Monmouth Football: A Season Of Shattered Dreams

WEST LONG BRANCH – In the span of two weeks, Monmouth University went from being ranked sixth in the country and contending for the Coastal Athletic Association championship and a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs, to vying for a first-round home playoff game, to being excluded from the playoff picture altogether.

In an almost surreal turn of events that seemed unfathomable just a week ago, the Hawks let their fractured season slip away into oblivion. They lost to last-place Albany in the season finale, when they were prohibitive favorites to win. And they not only needed to win, but to win convincingly to guarantee a spot in the FCS playoffs. They failed to do either one.

On Sunday, there was still hope they would sneak into the playoffs with a first-round road game. However, a couple of upsets on Saturday squeezed them out, and the FCS Playoff Selection Committee made it official Sunday afternoon on ESPN: the Hawks were out. The realization of what just happened was both stunning and unimaginable. It was hard to process what just happened when just a week ago, not being selected was not even one of the options considered.

Monmouth’s loss to Albany was merely the final nail in the coffin. Yes, a blowout win over the Greyhounds would’ve most likely punched their ticket to the playoffs. But the season began to unravel way before that in the third quarter of the Stony Brook game. That's when All-American quarterback Derek Robertson was knocked out of the game with a serious wrist/hand injury to his non-throwing hand and has remained sidelined ever since.

The 2025 season commenced with soaring expectations. There were rumblings of championships. Robertson was coming off a record-breaking season, during which he was named to numerous All-American teams and selected as the CAA Offensive Player of the Year. His 3,937 yards passing last year are the third most in CAA history. He led the country in passing yards and passing yards per game (328.1). His 31 passing touchdowns led the CAA and were third in the FCS. Both are single-season passing records for Monmouth. If he had wanted to, he could’ve easily cashed in on a hefty NIL deal at an FBS school, but he stayed loyal to Monmouth, knowing the 2025 team could be one of the best in school history with the potential to do great things. Following his lead, the entire starting offensive unit returned with one goal in mind: a national championship.

Robertson picked up where he left off last season, just absolutely torching opposing defenses. Monmouth kept climbing up the weekly rankings as Robertson kept lighting up the scoreboard. By week seven, Monmouth was 6-1 with its only loss coming against the University of North Carolina Charlotte, an FBS school. Charlotte scored with 1:30 left in the game to take a 42-35 lead, and the Hawks turned the ball over on downs on their ensuing possession. Still, Robertson had passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns against an FBS defense. In game four, the Hawks beat No.11 Villanova, 51-33, in a game in which Robertson passed for 397 yards and four touchdowns. Robertson was unstoppable, until he was.

In game seven against Stony Brook, Robertson had passed for 204 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, helping Monmouth to a 21-14 lead at intermission. On Monmouth’s first possession of the second half, disaster struck. Robertson was sacked and fell awkwardly on his non-throwing hand and went down in agony. As he was helped off the field with a trainer holding his arm, his injury appeared serious, and it was. Robertson never threw another pass in the 2025 season.

At the time of his injury, Robertson led the country in every offensive category by a wide margin. His 27 touchdown passes still rank fifth in the country, five weeks after his injury, and his 2,482 passing yards rank in the top 25 nationally.

It was a devastating blow to Robertson and the team; one they never really recovered from. How could they? Robertson is irreplaceable. Players like him come along only once in a coach's career.

Monmouth went on to beat Stony Brook behind a pick-six by Ryan Russo, two touchdown runs by Rodney Nelson, and a touchdown pass by redshirt freshman Frankie Weaver, the Hawks' newly minted quarterback.

The Hawks turned to their running game in Robertson’s absence, with Nelson doing his best Saguon Barkley impersonation. In their 28-10 win at Hampton, Nelson rushed for 244 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Weaver got through his first career start, doing an admirable job. He completed 14-of-25 passes for 125 yards with one interception.

The following week, Nelson led the Hawks to victory again. He rushed for 245 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-7 win over Bryant. Weaver shook off two early interceptions to have a solid game. He completed 15-of-20 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

Reality set in the next week against New Hampshire, which was playing its best football of the season. Monmouth had risen to No.6 in the country but was still feeling its way through the season without Robertson. The two teams battled to a 13-13 tie at the half, but Monmouth imploded in the second half. The defense, which had been making steady strides as the season progressed, reverted to its early-season form, surrendering 21 points and 257 yards in the second half. The offensive line fell apart, allowing Weaver to be strip-sacked four times, losing three. The offense was held to zero points and 80 total yards in the second half.

This was the first wakeup call; the second one came too late.

