Monmouth Travels To Dartmouth For Fourth Road Game In Five Early Season Games

WEST LONG BRANCH - Monmouth football heads back on the road for a demanding matchup at Dartmouth, marking the Hawks’ fourth road game in a grueling five-game stretch.

The difficult road slate included losses against FBS opponent Western Michigan, which had been robbed of a huge upset victory over ranked Michigan the week before, and 10th-ranked Tennessee Tech. Despite the losses, the Hawks (2-0, 2-2) remained competitive against both high-caliber opponents and showed they could handle the challenge of playing difficult competition on the road.

Last week in Albany, their third road game in four overall games, they overcame late-game adversity to capture their first win there in two decades, 28-20.

However, there’s no rest for the weary.

This Saturday, the Hawks travel to Hanover, New Hampshire, to take on the Big Green of Dartmouth (1-0), which held a 20-17 lead over No.7 Lehigh (4-0) late in the fourth quarter last week before ultimately falling 24-20.

In preseason polls, Dartmouth was picked to finish third behind Yale and Harvard, ranked 18th and 25th, respectively, in the latest FCS polls, while Dartmouth received votes after its near victory at Lehigh.

Saturday’s matchup will mark the first meeting between Monmouth and Dartmouth in program history, adding another layer of significance to the Hawks’ challenging trip to Hanover.

So, once again, the Hawks will be asked to beat a top-notch opponent in their own stadium.

This will be no easy task. Dartmouth returns All-Ivy senior quarterback Greyson Saunier, who completed 17-of-30 passes against Lehigh for 262 yards and a touchdown, with one interception - a late one-handed pick at the Lehigh six-yard line with under 13 seconds to play as Dartmouth was driving for the winning score. He also rushed for 25 yards on eight attempts

Saunier is a dynamic, high-impact player with elusive dual-threat capabilities. He has excellent pocket mobility to avoid pressure and can punish coverage breakdowns by scrambling for chunk yardage. Last season, he rushed for 413 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry and 41.3 yards per game. He matches his heavy ground production with legitimate downfield passing ability, forcing defenses to account for his arm as well as his legs. He has a powerful arm and operates as a heavy-velocity thrower who stays calm under high-leverage pressure.

Last season, he completed 183-of-279 passes for 2143 yards, with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. Saunier was named to the 2026 Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy first team.

Saunier lost his top two receivers from last year, who accounted for 1,106 yards and six touchdowns between them, along with his All-Ivy League tight end. Returning senior Nick Lemon (14-198) and returning juniors KyDric Fisher (21-341-2) and Luke Rives (14-177-1) will be Saunier’s top targets. Lemon had five receptions for 102 yards against Lehigh and Fisher caught four passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Dartmouth’s top two running backs graduated, including first-team All-Ivy running back D.J. Crowther (191-959-10). Sophomore Miles Craddock is the top option out of the backfield this season after seeing limited action a year ago, when he rushed for 71 yards on 24 attempts with one touchdown. As a senior, he was Rhode Island’s Gatorade Player of the Year, rushing for 1,504 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 10.1 yards per attempt. So, he’s someone to keep an eye on.

The offensive line has some holes to fill, with one first-team and two second-team All-Ivy selections from a year ago moving on.

The defense lost its four top tacklers, including three first-team All-Ivy League selections and one second-team selection. Preseason first-team All-Ivy selection safety Harrison Keith, who recorded 46 tackles, including 27 solo stops, four interceptions, and four pass breakups a year ago, is back and is a ferocious leader. Last season’s group was elite at stopping the run, allowing only 3.38 yards per carry, which ranked 12th nationally. Last week Lehigh rushed for 218 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, so a rebuild up front may be in the works. Junior linebacker Steve Simpkins led the team with 10 tackles, including six solo stops last week, while senior defensive back Cameron Beat-Alston added six solo tackles, including a tackle for loss, and Harrison contributed six tackles with three solo stops.

With Dartmouth having played only one game so far this season and so many new faces on both sides of the ball, it's hard to get a true read on them, but their near upset of the No. 7 team in the country is enough to get anyone's attention. And with just two sub .500 records in the last 15 years, including six Ivy League championships, Monmouth better be ready for a dogfight.

