Monmouth University's Second-Half Comeback Fall Just Short

Photo above: Hawks Darren Ambush on his way to 81-yard touchdown Photo courtesy of Monmouth University

WEST LONG BRANCH – Whether it was opening day jitters or just being a bit too amped up, Monmouth University came out flat as a pancake in Saturday’s 2015 season opener at Kessler Field, and it ultimately cost them the game.

Quickly falling behind 21-3 against Patriot League foe Holy Cross with 12:23 left in the first half, the Hawks still had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds and send it into overtime. However, on third-and-10 from the Crusader 27-yard line, redshirt freshman quarter Cody Williams was intercepted in the end zone with 14 seconds left in the game ending the Hawks comeback bid and handing them a frustrating 27-19 loss.

Turnovers, penalties, a blocked punt, dropped passes and numerous missed opportunities doomed the Hawks, as the hole they dug for themselves early was just too deep for them to climb out of in the end.

“Football games are difficult to win and you need to do things right, especially in critical and important situations” head coach Kevin Callahan said. “While we did that at times today I don’t think we did that enough to come away with a victory. We worked very hard to get ourselves into some really good positions today and when we got ourselves into those positions I don’t think we executed well enough to come away with points.”

A sack by Monmouth defensive tackle Andrew Jurczynski forced a punt on the Crusaders first possession of the second half with the Hawks trailing 21-9. Monmouth took possession at their own 24-yard line following the punt and proceeded to march 74 yards in 13 plays setting up a second-and-goal from the Crusader two-yard line. However, a direct snap to 2014 second team All-Big South running back Lavon Chaney got by him all the way back to the 22-yard line where he recovered the ball. Two plays later, Matt White’s 37-yard field goal attempt was blocked and the Hawks came away with nothing. Case-and-point, Callahan.

Monmouth’s defense - which completely shut down the Holy Cross offense including it’s All-Conference quarterback Peter Pujals in the second half - forced a second straight three-and-out by Holy Cross on their next possession, and following a punt the Hawks had a first-and-10 at their own 44-yard line. Thirteen plays later, Chaney went in from the two and the Hawks were suddenly within four, 21-16, with 13:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Williams was three-for- four on the drive including a clutch 26-yard completion to Chaney on fourth-and-seven to set up a first down at the 15. On fourth-and-four from the nine, junior wide receiver Darren Ambush took a pitch from Williams around end for seven yards for a first-and-goal from the two setting up the Chaney score.

Chaney finished with 99-yards rushing on 20 carries and a touchdown with an additional 31 yards receiving on four catches. Ambush added 102-yards receiving on six receptions and a touchdown.

In his first career start as a collegian, Williams finished 22-of-33 for 258 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions while rushing for an additional 65 yards on 15 carries. He led the Hawks to 422 yards of total offense including 164 yards on the ground while showing good decision making and poise in the pocket.

“It was different at first but I think I acclimated well, “Williams said. “I need to pick up my game and keep elevating my game so I can help the team win.”

Ambush scored the Hawks first touchdown on a important 81-yard touchdown reception with 19 seconds remaining in the first half on a jet sweep picking up most the yardage after the catch utilizing his speed and shiftiness to get into the end zone.

The defense – playing brilliantly – forced the third straight Crusader punt of the second half, but again a turnover gave Holy Cross possession deep in Hawk territory. On first-and-10 at the Monmouth 13, Chaney fumbled with Holy Cross recovering at the 12-yard line.

The defense again rose to the occasion keeping the high-powered Crusaders offense out of the end zone while pressuring them into a fourth-and-three at the five and into a field goal situation. The kick was good increasing the Holy Cross lead to 24-16 at 9:52.

After surrendering 217 yards in the first half – 146 in the first quarter alone - the Monmouth defense limited the Crusader offense to a total of 84 yards in the second half and no touchdowns. First team All-Big South safety Mike Basile led the team with 10 tackles – nine unassisted while defensive tackle Dimitrius Smith recorded seven and Johnson and linebacker Payton Minnich each had five tackles.

“Defensively we started slow,” Callahan said. “But then we rallied and got things in order and really played well after that. We made things difficult for them and came up with some very important stops.”

“They kind of came out and punched us in the mouth,” senior cornerback Joe Johnson said. “We rallied around each other on the sideline and just decided we’re going to go out and play our brand of football and we weren’t going to let them dictate that.”

With the score 24-16, the Hawks took over at their own 25 following the kick and had a first-and-10 at the Holy Cross 48-yard line after a Zach Welch 19-yard gain on the ground. However, on the next play, the turnovers came back to haunt them when Williams was picked off at the 22 with 8:22 remaining in the game.

The defense bent but didn’t break allowing the Crusaders to advance to their 23 but stiffened and held the Crusaders to a 40-yard field goal to make it 27-16 at 5:11.

Now a two-possession game and time becoming a factor the Hawks took over at the 25 and drove to the nine-yard line with under a minute and a half left in the game. A Williams to Pat Grey 30-yard pass completion from the 39 put the ball at the nine with a first-and-goal and down by 11.

On third-and-goal from the 10 a Williams to Grey pass fell incomplete and the Hawks decided to put the sure points on the board and take their chances with an onside kick with the score now 27-19.

The strategy worked as Monmouth’s Reggie White Jr. recovered the onside kick at the Crusaders 49-yard line. However, it just wasn’t to be for the Hawks as their valiant comeback fell short despite a dominate second- half showing.

“Anytime you lose a game it’s a missed opportunity,” Johnson said. “There’s never a reason to lose a football game, especially to start off the season 0-1. We can use this as a learning experience. The guys know what this feels like and we don’t want to have this feeling again.”

The Hawks will face their first ever FBS (D IA) opponent next Saturday when they travel to face Central Michigan for a 3:00 P.M. start. The Chipeewas were 24-13 losers in their opener against Oklahoma State.