DeNobile’s 2 TD passes in final minute rallies Lafayette to 40-35 win over Monmouth

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season!

Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here.

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — Dean DeNobile threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final minute, including the winner to Elijah Steward, to lead Lafayette to a 40-35 win over Monmouth on Saturday.

Sone Ntoh scored on a 17-yard run to give Monmouth a 35-28 lead with 1:54 remaining. The Leopards took only a minute to respond on DeNobile’s 12-yard pass to Chris Carasia but a two-point conversion pass failed leaving them a point short. Lafayette recovered an onside kick and DeNobile found Steward deep down the left side for the 42-yard score with 36 seconds remaining.

Monmouth got it to Lafayette’s 35-yard line with 22 seconds left before Gabe DuBois intercepted a pass over the middle to seal it.

DeNobile was 31-of-45 passing for a career-high 394 yards and the two touchdowns for the Leopards (1-1), ranked 19th in the FCS coaches’ poll and the Patriot League preseason favorites. Steward had 15 catches for 244 yards, second-most in school history behind Joe Ort’s 274 in 2006. Jamar Curtis scored three touchdowns and finished with 87 yards on 21 carries.

Derek Robertson was 24-of-36 passing for 355 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions for the Hawks (0-2). TJ Speight had 97 yards receiving, 89 coming on an end-around that had given Monmouth its first lead, 28-21, early in the fourth quarter.

The teams combined for 955 yards offense.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football