Monmouth slipped in the rankings, and the feeling of invincibility it once had with Robertson under center was long gone. At this point, Robertson was listed as week-to-week, but the reality of the situation was beginning to sink in; this was Weaver’s team now.

Weaver and the Hawks responded with a blowout 63-19 win over North Carolina A&T, gladly putting the New Hampshire debacle behind them. Weaver was named the FCS Freshman of the Week for his performance. He passed for 428 yards and six touchdowns, tying Robertson for the school record. Nelson added 163 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

With the regular season now down to one last game, Monmouth’s chances of winning the conference went out the window with their loss to New Hampshire. They were still hoping to secure a first-round bye, but that, too, appeared out of reach now. But a first-round home game was still in play, so they thought. Getting that home game, however, would be contingent on their performance against a 1-9 Albany team that was dead last in every offensive category in the CAA.

No problem, right? Wrong.

Monmouth’s defense forgot to show up. They allowed Albany scoring drives of 60, 67 and 68 yards, including two passing touchdowns by Albany quarterback Jack Shields and a 16-yard touchdown run by Aiden Semo in the first half alone. Apparently, Albany forgot they were the worst offense in the CAA because they had their way with Monmouth’s much-maligned defense. While at the same time, the Hawks' offense was anemic. They were held to just three first-half points and a mere 140 yards of offense.

Remember, this was a do-or-die game for the Hawks against a last-place team. How do you explain a performance like that? You can’t.

It got worse in the third quarter. On Albany’s first possession of the second half, they drove 81 yards in ten plays to take a 28-3 lead and added a field goal after a Monmouth fumble on the ensuing kickoff to make it 31-3. How could this actually be happening?

Penalties, including personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct, killed the Hawks. Penalties extended four out of the five Albany scoring drives after Monmouth had made third-down stops that would’ve given them the ball back; instead, Albany retained possession and went on to score—inexcusable.

In the middle of the third quarter, Monmouth’s offense finally came to life. Weaver found Josh Derry for an eight-yard score to complete a 70-yard, 10-play drive. Monmouth went for a two-point conversion (still shaking my head) that failed, and the score stood at 31-9 with 2:54 left in the third quarter. Monmouth then attempted an onside kick (?) that Albany recovered at the Hawks' 44-yard line. Defensive tackle JJ Lewis stopped a fourth-and-2 run with a four-yard TFL. Monmouth then drove 61 yards in 10 plays with Weaver hitting TJ Speight with a 28-yard scoring strike to pull the Hawks to within 31-17 with 14:13 left in the game.

Albany then drove to midfield, before the Hawks' defense stiffened and forced a punt.

With 9:30 remaining in the game, Monmouth took over at their own 20-yard line and marched to the Albany two-yard line, where they were facing a fourth-and-goal situation. Weaver's fourth-down pass was incomplete, and Albany took over. If they could’ve put the ball in the endzone there, I think Monmouth wins the game. Regardless, they still had a chance to win the game later.

Monmouth’s defense forced a three-and-out and a punt, and the offense took over at the Albany 40-yard line with 4:48 left in the game.

Eight plays later, Weaver found Max James for an eight-yard score, and the Hawks were within one score, 31-24, with 3:17 remaining.

It was now up to the defense to get the ball back to its offense for a chance to tie or win the game; a chance to redeem themselves. But on the most crucial play of the game, third-and-11 from the 20-yard line with 3:09 remaining, the defense failed. Shields completed a pass to the 25 with a Monmouth defender right there to make the stop. But instead, the defender took a wrong angle on the play and missed the tackle, allowing the runner to get the first-down yardage. Albany then held on to the ball until they punted with 16 seconds left in the game. Game over. Season over.

It was only fitting that the defense was the culprit. Make that third-down stop; it was almost guaranteed the offense was going to score with the momentum they had. The defense has been a thorn in the team's side all season. They made occasional strides and had moments when they seemed to be coming into their own, only to take another step backward. They were so incessantly inconsistent; you never knew what you were going to get. One half of a game, they could be lights out, the next, they couldn’t stop a cold.

It’s unfortunately not a playoff-caliber defense, and even if the Hawks had made it to the playoffs, chances are with this defense and Weaver’s inexperience, it would’ve been short-lived. Especially with the level of competition increasing exponentially once you reach the playoffs.

That was the thing about Robertson: he is so good that he could overcome the defense’s liabilities with his brilliance. Robertson was either trying desperately to hold onto a lead or frantically trying to retake a lead. He was a magician at both.

It’s almost criminal that he wasn’t able to finish his story at Monmouth and possibly ride off into the sunset with a national championship secured. But life isn’t always fair, and shattered dreams take no prisoners.