Dominant defense and Nelson's career day propel No. 9 Monmouth to 35-7 win over Bryant
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Over the course of the 2025 season, No. 9 Monmouth football’s defense has been the target of skepticism by outsiders. In the second game without star quarterback Derek Robertson to lead the Hawks‘ elite offense, the question was whether the defense could hold things down.
Against Bryant on Saturday, the Monmouth defense stepped up and then stepped on the throat of the Bulldogs for four quarters. They kept the Hawks afloat long enough for the offense to click into place behind another career performance from running back Rodney Nelson. The end result was a dominant 35-7 victory over 2-7 Bryant that moved like clockwork for the 8-1 Hawks.
“It was really good to get a win on the road against a team who I think is deceptively a lot better,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said. “We went went into halftime with a lead, but knew we hadn’t played our best football yet. So we came out in the second half and said, hey we’ve got to play better football. And I think we did just that.”
It was a stunning display of dominance after an uneven start for the Hawks as quarterback Frankie Weaver threw two interceptions that ended two of their first three drives of the game. The second pick set up Bryant with a short field, and the Bulldogs tied the game at 7-7 on the first play of the second quarter.
But from there, it was all Monmouth. Nelson had already surpassed the century mark in rushing yards after the first quarter thanks to a 69-yard touchdown run for the game’s first score. The leading FCS rusher in the country continued his unprecedented pace as he finished with 244 rushing yards, a new career high that surpassed his previous personal record set last week against Hampton. Nelson finished 306 total yards and two rushing touchdowns.
“We’ve focused more on the run in the last two weeks since Derek’s injury, and Rodney’s really answered the bell,” Callahan said. “He’s gone for over 200 yards in two consecutive weeks. He’s averaging over seven yards per carry during that time. And he’s somebody that—we knew could always rely on him. We knew he had breakaway speed and the ability to finish in the end zone. But what I think he’s shown in the last two weeks is how durable he is. He’s had over 30 attempts in each of the last two games and he’s come out of those games unscathed.”
As impressive as his superstar numbers are, the underlying grit of Nelson is equally impressive. In the fourth quarter with a 28-7 lead, a miscommunication on the snap led to a fumble by Weaver. As a Bryant defender tried to scoop and run with the loose ball, Nelson jarred it loose and recovered. The effort on that play with 7:40 remaining in the game was followed by his 41-yard run two plays later as the Hawks bled out the remaining clock and finished the drive with an Elijah Jennings touchdown.
All the while, the Monmouth defense was spectacular as they suffocated the Bryant offense. Particularly impressive was the Hawks’ ability to shut down standout Bulldog running back Elijah Elliott, who had just 45 rushing yards on 16 carries and three catches for 21 receiving yards.
“It’s a unit that’s coming together,” Callahan said. “It’s a unit with a lot of new faces on it. Some guys were not on the field last year. In fact, some of them weren’t even at Monmouth last year. And to see that unit begin to gel and play as one, as we’ve done in each of the last couple weeks, it was gratifying. And I think the sky’s the limit for what they can accomplish.”
Take your pick of standout individual performances for that unit. The defensive line was dominant from start to finish with Lamont Lester and Hunter Watson producing highlights while the deep defensive tackle rotation wreaked havoc. The linebackers were key in containing Elliott in the passing game and consistently had added pressure in key spots. Ryan Russo and Brody Hock produced hits that popped, and Charlie Sasso showed his range as a backer that could both set the edge at times when needed and run with Elliott in coverage.
The secondary produced possibly it’s most consistent showing off the entire season. The safety trio of Jaeden Jones, Deuce Lee, and Justin Bennin were flying across the field while corners Chris Palmer, Izzy Clark-White and Emmanuel Lane all had critical pass break ups at different moments. The constant was the ability of this unit to attack the catch point and separate receivers from the ball.
The Hawks were better in every way—more talented and more athletic. They played with a confidence that reflected that advantage as they executed at a high level.
And even the tough start for Weaver gave way to a strong finish for the redshirt freshman signal caller in his second career start. The two first quarter interceptions came on throws within 10 yards, making them high-risk and low-reward decisions. But the backup quarterback responded by playing his best football of the season in the remaining three quarters.
“They’re ill-advised throws. They’re probably throws a more experienced quarterback will not make or would not make,” Callahan said of the two early interceptions. “We knew he would bounce back from it. He’s a talented kid. And then I think the next series, we drove the ball and gave it up on downs. But then he finished with four of the five final drives of the game in the end zone.”
The big turning point was Weaver’s ability to lead the two minute drill on a drive before halftime. With the Hawks leading 14-7, the young field general sparked a 70-yard drive in just four plays and 46 seconds. He capped it off with a terrific third down throw to Josh Derry that set up his 41-yard touchdown to Tra Neal on the very next play.
Weaver finished his second start going 14-for-19 for 218 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. The coaching staff aided his effort with several very creative screen designs for playmakers like Nelson and Derry.
Ultimately, the Hawks proved their resilience and overall talent as a team without the star quarterback Robertson, who still entered the game as the FCS leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns despite missing last week’s game against Hampton. In the 10 quarters since Robertson was injured, Monmouth has outscored opponents 91-24.
A deflating injury that threatened to derail the season has instead turned into a galvanizing turning point for Monmouth. The Hawks avoided a whiff of an upset in two road games enter the home stretch of the regular season with two of their final three contests at home. But next up is the last major CAA test at home against 5-4 New Hampshire, which will be coming off a bye week.
“We talked to them a week ago that we had five one-game seasons left,” Callahan said. “If we take care of business each and every week, when it’s all said and done and we finish game 12, we’ll be exactly where we want to be. I thought we did a really good job last week with a backup quarterback, and did the same thing again today. I think that the defense knows that the offense will rely on them to a certain extent, not completely but to a certain extent. So they’ve stepped up how they play and they want to contribute and help the cause as much as possible. You get to this point in the season, each week is important.”
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Tough defense Rodney Nelson 306 yards spark Monmouth football 35-7 win
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