Monmouth football falls at Lafayette, 28-20, as Hawks' season begins to slip away

EASTON, Pa. – A season that began with big dreams three weeks ago morphed into a nightmare for the Monmouth Saturday.

Instead of rinsing away the bad taste left by a 45-31 CAA loss to Campbell in the home opener a week earlier, the reality of the Hawks’ situation began to sink in, getting outclassed by Lafayette in a 28-20  non-conference loss at Fisher Stadium.

The Hawks (1-3) faltered in a game that was supposed to be a bridge to the bulk of a brutal CAA schedule, which includes games against nationally ranked William & Mary and New Hampshire. Instead, it was the Leopards dominating in rainy conditions, rolling up 206 yards on the ground, while limiting Monmouth to just 59 yards on 36 carries.

“We came up against a team that was very efficient on both sides of the ball,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said. “On the defensive side, we had instances where I thought we did a pretty good job against them and then we gave up big plays.

“On offense, we couldn’t run the ball very well. We have to run it better than that. We were unable to sustain anything. And to Lafayette’s credit, they were methodical on both sides of the ball.”

Monmouth tried to rally, pulling within 28-20 on a two-yard TD pass from Marquez McCray to Dymere Miller with 2:01 to play. After Lafayette took possession when the onsides kick went out of bounds, Monmouth got the ball back when it made a stop on fourth-and-one from its 31-yard-line with 1:39 to play.

With no timeouts remaining, Monmouth was unable to get out its own territory, with McCray sacked twice in a row to end it.

It loomed as a must-win game on several different levels, beyond being a telling measuring stick against a Patriot League foe. But returning to the FCS Playoff now seems like longshot for a team struggling to find its way.

Monmouth was whistled for 11 penalties totaling 70 yards, including several key pass interference calls, false starts and holds.

“We have to correct them or we have to start playing other people because we can’t keep doing that,” Callahan said. “In a game like this, you’re in second-and-15 or first-and-20, we can’t do that. And on defense, the pass interference penalties.”

Now the injuries are beginning to build. In addition to being without starting offensive tackles Jordan Hall and J.T. Cornelius, linebacker Jake Brown and cornerback Eddie Morales, Monmouth top four running backs, including Jaden Shirden, were all on the sidelines with injuries.

A 20-yard TD pass from McCray to Miller pulled Monmouth within a score at 21-14 with 2:03 left in the third quarter, with McCray finding tight end Jack Neri in the left flat for the two-point conversion.

But the Lafayette ground game, which entered the game ranked 20th nationally, gashed Monmouth on a series of big runs on a 74-yard scoring drive. Finally, it was former Ocean Township standout Chris Carasia, a junior receiver, catching an eight-yard TD pass early in the fourth quarter to push Lafayette’s lead back to 28-14.

For game, Lafayette's Jamar Curtis ran for 143 yards, while Monmouth star Jaden Shirden ran for just 41 yards on 16 carries. Lafayette sacked McCray eight times

Monmouth had its chances, driving from its own 1-yard-line to the Lafayette red zone, getting a 36-yard field goal by freshman Michael Calton Jr. as time expired in the first half to make the score 14-6 at the break.

But Monmouth failed to build on it when the second half opened, unable to drive the ball after receiving the kickoff.

Then Lafayette needed just eight plays to march 85 yards, with quarterback Dean DeNobile scoring his second TD of the game on a three-yard run to go up 21-6.

Monmouth returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Lehigh in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch.

Pregame

Scouting report, analysis, prediction vs. Lafayette

As Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan assessed the Hawks’ defensive meltdown in last Saturday’s disappointing 45-31 loss to Campbell in the home opener, the first thing he pointed to was the impact the size of the opposing offensive line had.

The Camels’ front five averaged 6-foot-5, 336 pounds, and by game’s end they’d paved the way for 435 yards of offense, including 251 yards on the ground, scoring on six of seven possessions at one point to overcome a 16-point deficit en route to a 45-31 win.

“I think the sheer size of their offensive line, the biggest line we’ve ever played against, and I think it wore on us a little bit,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said. “We couldn’t get off the field on third downs and then those big guys started leaning on us and it was difficult to make plays to get off the field.”

It was gut-punch for a unit believed to be stouter up front this season after finishing last in the CAA defensively a year ago. And now the unit desperately needs a big game today at Lafayette, against a Leopards’ line that is nearly 40-pounds lighter on average than Campbell, checking in at 297 pounds.

But Lafayette comes in ranked 20th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 197 yards-per-game, including 243 yards last week against Columbia. Monmouth is giving up 179 yards on average.

So keep an eye on the play in the trenches, as Monmouth looks to get back to the .500 mark.

MONMOUTH (1-2, 1-1 CAA) AT LAFAYETTE (2-1, 0-0 Patriot)

WHEN: Today, 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Fisher Stadium, Easton, Pa.

TV/RADIO: ESPN+/MonmouthHawks.com

SERIES: Monmouth leads the series, 3-1, winning the last meeting, 24-21, at home in 2019.

