This past weekend as the world was mourning the tragedy in Paris, the Hose were taking on in-conference opponent Monmouth. The Blue Hose were looking to win their first conference game of the season as they took on a team they defeated last year. Despite a strong showing the Blue Hose came up short, losing 21-16.

Donelle Williams racked up 13 tackles giving him a career total of 393. He is only seven away from 400 which would be a first in PC history and only the third time in the history of the Big South.

The first quarter started out great for the Hose. Early in the quarter the Hose were able to gain some momentum thanks to the defense and a Donelle Williams interception. Unfortunately they were not able to use this momentum to score a touchdown. They did however use this momentum to kick a Brett Norton field goal, giving the Hose an early 3-0 lead. For the rest of the quarter the two teams battled it out and prevented each other from gaining any momentum. As the first quarter came to a close the Blue Hose held a 3-0 lead.

The second quarter was similar to the first as it was two defensives battling it out. Midway through the quarter Monmouth was able to secure some momentum as they put together an 80-plus yard touchdown drive. This drive resulted in a Cody White touchdown drive and following the extra point Monmouth took a 7-3 lead. The Blue Hose quickly responded with a touchdown of their own. With less than a minute left, Ben Cheek was able to score a rushing touchdown  and following the Brett Norton extra point the Hose had retaken a 10-7 lead which they held going into halftime.

The third quarter started out on a bad note for the Hose. After turning the ball over on their own 40 yard line, Monmouth used the turnover to gain some momentum. The momentum resulted in a Darren Ambush touchdown run and following the extra point, Monmouth had a 14-10 lead. Monmouth was able to keep this momentum for the remainder of the quarter as late in the quarter they managed another touchdown drive. This time it resulted in another Cody White touchdown pass, following the extra point Monmouth had a 21-10 lead.

The fourth quarter was very similar to the previous ones because it was a defensive battle. Midway through the quarter PC recovered a fumble and used the momentum to put together a touchdown drive thanks to a Ben Cheek touchdown pass. The Hose went for two instead of the normal PAT but came up short, cutting Monmouth’s lead to 21-16. The rest of the quarter was a defensive battle. When the game came to a close, Monmouth had won a nail-biter 21-16.

Tune in next week as the Blue Hose play their final game of the season at home.

I would like to express my condolences to those affected by the tragedy in Paris; my heart is with you.

Stats:

Passing:

Ben Cheek: 9-18; 93 yards; 1 TD; 1 interception

Rushing:

Ben Cheek: 13 attempts; 69 yards; 1 TD

Receiving:

DaShawn Davis: 4 receptions; 44 yards; 1 TD

Defense:

Donelle Williams: 13 tackles; 1 interception

Mitchell Anderson: 7 tackles