It was a stormy and windy afternoon last weekend at Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch, N.J., the site of a Week 5 matchup between 0-4 Fordham University and 2-2 Monmouth University. But no rain, wind or any other conceivable force of nature could stifle an explosive Monmouth offense on Saturday, as the Hawks put up a whopping 63 points, defeating the Rams by 42 in a dominant showing.
Following a 45-13 loss against the reigning Ivy League champions, Dartmouth University, Fordham had one last opportunity to iron out the kinks against a non-conference opponent, with league play now looming just one week away. And while the offense did respond with a stronger showing, thanks in large part to the return of senior running back Julius Loughridge, it still wasn’t enough to prevent yet another disheartening defeat.
The Hawks entered the weekend with the nation’s best passing attack, led by senior quarterback Derek Robertson, whose 1,496 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns ranked first among all FCS quarterbacks. Transferring over to Monmouth to play for his older brother Jimmy Robertson, a pass-game coordinator on head coach Kevin Callahan’s staff, Derek Robertson had led Monmouth to one of the best offenses in D1 Football and, most recently, the program’s first win over an FBS opponent, taking down Florida International University in a 45-42 shootout.
If the Rams wanted any chance at taking a win into Patriot League play, they’d need to find a way to shut down an offense that had totaled 96 points over its last two games.
The Hawks had other plans — and they made that clear right from the jump.
Junior back Makhi Green took the game’s opening kickoff 100 yards to the house, giving Monmouth a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds in. It marks the second time this season that Fordham has allowed a game-opening 100-yard kick return touchdown, adding another special teams lowlight to the mix.
The Rams, however, responded with one of their best drives of the season.
Fordham had struggled to generate offense the week prior as junior quarterback Jack Capaldi made his first career start, replacing junior CJ Montes, who suffered an injury against Stony Brook University. He wouldn’t have much help as Loughridge and graduate student Garrett Cody were both sidelined against Dartmouth.
With Loughridge returning to the fray, Fordham saw immediate benefits. The Rams marched up the field on the back of a consistent rushing attack, tying the game on a 9-yard touchdown rush from Loughridge, his first of the season.
Monmouth’s graduate student running back Sone Ntoh, not to be outdone, helped the Hawks sail right down the field, punching in a 1-yard score on a direct snap to retake a 14-7 lead towards the end of the first.
This time, the Fordham offense stalled out quickly, allowing Monmouth to take a 21-7 lead early in the second on Ntoh’s second goal-line score of the day, just one minute into quarter two.
The following Fordham drive once again left the Rams shy of the first down after three plays, setting up a fourth-and-1 from their own 34 and a difficult decision for head coach Joe Conlin, whose squad already trailed by two scores. Conlin elected to play it safe, punting away and hoping his defense could force a stop.
But Monmouth took the ball right into Fordham territory on a massive run by Rodney Nelson, who then quickly added to the lead with a 26-yard touchdown run.
The second quarter scoring was far from over. Ntoh opened Monmouth’s next drive with a 64-yard touchdown for his third score of the day.
Loughridge responded by punching one in from eight yards out to net his second of the day, but TJ Speight returned the ensuing kickoff for a score to negate any Fordham momentum. If that wasn’t enough, Ntoh barrelled through defenders for his fourth touchdown in the final minute of the first half.
The Hawks brought a 49-14 lead into halftime, thanks to 35 points in the second quarter alone.
There would be no taking the foot off the gas. Monmouth’s starters returned for the third quarter and Robertson tossed his first touchdown, finding Tra Neal for a 27-yard connection.
The following drive, the Hawks piled on with a flea flicker that brought them into the red zone, setting up Ntoh’s fifth touchdown of the day, shattering his single-game career high and the program record in the process.
Leading 63-14, the Hawks finally elected to give their starters a rest, sending in the second-stringers for the remainder of the game.
The Rams salvaged some points in the fourth quarter as Capaldi found freshman Jack Freeburg for his first career reception — a 35-yard touchdown, no less.
But the Hawks were more than content to run the clock out, sealing a 63-21 victory and solidifying a brutal 0-5 start for the Fordham Rams.
While Monmouth’s calling card is a high-powered passing attack, it was the run game that bested Fordham on Saturday. Ntoh headlined the effort with 136 yards and five touchdowns, making quite the case for CAA Offensive Player of the Week. He was joined by two other 100-yard rushers as Nelson netted 128 yards and a score while fifth-year Jamir Barnes accumulated 134 yards, all of which came in the second half.
In total, the Hawks rushed for 407 yards and six rushing touchdowns. That made life rather easy for Robertson, who still completed 11 of 14 passes for 186 yards and an astonishing 212.1 QB rating.
Scoring 63 points, Monmouth came just three points shy of tying the highest scoring output in the FCS this season. Fordham has now allowed 40.6 points per game through five games this season, 10th worst in the FCS.
Loughridge remains a point of pride, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 97 yards to maintain his Patriot League lead. He’s currently 19th in all of the FCS with 435 rushing yards, despite missing a game this season.
The Rams must find a way to wipe the slate clean as they shift focus to a Family Weekend matchup against the reigning Patriot League co-champions, Lafayette College.
Lafayette was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Patriot League, and coming off a bye week, they’re looking to start off conference play with a bang. Led by running back Jamar Curtis, picked as the conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and quarterback Dean DeNobile, who ranks fifth in the FCS in completion percentage, the Rams will have their hands full with a loaded offense.
Hopes of an at-large bid have been dowsed for some time, but Fordham still has a route to the FCS postseason — a conference title. Unfortunately, you couldn’t draw up a tougher opponent to begin Patriot League play. And with the College of Holy Cross set to play the Rams the week after, Fordham’s jumping right into the deep end.
One loss is all it could take to kill any hopes of a conference title. The stakes are at season high entering play this weekend.
The Rams will at least have the benefit of home field advantage, returning to Jack Coffey Field for just the second time this season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in the Bronx.
