Final Score
#10/11 Monmouth (6-1, 3-0 CAA) – 49
Stony Brook (3-4, 1-2 CAA) – 21
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Behind a dominant defensive performance and a balanced offensive attack, No. 10/11 Monmouth extended its winning streak to four games with a 49-21 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday afternoon at Kessler Stadium. The Hawks improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in CAA play, remaining perfect at home this season.

Monmouth raced out to an early lead behind quarterback Derek Robertson, who threw three first-half touchdowns to stake the Hawks to a 21-14 advantage at the break. Robertson finished 19-of-29 for 204 yards and three scores, spreading the ball to seven different receivers. Tra Neal caught two touchdown passes, including a 15-yarder in the second quarter and another from backup quarterback Frankie Weaver early in the fourth that stretched the lead to two scores. Weaver went 4-for-6 for 61 yards and the score to Neal in relief of Robertson for his first career collegiate action. Gavin Nelson and Josh Derry also found the end zone through the air, while Derry led all receivers with seven receptions for 109 yards.

In the backfield, Rodney Nelson anchored Monmouth's ground game, rushing 20 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns — including a highlight 73-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. His performance marked his fourth straight 100-yard effort and fifth of his season. The Hawks finished with 415 yards of total offense and converted 6-of-14 third downs while going 4-for-5 in the red zone.

Monmouth's defense delivered its best performance of the season, forcing four turnovers and limiting the Seawolves to just one offensive touchdown after halftime. Ryan Russo sparked the surge with a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter, giving the Hawks a 28-14 lead. Jaeden Jones also intercepted a pass and led the team with 11 tackles, while Spencer Kishbaugh added 11 stops, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. The defensive front — led by CAA sack leaders Josiah Graham and Lamont Lester Jr. — combined for four sacks and eight tackles for loss as Monmouth held Stony Brook to 4.6 yards per play.

After trading scores early, the Hawks' defense took control, forcing three turnovers and holding Stony Brook to just 75 total yards in the final quarter. Weaver's 13-yard touchdown toss to Neal and Nelson's pair of fourth-quarter scores capped a 21-point final frame for the Hawks, who outscored the Seawolves 28-7 after halftime.
 
Quotes
"We're really excited to get our sixth win of the season, to raise our record to 6-1. It's another conference win; our whole philosophy, when we get into the conference plays, just to go 1-0 every week, and we accomplished that today. And I think to a large part, we saw a second half where we really became a dominant team and really controlled all the action out on the field, and that was very good to see. It's good to see our defense respond to some adversity and come up with some huge plays. It was a good team effort, very balanced, very happy to get the win." – Head Coach Kevin Callahan on the win
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"Coach Callahan Jr. and Coach Gabriel do a great job with the scout team, simulating Stony Brook's defense this week. So, I feel like once I stepped in, it was like a Tuesday practice. I felt like I was mentally ready. I feel like when Derek's out there on the field, I'm taking mental reps on the sideline, and as soon as I got in there, I felt comfortable." – Frankie Weaver on his effort off the bench
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"I think that we showed what we're capable of when we're all on the same page and we're all firing on all cylinders – how dominant we can be. I think we're just scratching the surface because there's still a lot of stuff that we need to work on, but I just think it showed how dominant we can be and how when we play complementary football, I don't think anybody can beat us." – Jaeden Jones on the defense's performance
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"I think after the Towson game all week, we were preaching set the new standard for the defense. We preach that every single day from coaches to players to support staff, everyone holding that standard. I think we just went out there and showed that we set the new standard to play hard, play fast and play together, and that's our defense." – Spencer Kishbaugh on the defense's mindset this week
 
Notes
- Monmouth improves to 9-4 all-time versus Stony Brook.
- MU is now 17-15 all-time in Homecoming games in West Long Branch.
- Jaeden Jones recorded his first career interception.
- Ryan Russo had the first interception return for a touchdown since Deuce Lee versus Lehigh on Sept. 30, 2023.
- It marked the sixth time in Derek Robertson's Monmouth career, and fourth this season, that he threw for 3+ touchdowns in the first half. He now has 12 total 3+ touchdown performance.
- It was Frankie Weaver's first career action.
- Monmouth has six forced fumbles its last two games. The defense forced six fumbles all last season – and it's the best two-game stretch in the last seven seasons.
- Rodney Nelson (141) recorded his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game.
- Josh Derry (109) notched his fifth 100-yard receiving contest this season and now has eight for his career.
- Tra Neal recorded his second multi-score game of the season.
 
Numbers Crunch
- Stony Brook had more first downs, 26-20.
- The Seawolves ran more offensive plays, 91-68.
- Stony Brook outgained Monmouth, 423-415.
- Stony Brook had more time of possession, 32:49 – 27:11.
- MU was 6-of-14 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down.
- The Seawolves went 7-of-18 on third down and 2-for-6 on fourth down.
- Monmouth went 4-of-5 on redzone chances, while SBU went 2-of-3.
- The Hawks tallied four sacks for 15 yards, while Stony Brook only had two for 17 yards.
- Monmouth committed six penalties for 50 yards, while Stony Brook had three for 16.
 
Up Next
Monmouth moves to 6-1 and will travel to Hampton to play the Pirates on Saturday, October 25 at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on FloCollege.