Ntoh punched in his second touchdown from 2 yards out, extending the lead to 21-10. However, Rhode Island quickly responded with another Farrell touchdown pass, this time to Tommy Smith, bringing the score to 21-17 at halftime.

Monmouth struck first in the third quarter as Robertson connected with Tra Neal for an 11-yard touchdown, capitalizing on a Rhode Island turnover to increase the lead to 28-17. The giveaway came on an attempted flea-flicker that was snatched out of the air and returned into Rhode Island territory by Miles Mitchell.

Holding an 11-point lead following an interception in the end zone by K-Shawn Schulters, Monmouth Monmouth came up short on fourth and one inside Rams territory that swung the momentum in the home team's favor. A 16-yard touchdown run by Malik Grant closed the gap to 28-24 as the teams headed into the fourth quarter.

Rhode Island took the lead for the first time with just over a minute remaining, as Farrell found Buchanan again for a 24-yard touchdown pass, capping an 8-play, 69-yard drive to make it 31-28. Monmouth's last-minute drive faltered, and after a series of laterals, a fumble return by Rhode Island's Fredrick Mallay sealed the game.

Robertson finished the game with 266 passing yards, completing 28 of 43 attempts with two touchdowns. Defensively, Monmouth forced three turnovers, with Justin Bennin and Schulters each recording an interception to go along with Mitchell's fumble recovery.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"I thought we played extremely well for almost the entirety of the game and that's what I told our team. To take the No. 14 team in the nation, a team that only has one loss to a Big 10 school, and play the way we did and put ourselves in a position to win, we have to feel good about our effort. On the other hand, there are some things that we let slip away from us and we have to do a better job."
Head Coach Kevin Callahan

The Hawks moved to 2-2 away from home this season.
Monmouth is now 1-3 all-time against Rhode Island.
The game was played in front of a sold out crowd of 5,674.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
Justin Bennin recorded his second interception of the season.
K-Shawn Schulters hauled in his first interception as a Hawk.
Miles Mitchell's fumble recovery was his first of the season and the second of his career.
Chris King recorded two sacks, his first-career multi-sack game. He now has four sacks in his career.
Sam Korpoi led the Hawks with nine tackles, including six solo stops.
Deuce Lee and Charlie Sasso had eight tackles apiece. Sasso's eight stops marked a career high.
Derek Robertson finished with 266 yards passing on 28-for-43 with a pair of touchdowns.
Robertson now has 2,845 yards passing on the season, the second most in a single season in Monmouth history.
Sone Ntoh has scored 20 touchdowns this season and 34 in his career. He is now third in single-season touchdowns and third in career touchdowns at Monmouth.
Monmouth blocked a field goal for the first time since September 20, 2018 against Campbell.

UP NEXT
Monmouth returns north next Saturday for a matchup with New Hampshire. Opening kickoff from Durham, NH is set for 1 p.m.