WHAT THE HAWKS NEED TO DO TO WIN:

Containment, containment, and more containment. Monmouth’s defense has struggled against athletic, mobile quarterbacks who can escape pressure and turn broken plays into big gains with their legs. Against Saunier, the Hawks must maintain disciplined rush lanes, set firm edges, and keep him inside the pocket to prevent his mobility from taking over the game.

For this to work, Monmouth’s defensive backs must stay tight in coverage and take away Saunier’s first reads. If the secondary can prevent quick completions and force him to hold the ball, the defensive front will have more time to close the pocket without losing control of the edges. That extra time will also give Monmouth’s pass rushers a better chance to shed their blocks, pressure Saunier, and finish plays with potential sacks. But Saunier’s elusiveness and escapability have to be the center of attention.

Cornerbacks Christian Palmer Jr., Elijah Mathis and Hasson Manning Jr. and safeties Jadean Jones and Donovan Fey have been solid in coverage, as have the rotational players, allowing just 229.8 yards per game through the air with a respectable 63 percent completion rate from opposing quarterbacks. Monmouth will need a big game from those guys.

Defensive ends Hunter Watson, Jahide Lesaine Jr., Mounir Keshen, Jake Davis and Donovan Dyson are all above-average pass rushers, combining for seven sacks so far this season; however, Saturday their focus has to be on Saunier’s ability to wreck a game with his legs.

The defense is giving up an average of 154.8 rushing yards per game, with opponents averaging 3.89 yards per carry against them, which isn’t terrible, but there’s definitely room for improvement. Those numbers rank them 49th out of 124 FCS teams. In total defense, the Hawks are ranked 61st, a massive improvement from a year ago when they were ranked at or near the bottom.

Tackles J.J. Lewis, Brendan Bigos, Bryce Rooks, and Avery Barnes are stalwarts in the interior line this season; they are physical and athletic, able to stuff the run and shed a block to pressure the quarterback.

Linebackers Spencer Kishbaugh, Ryan Russo, Charlie Sasso and Ryan Alexander have developed into a formidable foursome for the Hawks. Russo is second on the team in tackles with 30, including 15 solo stops, one sack, one interception (a pick-six), and three QB hits. Sasso is third on the team with 20 tackles, one sack, one TFL, and one forced fumble.

A solid game out of the defense is needed to complement a still-emerging offense, which should be able to move the ball against Dartmouth; the key is to avoid costly mistakes, which are almost impossible to overcome on the road. Quarterback Frankie Weaver has had an up-and-down season, but the Hawks desperately need him to be on point Saturday.

The Hawks led the country in offense last season, and Weaver was a big part of that. He was in the midst of his best game of the season last week when he imploded, tossing two late interceptions that almost cost the Hawks the game. Those two throws were indefensible, but also very uncharacteristic of Weaver, who has played in pressure-cooker situations ever since he starred as quarterback at Our Lady of Good Counsel, which plays in the toughest conference in the greater Washington, D.C., area, and led his team to an undefeated season and a state championship as a senior.

I expect Weaver to bounce back Saturday, exhibiting the confidence and poise that have been his calling card, and give his primary targets, Gavin Nelson, Tra Neal, and Christian Harrison, opportunities to make plays downfield. Neal is coming off back-to-back 100-plus-yard receiving games, including last week when he had five catches for 138 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown reception. Nelson has 23 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns. In the Sacred Heart win, he caught nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Tight end Greg Genross has shown flashes of game-breaking ability, so getting him more involved is a nice option.

Monmouth is averaging 132.0 yards per game rushing, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt, which ranks them 66th in the country. Both Kenny Smith and Elijah Jennings have been solid, with Jennings averaging 5.0 yards per carry and Smith 4.1. Both have the capability to take over a game and deliver a monster performance, and Saturday would be a good time to do it.

The offensive line had to replace four starters from a year ago but hasn’t missed a beat. They’ve been dominant since game one and keep getting better each game as they become more and more familiar with each other and understand each other's nuances. Left tackle Matt Fries, left guard Collin Goetter, center Kevin Shriner, right guard Michael Petito, right tackle Josh Duran, and rotation players Brady O’Hara, Reed Collins, and Bleek Turner have allowed only two sacks in four games. While their run blocking has been solid, it’s beginning to click at a higher level.

FINAL SCORE: Monmouth 35, Dartmouth 24