Final Score
#12/14 Monmouth (4-1) – 49
Delaware State (3-3) – 38
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – No. 12/14 Monmouth extended its strong start to the 2025 campaign with a 49-38 victory over Delaware State on Saturday afternoon at Kessler Stadium, improving to 4-1 for the first time since 2017.
Quarterback
Derek Robertson continued his standout season by completing 25-of-38 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns, leading an offense that eclipsed 600 total yards for the third time this year. Robertson connected with four different receivers for scores, while the Hawks racked up 636 total yards and converted 10-of-14 third downs.
Monmouth opened fast, taking a 14-0 lead behind a five-yard touchdown run from
Rodney Nelson and a 38-yard strike to T.J. Speight. The Hornets (3-3) answered with a pair of short touchdown runs, tying the game twice in the first half. Robertson's precision passing kept Monmouth ahead, as he found
Gavin Nelson for a 23-yard score and
Tra Neal from nine yards out to send the Hawks into halftime with a 28–21 lead.
After halftime, Delaware State's powerful ground game — which produced 281 rushing yards led by Marquis Gillis (132 yards) and Jones' third score — pulled the visitors even twice more. Each time, Monmouth's offense responded. Nelson's four-yard touchdown run restored the lead midway through the third quarter, and later, Neal's 33-yard touchdown pass to
Jack Neri gave the Hawks a 42-35 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Hornets briefly cut the deficit to four with a field goal early in the final quarter, but Robertson delivered the knockout blow — a 25-yard touchdown pass to Neal, his second of the game, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive that sealed the win.
Rodney Nelson powered the Monmouth rushing attack with a career day tallying 203 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries, while Speight led all receivers with 145 yards and a score on seven catches. Neal accounted for three touchdowns himself, finishing with two touchdown receptions and a passing score on the third-quarter trick play.
Defensively, the Hawks generated consistent pressure with four sacks for 59 yards, including 1.5 from freshman
Lamont Lester Jr. and one from
Ryan Russo. Monmouth controlled possession for nearly 31 minutes and limited Delaware State's passing game to just 112 yards. Safeties
Jaeden Jones (13) and
Deuce Lee (8) accounted for 21 total tackles, two tackles for loss and two pass breakups to lead the unit for the Hawks.
Quotes
"I think today really showcased how prolific our offense can be. It was probably a lot closer than the final score indicates, but we are happy to get the win." – Head Coach
Kevin Callahan on the win
"We talked all week about having leverage on the quarterback, because their number one run is the quarterback pulling it down and keeping it. I think he showed his athleticism and speed and ability to run with the ball today. At the end of the game, we wanted to make sure we had him contained and caged. I thought our guys did a good job on third down on defense and were able to get off the field when we needed to, and the final play was the clincher." – Head Coach
Kevin Callahan on the defense closing out the game
"Rodney rarely goes down on the first hit. He is one of those guys that is going to bounce off tackles, and you have to get two or three guys to bring him down. He is one of those players that gets stronger as the game goes down, as you saw today." – Head Coach
Kevin Callahan on
Rodney Nelson's game
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"We just lock in trust the offense, going off what we prepare for weekly. Shoutout to our offensive line, it was easy when they cleared it out. Just trusting the preparation and being where I'm supposed to be, and it just hit home."
"I think with me being undersized, a lot of teams look at me as just someone you just need to put a hit on. I think what I bring to the table is that I'm going to keep getting up every time. I'm going to keep getting six or seven yards, whatever the team needs." –
Rodney Nelson on his game and toughness as a runner
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"It was awesome. Anytime we can turn the clock so they can't get the ball back, help us get first downs, lean on our offensive line, lean on any of our running backs to pick up yards, it's great and it opens up the pass. Nothing better than that." –
Derek Robertson on the running game
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"Honestly, it was kind of a bad throw. I should have just thrown it out there a little more. When they called the play, I didn't have any excitement; it was just the mindset of let's do it and let's get this done." –
Tra Neal on his trick-play touchdown
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"Earlier in the game, our defensive coordinator, Coach Walker, made a check. He said he was very confident in our effort and our ability, to the point where we can play more man. The whole game, we were covering our guys pretty well, and I just trusted my technique and everything they taught me. It helped me gain confidence for the pass breakup there." –
Deuce Lee on the Monmouth passing defense
Notes
- Monmouth improves to 3-0 all-time versus Delaware State.
- The Hawks (636) eclipsed 600 total yards on offense for the second straight game and third time this season.
- Monmouth ran for 252 total yards, their best performance as a team on the ground this season.
- The Hawks have scored 40+ points in each of their last 14 wins.
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Rodney Nelson broke the 200-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career, collecting a career best 203 yards on the ground.
- Nelson becomes the first Hawk to rush for over 200 yards since Jaden Shirden at William & Mary on Oct. 28, 2023.
- The Nelson brothers, Rodney and Gavin, each found the endzone in the same game for the third time in their careers.
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Tra Neal's touchdown pass was the second of his career.
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Jack Neri caught his eighth career touchdown pass.
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Lamont Lester Jr. is tied for the team lead with 5.0 sacks.
- The 87 points scored were the most between the two teams in the all-time series.
Numbers Crunch
- The Hawks had more first downs, 30-26.
- Monmouth ran more plays on offense, 79-67.
- The Hawks had more total yards, 636-393
- Monmouth had more time of possession, 30:59 – 29:01.
- MU was 10-of-14 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down.
- Delaware State went 3-of-12 on third down and 3-for-3 on fourth down.
- Monmouth went 3-of-4 on redzone chances, while the Hornets went a perfect 6-of-6.
- The Hawks tallied four sacks for 59 yards, while Delaware State only had one for 10 yards.
- Monmouth committed seven penalties for 72 yards, while DSU had just three for 25.
Up Next
Monmouth moves to 4-1 and will play at Towson on Saturday, October 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on FloCollege.
