BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Pete Guerriero ran for a career-high 237 yards and No.-15 Monmouth defeated Campbell 47-10 Saturday at Barker-Lane Stadium to claim the Big South Conference championship.
Guerriero had touchdown runs of 75, 57 and 2 yards, and also hauled in a 50-yard catch and run from Kenji Bahar for the Hawks (9-2, 5-0), who won their sixth-straight game.
Monmouth outgained the Camels 538-277, including a 333-108-yard edge on the ground. Campbell (6-4, 3-2) dropped its third-straight outing.
Bahar completed 11-of-20 passes for 205 yards and two scores. Lonnie Moore had three receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown.
Monmouth converted four Campbell turnovers into 14 points.
Hajj-Malik Williams completed 16-of-27 passes for 169 yards and added 62 on the ground for the Camels.
Jalen Kelsey finished with eight receptions for 91 yards.
Justice Galloway-Velazquez led Campbell with 14 tackles,
Darion Slade made 12 stops, while
Prince Ngwenah and
Dorian Jones had 10 apiece. Da'Quan Grimes topped Monmouth with 18 tackles.
The Camels drove 80 yards in 14 plays to jump in front 7-0 on
Bryant Barr's 7-yard run with 51 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Monmouth responded with a 79-yard drive to set up Matt Mosquera's 28-yard field goal to cut the gap to 7-3 with 7:45 left in the second.
On the next possession, Nick Shoemaker forced Williams to fumble and Da'Quan Grimes recovered at the Monmouth 43. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Guerriero broke off tackle for a 57-yard run to put the Hawks in front 10-7 with 6:48 to play in the half.
Mosquera's kickoff into a strong wind held up and Zach Tredway recovered to give the Hawks the ball at the Campbell 36. Kenji Bahar then hit Lonnie Moore IV on a fly pattern on the next play and Monmouth extended the lead to 17-7 at the 6:41 mark.
Campbell responded and drove 45 yards to set up
Colin Gary's 37-yard field goal with 1:27 to play in the opening half.
Monmouth drove 65 yards in five plays after taking the second half kickoff and led 24-10 after Guerriero's two-yard plunge.
The Camels stopped Monmouth on fourth-and-goal from the one, but on the next play Shoemaker tackled
C.J. Freeman in the end zone for a safety.
Guerrero's 50-yard catch and run and 75-yard rush pushed the edge to 40-10 early in the fourth. Bahar's six-yard scramble closed the scoring with 8:31 remaining in the game.
Campbell concludes the regular season next Saturday (Nov. 23) with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Charleston Southern. Monmouth hosts Hampton Saturday at 12:00 before the start of the FCS playoffs.