When Monmouth has the ball

With the remnants of a tropical storm expected to create windy, rainy conditions, the Hawks’ ability to pound the ball on the ground with RBs Jaden Shirden and Sone Ntoh, who grew up not far from Lafayette, will be critical. But the Hawks could be shorthanded on the offensive line, with LT Jordan Hall going out last game, while RT JT Cornelius did not start a week ago but could return to that role. Lafayette is giving up 149 yards-per-game, but the Leopards have limited their two FCS foes to an average of just 91 yards. Senior LB Marco Olivas and senior S Saiku White lead the team with 25 tackles apiece, while senior LB Preston Forney has a team-best four tackles-for-losses. Freshman DE Michael Vaughn has 2.5 sacks.

Protecting the ball, particularly in difficult conditions, will be imperative on the road. QB Marquez McCray has at least one turnover in each game, including a key fourth quarter interception last weekend. WR Dymere Miller is looking for his first TD of the season, and a catch-and-run to the end zone would go a long way toward loosening up the Leopards’ defense.

When Lafayette has the ball

Monmouth could be without graduate transfer LB Jake Brown, who left last week’s game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. That would put more pressure on LBs Ryan Moran, who leads the team with 30 tackles, and Remi Johnson. And graduate CB Eddie Morales left last week’s game with a leg injury, although Callahan seemed hopeful he would return today. Senior RB Jamar Curtis is averaging 7.5 yards-per-carry and 122 yards-per-game for the Leopards.

Monmouth has to cut down on the mistakes and missed tackles have led to an inordinate number of big plays for opposing offenses. The Hawks had what could have been a key fourth quarter interception negated by an offsides penalty against Campbell.

Special teams

While making a big play on special teams would be nice, simply not making any mistakes in bad weather seems like a win. No fumbles, bad snaps or penalties will be critical. It’s unlikely a lot of field goals will be attempted in this one, and a missed PAT could be the difference.

Prediction

Monmouth 28, Lafayette 27

Monmouth football must unleash passing game to get season on track

WEST LONG BRANCH – The dazzling 80-yard bursts and game-altering chunk plays that made up Jaden Shirden’s highlight reel a season ago are gone, as weekly defensive schemes center on stopping Monmouth’s dynamic junior running back.

And while the yards have been there, including 310 over the past two games, they’ve been hard-earned, with the 195-pound back carrying the ball 64 times the last two weekends, 15 more than his highest previous total in back-to-back games.

As the Hawks prepare to face a veteran Lafayette defense on Saturday, it’s time for the passing game to start backing defenders off with some big plays downfield.

The aerial attack was unable to make a difference when Campbell was rallying from a 23-7 deficit late in the first half. While graduate transfer quarterback Marquez McCray threw a 22-yard TD pass to Shirden early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 31-all, he threw a pair of late interceptions, while his receivers dropped a handful of passes that could have had an impact on the outcome.

MORE: Monmouth football collapses in 45-31 loss to Campbell, spoiling home opener

“It’s not just going to be Jaden ripping off 30- and 40-yard runs every other play. We’re going to have to use all of our available weapons to do it,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said.

“They’re loading the box up and saying, “No. 20 (Shirden) is not going to beat us. Let’s see if you can beat us with some other guys.” That’s what everybody has done in the first three games.”

The potential is there, with Monmouth (1-2, 1-1) ranked 26th nationally in total offense. But senior receiver Dymere Miller, a preseason All-CAA selection with 24 catches for 277 yards in three games, is still looking for his first TD grab of the season.

McCray has thrown for 697 yards and is completing 59 percent of his passes, with five touchdowns and three interceptions,

“We definitely know they want to stop Jaden and when we have opportunities to make plays, whether it’s a five-yard catch or a deep ball, we want to make those plays so we can contribute to help spring Jaden loose if we can,” McCray said.

“It does put a little more pressure on our passing game,” Callahan said. “The other day we struggled with that a little bit. We had seven or eight drops. We’ve got to be better all around, and we have to take advantage of everything we’ve got.”

McCray faced Lafayette last season with Sacred Heart, throwing for 228 yards and running for 32 more, although they lost, 6-0.

“They’re 2-1 and the loss was to Duke, who beat Clemson, and when you watch it (Lafayette) played pretty well in that game,” Callahan said. “Lafayette is an excellent defensive team.”

It’s not that the passing game has been ineffective. The Hawks rank 26th nationally in total offense at 407 yards per game and are 39th in passing offense at 232.3 yards.

But Monmouth has an offensive passing efficiency rating of 119.5, eighth among 15 CAA teams. Last season the Hawks were second in the CAA at 155.3. And the Hawks are converting just 30 percent of their third down tries, while that number was 41 percent a year ago.

“We’ve had some explosive offensive plays, we’ve had some miscues from me,” McCray said. “When we’re rolling we’re doing really good and when it’s not going good it’s just not clicking. But a lot of it is small things, like we’re just one block away or one pass away. It’s small things that we can control which is a good thing because we correct them.”

Monmouth football: Trainer’s room

Callahan indicated he expects most of the players who sustained injuries against Campbell to be available against Lafayette, including Shirden and cornerback Eddie Morales. The status of linebacker Jake Brown (knee) and left tackle Jordan Hall (ankle) is unclear.

Running back Makhi Green, who missed the first three games, is expected to return to the lineup, giving Monmouth another option with Green’s speed and quickness in the open field a major asset.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: College football games Saturday: Monmouth vs Lafayette