High-flying offense has expectations soaring

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Sports Seriously

WEST LONG BRANCH – What if I told you the country’s top FCS offense last year, led by the nation’s most prolific passer throwing to a talented young receiving corps that combined for video game-like numbers, had no one enter the transfer portal.

You’d laugh, right, because it couldn’t possibly be true. Except it is.

Oh, and that team closed last season with back-to-back wins over nationally ranked teams, and had a chance to beat two other top-20 foes in the final minute.

Intrigued?

The heart-stopping thrill ride Monmouth took everyone on last season only amounted to a 6-6 record. But if a flood of defensive reinforcements from the portal can stabilize the defensive side of the ball, the Hawks have the look of a championship contender in the CAA.

“Especially in today’s day-and-age of college football, it doesn’t happen very often. It speaks volumes about this place and the guys in that locker room,” said grad student Derek Robertson, who led all FCS quarterbacks with 3,937 passing yards, along with 31 TDs and just six interceptions.

“Ultimately, the decisions came down to everyone wanting a chance to win a championship, and that is what our goal is.”

That familiarity within the group – the Hawks rolled up 690 yards in a 55-47 win over No. 16 Stony Brook in the season finale – could be a huge advantage, with receivers TJ Speight, Josh Derry, Tra Neal, Gavin Nelson and Maxwell Janes combining for 3,259 receiving yards and 25 TDs, while running back Rodney Nelson flashed his big-play potential as a freshman.

“I think there’s a high level of anticipation for what this group can accomplish,” head coach…

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Publish date : 2025-04-04 10:38:00

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