DeMorat Sets Record as Football get By Monmouth, 52-49

West Long Branch, N.J. – Monmouth University is located close to New Jersey shore. But it was no day at the beach for the Fordham Football Rams as the game came down to the last play and when Natani Drati knocked down a Hawks pass in the end zone the Rams could finally celebrate a 52-49 win over Monmouth at Kessler Stadium.
 
Senior quarterback Tim DeMorat put his name in the record book twice, becoming the career passing touchdown leader with 76, as well as tying his own single game mark with six scoring strikes.
 
With the win, Fordham goes to 2-0 on the year while Monmouth falls to 0-2.
 
DeMorat connected on 34 of 51 passes for a career-high 452 yards and the six touchdowns with senior wide receiver Fotis Kokosioulis grabbing a school-record 15 passes for 130 yards and two scores. Kokosioulis broke the mark of 14 set by Kendall Creer in 1999 and matched by Brian Wetzel in 2012. Senior MJ Wright hauled in eight passes for 97 yards and junior Mekai Felton added three catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, grad student Ryan Greenhagen recorded six solo stops, while sophomore James Conway also finished with six tackles, three solo, including one for loss.
 
The Hawks took a 49-45 lead with 5:01 remaining before DeMorat led the Rams downfield, with a big assist to grad student running back Trey Sneed, who gained 20 yards on a fourth-and-two call from the Fordham 48. Sneed finished with 110 yards on 17 carries.
 
Later in the drive, DeMorat found Kokosioulis in the left side of the end zone with a 14-yard scoring strike to put the Rams up for good, 53-49, with 56 seconds on the clock.
 
Takeaways
• Fotis Kokosioulis has caught touchdown pass in eleven of his last 13 games.
 
• Senior wide receiver Dan Byrnes caught his first career touchdown pass.
 
• Fordham opens the season 2-0 for the first time since 2013 when the Rams opened with wins over Rhode Island and Villanova.
 
• It's also the first time the Rams opened 2-0 with both wins on the road since 1951 when Fordham defeated Missouri and Dartmouth on the road to open the season.
 
• The last time Fordham won its first two road games in a season was 2015 when the Rams defeated Lafayette and Penn on the road after playing the first three games at home.
 
• Monmouth is in its first year as a member of the CAA, having played football in the Big South Conference from 2014-2021.
 
• For the second straight week the Rams were adversely affected by a replay decision, having a pass that was ruled incomplete overturned to a touchdown.
 
• The game was Fordham's first in the Garden State since a 2015 contest at Monmouth.
 
• Former Ram and current Somerville High School head coach Ian Pace at the game.
 
By the Numbers
 
15 - Receptions for Fotis Kokosioulis, a school record (previous mark was 14).

19 – Career touchdown receptions for Dequece Carter, tying him for sixth on the Fordham career list.
 
24 – Career touchdown receptions for Fotis Kokosioulis, fourth all-time at Fordham.
 
78 – Career touchdown passes for Tim DeMorat, a school record.
 
148 – Career receptions for Fotis Kokosioulis, moving him into tenth on the Fordham all-time list.
 
182 – Yards after catch for the Rams today.
 
194 – Career solo tackles for Ryan Greenhagen, fourth all-time at the school.
 
327 – Career tackles for Ryan Greenhagen, fourth on the Fordham career tackles list.
 
758 – Career completions for Tim DeMorat, second on the all-time list.
 
1,919 – Career receiving yards for Dequece Carter, tenth all-time at Fordham.
 
9,401 – Career passing yards for Tim DeMorat, second all-time at Fordham.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams return to Jack Coffey Field for their home opener on Saturday, September 17, as they host the University at Albany Great Dames at 1:00 p.m. as part of Homecoming 2022.
 
• It will be the ninth meeting between Fordham and Albany with the all-time series tied, 4-4.
 
• Albany will be the second straight game against a CAA opponent for Fordham and the second of three this year (Stony Brook).
 
• The first four meetings between Fordham and Albany occurred when the school where both competing on the NCAA III level.