The Monmouth Hawks put up 45 points against Florida International but it was the defense that made the plays to ultimately help win the game. Deuce Lee forced a fumble in the final minute with FIU wide receiver Eric Rivers poised to score and then recovered the fumble to preserve the historic victory. The Hawks won 45-42 for the program’s first win against an FBS opponent in seven attempts.
The game began inauspiciously for Monmouth with Derek Robertson throwing a pick-6 on the opening drive but it would not faze him as he led the Hawks to three first-half scoring drives consisting of 81 yards, 68 yards, and 75 yards. Robertson was dealing with 253 yards and a touchdown pass in the first half while running back Sone Ntoh added two rushing touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes. Monmouth trailed 28-21 at the break but the deficit wouldn’t last long.
On their opening drive of the second half, Monmouth went down the field in 6 plays with Robertson finding Gavin Nelson on a slant pass to tie the game. FIU immediately responded with a TD of their own in what would ultimately be the last time they held the lead. Rodney Nelson showed off some sly moves two drives later on his 59-yard TD scamper that tied the game at 35 apiece.
A defensive stop by Monmouth late in the third quarter spurred the offense to another scoring drive with Ntoh taking the ball in from a yard out via the Wildcat formation. FIU came right back with a TD drive of their own, which also ended with a one-yard TD run. With the game knotted at 42, Monmouth punted the ball to FIU midway through the third quarter but the defense made the first big play of the quarter when Alex Odom forced a fumble and Remi Johnson recovered it. With 5:03 left in the game, Monmouth would make one small but vital push that resulted in a 43-yard field goal by Michael Calton to take a 45-42 lead.
FIU’s final drive of the game saw them pick up big chunks and put the Monmouth defense under pressure. Keyone Jenkins‘ pass to Eric Rivers looked destined to put FIU in front but the individual effort by Duece Lee to stop Rivers, force the fumble, and recover the ball was nothing short of spectacular. Robertson finished the game going 35 of 51 with 361 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception while his main target was Josh Derry who finished with 7 catches for 108 yards. Rodney Nelson ran for 117 yards and the long touchdown on 14 carries while Sone Ntoh had 53 yards and 3 touchdowns on 12 carries. Monmouth outgained FIU 540 to 475, had 24 first downs to FIU’s 21, and went a remarkable 5 of 7 on fourth down.
Monmouth’s victory against FIU is the first FCS over FBS victory for the CAA in 2024 and it marks the 13th time the conference has posted at least one FCS over FBS win in a season since it was formed in 2007. It’s also the second loss to an FCS team for Conference USA in 2024 following Southern Utah’s 27-24 overtime win over UTEP earlier this month. Monmouth started the season 0-2 with losses to Eastern Washington on the road (42-27) and at home to Lafayette (40-35) but has rebounded with back-to-back road wins against Maine (51-22) and FIU. The Hawks won’t have to leave New Jersey in the month of October with four straight home games against Fordham (9/28), Delaware (10/5), Bryant (10/19), and Towson (10/26).
Photo Credit to Monmouth University Athletics
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