Film review: What worked, what didn't in Monmouth loss to Merrimack | Exclusive

After prevailing through several close calls throughout the season, Monmouth football was finally toppled in a stunning upset as Merrimack won 29-28 on last-second field goal.

It was undoubtedly an ugly overall performance for the Hawks with several concerning regressions. Their rushing offense which entered the week as the 16th best in the FCS at mark of 200 yards per game was completely stifled and held to just 89 yards on 36 attempts.

The offensive line that had allowed just four sacks in the previous 10 games allowed three in addition to a constant theme of pressure. And the defense that had shown promise allowed the Merrimack offense to reach a season-high in points (29) as their pedestrian passing offense capitalized against Monmouth's problematic secondary to the tune of 344 yards and four touchdowns.

The struggles must be acknowledged, but there are also several brights spots with the re-emergence of Monmouth's prolific passing attack and a banner day for quarterback Frankie Weaver. Despite the loss, Monmouth clinched its first outright CAA title since joining the conference in 2022. The Hawks will now try to bounce back with a road win against a motivated Campbell team in the season finale before turning their attention to the postseason.

Here's a look at what worked for the Hawks and what needs to be corrected as they aim for playoff run.

Monmouth passing offense thrives against adversity

Admittedly, the success of Monmouth was much more about players than it was about plays. In looking at the bright spots from the loss, it is the individual efforts of players on offense and defense that shined in the wake of adversity.

Monmouth's first touchdown was one of several sharp throws from Frankie Weaver, but it was particularly impressive to see him make an off-schedule play for his first touchdown of the day to Tra Neal. Monmouth ran a simple mesh passing concept, but the Merrimack defense was all over it. The quality coverage continued during the scramble drill, but Weaver makes a perfect throw for the 19-yard touchdown to Neal.

DOT 🎯

Weaver on the money to Neal for the lead!

1Q – Hawks 7, Warriors 6#FlyHawks || @CAAFootballpic.twitter.com/9KxymCr3pr

— Monmouth Football (@MUHawksFB) November 14, 2026

The one exciting scheme-driven touchdown was the second of the afternoon to Elijah Jennings. Monmouth came out with an ace offset formation with a tight end and receiver on each side plus the running back aligned to the left. The Hawks bring in Gavin Nelson in motion for the jet sweep play action, and then it becomes a slide passing concept with the wrinkle being Jennings on the wheel route. Weaver lays it out perfectly for the easy touchdown grab by the running back.

Do your dance, EJ! 🕺🕺🕺

Hawks extend the lead to 14-12!#FlyHawks || @CAAFootballpic.twitter.com/rqkynnthrj

— Monmouth Football (@MUHawksFB) November 14, 2026

The other two touchdowns were straightforward go routes on the perimeter with Weaver just delivering perfect throws, but the second score to Neal is really something worth highlighting. Unlike the typical laid-out deep throw, Weaver puts it on a line to squeeze it between the safety and the corner who appeared to be in a red zone Cover 2 defense.

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE!@travonneal19 finds the endzone for the second time this afternoon!

2Q – Hawks 21, Warriors 12#FlyHawks || @CAAFootballpic.twitter.com/9EFejTc1UY

— Monmouth Football (@MUHawksFB) November 14, 2026

While there's not a ton to analyze in terms of scheme, its a worthwhile reminder of what the Monmouth passing offense is capable of accomplishing at their best. Weaver's signature trait as a passer has always been his strength in the intermediate passing game, and he made several crucial tight-window throws for the Hawks. These types of throws really exemplify the sheer talent of the passing game with receivers like Nelson and Neal.

Defense sparked at moments, but much to improve upon

There's much to reflect on with the Monmouth's most recent defensive performance, and head coach Jeff Gallo expressed in the postgame press conference that he needed to do a deeper dive on the tape to truly assess what went wrong with some of the coverages and the general lack of pass rush success.

One notable positive: Merrimack had been better as a rushing offense than passing offense, coming into the game 56th in the FCS in rushing yards per game. The Hawks held the Warriors to just 70 rushing yards on 24 attempts.

And while quarterback scrambles were a constant backbreaker, an outstanding play by Charlie Sasso to force a red zone fumble was a bright spot for the Hawk defense. It also offers an opportunity to look at some of the issues with containing the quarterback, a season-long theme for Monmouth.

That play was an interesting alignment for the Monmouth front, as the Hawks overloaded the left side with two finesse edge rushers in Jahide Lesaine Jr. and Donovan Dyson with two defensive tackles to the right in JJ Lewis and Brendan Bigos. Linebacker Ryan Alexander is also spying, and his loss of containment is a tough look on this play.

🥜 PUNCH!!!!

Sasso knocks it out, and Haskett falls on it!#FlyHawks || @CAAFootballpic.twitter.com/wXKF5IP5cu

— Monmouth Football (@MUHawksFB) November 14, 2026

Lesaine gets double-teamed, so it's understandable how he gets washed out and Dyson kind of wins his assignment to collapse the pocket from behind. The issue is Bigos makes a move to his right instead of maintaining integrity to the left, which also throws off Alexander. But considering all that goes wrong, look at how incredible the play is from Sasso (No. 5) who follows the running back motion and crashes against the one-man screen look from the tight end, only to chase from behind and go for the fumble. It's just an absolutely amazing individual effort.

Another bright spot for Monmouth was the string of back-to-back sacks late in the third quarter. The first of those on the safety blitz by Jaeden Jones is very intriguing. Merrimack comes out with a basic trips set to the right and a running back to the left, and the Warriors appear to be ready for the blitz. But Jones just blows through the running back in pass protection, and isolating him on vulnerable blockers might be a way to generate pass rush when the Hawks get stuck in a rut.

BACK TO BACK SACKS!#FlyHawks || @CAAFootballpic.twitter.com/vD6PzennxN

— Monmouth Football (@MUHawksFB) November 14, 2026

The second sack is notable because the Hawks were able to get to the quarterback by rushing four against six pass blockers with the running back staying in to protect. This is the counter-example to the Sasso fumble play, as it shows what can happen when the pass rush lane integrity functions correctly to bottle up a mobile quarterback.

Also notable is that this is a variation of a "NASCAR" rushing front for the Hawks in terms of personnel. All four players are essentially edge rushers as Lesaine is at the nose, and Mounir Keshen is aligned inside as well. On the perimeter is Hunter Watson and Jake Davis, a slightly inverted front even with the sub-package. Unlike the earlier example, Lesaine is excellent in pass rush integrity in the middle. Watson and Keshen are double-teamed, and that leaves Jake Davis for the effort sack from behind.

Ultimately, these plays were also benefitted by the clear passing situations in each case for the Merrimack offense. But it's worthwhile to identify areas where Monmouth can improve against mobile quarterbacks, something that has been vexxing all season for the Hawks.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Film review: What worked, what didn't in Monmouth loss to Merrimack | Exclusive