Bahar's big day lifts Monmouth over Kennesaw 45-21

KENNESAW, Ga. -- Kenji Bahar threw for 332 yards and a touchdown, scored on a 65-yard run and Monmouth shocked Kennesaw State 45-21 on Saturday in a showdown of teams with perfect Big South Conference records.

The Hawks scored 42 unanswered points on six possessions to defeat the the No. 5 FCS team, their first win in five games in the series.

Monmouth (7-2, 4-0), was trailing 7-3 before Devell Jones scored on a pair of short touchdown runs. Peter Guerriero followed with a 10-yard scoring run before Tymere Berry's 41-yard interception return with a minute left in the first half made it 31-7.

Bahar and Zach Tredway then hooked up on a 92-yard catch-and-run before Bahar's big run. Bahar finished with 92 yards rushing on just six carries and completed 20 of 27 passes. Guerriero, who entered the game as the first FCS back over 1,000 yards, finished with 77 on 21 carries. Tredway had 162 yards on seven receptions.

While the Hawks piled up 517 yards, the Owls (7-2, 2-1) had 407, but 110 came on two big touchdown plays after they trailed 45-7. Kennesaw State's two quarterbacks were 2-of-15 passing for 55 yards while the 50-yard touchdown pass went from halfback Bronson Rechsteiner to Shaquil Terry.