Last weekend, King’s walloped FDU, 45-17, on the road in New Jersey. But how did every level play during the blowout win?

Let’s take a look at each level of Monarch football in this week’s “Report Card” post.

Offense

Quarterbacks, Grade, A: This one is pretty clear. This was Hartraft’s best and most complete game this season. In six contests, he’s thrown for over 1,000 yards this season and rushed for 177 yards on 49 carries this season. He made up more than 60 percent of the offense on Saturday.

And, junior Tom Hehre went 1-for-1 for a 20-yard strike. That counts. Believe me, that counts.

Running backs, Grade, C+: Individually, the Monarch rushing attack wasn’t great. Collectively, it wasn’t too bad. For the 8th best rushing attack in the Middle Atlantic Conference, prior to FDU, this was an improvement though. King’s usually averages 113.0 rushing yards per game. Nabbing 137 on Saturday is a slight improvement, though, they were rushing against the MAC’s 9th worse rushing defense.

Let’s let bygones be bygones and throw them a C+. Good enough to pass, but needs improvement. The backs should have had a better day, especially against a Devils’ defense that gives up the most rushing touchdowns in the conference.

Offensive Line, Grade, N/A: We can’t really grade the offensive line with a lack of tape on the game, but we do know that some players weren’t too happy with the way the rushing attack was handled. It was described to WRKC that the rushing was “in part” bad because of the blocking. So, a little bit of hearsay can’t really sway which direction we will lean on, but it does give some insight.

Receivers, Grade, A-: Not really sure why Dan Kempa and junior back Patrick Robinson were only hit on a combined eight completions, but it’s nice to see the passing attack so well spread out for once. Usually, it’s only Kempa getting the love, but nine Monarchs had receptions on Saturday, six having two or more. That’s as balanced as you can get.

Defense

Defensive Line, Grade, D+: Listen, there’s been a lot of complaints about the Monarch defensive line, and when you score over forty points, there can’t be too much to complain about, but this season there hasn’t been enough pressure on the quarterback. That’s evident because FDU’s gunslinger had a career day against King’s.

What else is evident is that the Monarch defensive line, consisting of: Pete Santorelli, Mike Martina, Bob Shaw and Gary Poulson – every now and again – only produced one sack on a quarterback who dropped back 47 times. They had, together, nine tackles, mainly being spearheaded by Martina. King’s found a way to get three interceptions, but that credit goes more to the secondary than anything else. According to the stat sheet, there weren’t any quarterback hurries.

Linebackers, Grade, B+: The Monarch defense, specifically the linebackers, have been great to watch this season. Sophomore Bobby Russell has made a name for himself, leading the conference in tackles prior to the FDU scrap. But there’s a lot of balance in the linebacking core.

Senior Nick Kaijala is one of the smartest guys you could have in the middle. Russell and James Burke complete that package on the outside. But combining that effort with junior Monroe Sherman and athletic freshman Hassan Maxwell is enough sub-packaging and rotation to confuse any offense. Kaijala and Russell had six tackles a piece and the FDU rushing attack was held to seven yards. Not a bad day at all.

Secondary, Grade, C+: Look, you just can’t give up 357 total yards in the air to a team that’s arguably the worse in the conference. One freshman standout (Malik Pressley), can’t have nine grabs for 116 yards.

A lot of these grades have been padded because to a point, everyone did their job to contribute to a 45-17 win. Looking at the defensive backs, they came up with three interceptions, one a 91-yard return by junior Anthony Martuccio to go along with another he collected. Kris Matthews had 10 tackles, eight solo, and a pass breakup.

It’s not all bad in the secondary. But 350+ yards in the air on 23 completions doesn’t scream “best secondary in the MAC.”

*All stats taken directly from King’s College Athletics*