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WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The No. 7 Kennesaw State football team never found its stride Saturday as No. 20 Monmouth ran away for a 42-17 victory to capture the Big South Conference championship at Kessler Stadium.
 
The KSU defense came out of the gates and forced a missed field goal on the opening possession of the game, but Monmouth would convert on its second offensive set to take a 7-0 lead.
 
The Owls (4-1) got on the board in the opening minutes of the second quarter when Nathan Robertson lined up a 44-yard field goal and drilled it to make it a 7-3 Monmouth lead. For Robertson, it was the second-longest field of his career and his longest of the season.
 
The Hawks took a 28-3 lead into halftime and added a touchdown in the third quarter for a commanding 35-3 advantage.
 
The Owls found the end zone with 6:08 left in the game when Jonathan Murphy hit Isaac Foster for a 19-yard touchdown to cap a 3-play, 71-yard score. Preston Daniels added a one-yard rushing score in the final minute of the game as KSU dropped the 42-17 decision.
 
Jonathan Murphy was 9-of-18 passing for a career-high 167 yards, while Isaac Foster tallied 40 yards on six carries on the ground and added 64 receiving yards.
 
Kareem Taylor led the defense with 10 tackles, while Cincere Mason added seven and Bryson Armstrong chipped in six.
 
The FCS selection show is set to take place Sunday, April 18 at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU.
 
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