'Haven't caught up yet': No. 6 Monmouth football falters in 34-13 loss to New Hampshire

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WEST LONG BRANCH — The lead up to Monmouth's penultimate home game of the regular season was promising as the Hawks aimed for their first ever victory against New Hampshire. On paper, they were poised to finally breakthrough against a vulnerable Wildcats team.

But on the field, it was the most lopsided loss for Monmouth in the four-game history between the two programs. The No. 6 Hawks lost 34-13 to New Hampshire on Saturday, their first CAA conference loss and first loss against an FCS opponent this season.

"It wasn't the type of performance that we had hoped for today, not by a long shot," Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said. "I don't think there's any aspect of the game where we really put our best foot forward."

The result throws a wrench in Monmouth's postseason hopes as the Hawks drop to 8-2 on the season. They were slightly snubbed in the most recent FCS playoff committee rankings, sitting eighth. The loss to a quality 6-4 New Hampshire is certainly not a disastrous misstep, but the margin of victory will raise eyebrows and affect the Hawks' postseason outlook.

Equally as concerning was how the Hawks lost to the Wildcats. By many metrics, Monmouth had the best offensive line in the CAA and one of the best units in the country. But that group cratered against a New Hampshire defensive line that had not been particularly stout coming into the game. The Hawks conceded five sacks, including three strip sacks. Wildcat defensive end Jordan Mcallister had 3.5 sacks on the day, more in one game than he had totaled over the past two years.

The Monmouth defense that had made major strides in recent weeks appeared to regress against New Hampshire. The Hawks couldn't capitalize on certain critical opportunities for turnovers and other negative plays like sacks, as UNH quarterback Matt Vezza repeatedly eluded pressure and scrambled for big gains. The final scoring tally could have been even worse, as Wildcat receivers repeatedly slipped past the secondary wide-open but Vezza couldn't quite turn those chances into completions. Vezza finished with 173 yards passing and two touchdowns with another 82 yards and a score on the ground.

The Hawks simply could never string together positive plays in sequence and were always on the losing end of the momentum battle. This was most glaring at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half. Trailing 13-7, the offense went on a 75-yard drive in just 36 seconds before halftime. Josh Derry tied the game with a 19-yard touchdown reception from Frankie Weaver with eight seconds left in the second quarter, but Monmouth ran a fake kick to attempt a two-point conversion and were stopped emphatically.

"Two is more than one," Callahan said of that decision. "The way that I had looked at them and the way that they had lined up, it was there. But then what they actually did, the way that they came after the lock, it really wasn't there. And so that was just a bad call on my part."

Tied 13-13 at halftime, the Monmouth defense responded to force a three-and-out on New Hampshire's opening drive of the third quarter. But the special teams woes continued as the Hawks allowed a fake punt for 13-yard gain and first down. A crucial defensive stop instead turned into a scoring drive for the Wildcats, who never looked back as they scored 21 unanswered points in the second half.

FCS rushing leader Rodney Nelson was productive for Monmouth, but ultimately contained by New Hampshire. The redshirt sophomore finished with 88 rushing yards on 19 carries, but the Wildcats loaded the box to augment their 85th-ranked run defense and the corners delivered great coverage in isolation on the perimeter.

"They packed the interior part of the defensive line, they played with two 4i's and two 2i's and that made it really difficult to run the inside stuff," Callahan said. "Once we realized that, we started going to the perimeter a little bit more. But when you have the fourth down opportunities, the best way to get it is to go straight at them. And I thought they did a really good job of preparing for those type of plays."

The play of backup quarterback Frankie Weaver was one of the few bright spots for Monmouth. In his third career start, he was resilient against the constant pressure of New Hampshire. He eluded several more potential sacks and displayed good pocket presence as he was never rattled even after being sacked and hit repeatedly. The redshirt freshman finished the day 20-for-30 for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

"I think Frank, that's a work in progress. It's his first time playing college football the last couple of games, I think he's growing," Callahan said. "There's certain areas where I'd like to see him continue to grow to be more effective. He's a guy that puts a lot of time in. He works very hard. He's extremely diligent in his preparation."

Although Weaver has steadily improved over the past three games, there's no replacement for injured All-American quarterback Derek Robertson. The loss raises the stakes in the final two games and certainly adds a sense of urgency around his return. There is a chance he could be available as early as next week against North Carolina A&T, but he was still undergoing medical evaluation this past week.

The loss is hardly a fatal setback, given that New Hampshire came into the game playing for their season and hoping to make a push into playoff consideration. The Wildcats had won two straight games going into the bye last week, and those favorable circumstances seemed evident with their exemplary performance.

"They have a very rich football tradition, I think they were 12 consecutive years as a playoff team," Callahan said. "They had a (bye) week, and so probably extra time to heal up and prepare. I don't know that for a fact, but I would guess."

Ultimately, the high-flying Hawks were humbled and left looking for answers after once again losing to staple CAA contender New Hampshire.

"They've been one of the marquee programs in the CAA for a number of years now," Callahan said. "And we just haven't caught up to them yet."

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth football falters in 34-13 home loss to New Hampshire caa

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