WATERBURY, Conn., October 2, 2021 – Shelton Applewhite Jr. did not miss a single pass Saturday evening, leading the No. 15-ranked Monroe College Mustangs football team to an impressive 56-15 victory over Post University at Municipal Stadium.
 
Applewhite had a perfect passing evening on Saturday, completing all 13 of his pass attempts. His 13 completions went for 286 and four touchdowns on the night.
 
Applewhite's four touchdowns were split between Idrissa Nikiema and Halim Dixon-King. Nikiema finished with four receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns, while Dixon-King caught four passes for 85 yards and two scores of his own.
 
Roman Purcell took over for Applewhite during the second half, and though he completed just one pass, he rushed five times for a team-high 131 yards and two touchdowns. Kimon O'Sullivan added 37 yards and a score on nine carries.
 
The defense put on a show as well in the win. Nami Brown provided the highlight with a pick-six in the game. Zharell Walker had a forced fumble, while Andre Gordon had a fumble recovery. Jonah Kurker picked up three sacks in the victory. Michel Lucien led the team with seven tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. Walker also had five tackles and a tackle for loss to go with his forced fumble.
 
The Mustangs got off to a hot start Saturday evening on both sides of the ball. Post got pinned on its own 14-yard line after the opening kickoff, and then the Mustangs forced a three-and-out to gain their first possession of the day.
 
Cade White set the Mustangs up in great field position after a 20-yard return to the Post 32-yard line. Applewhite immediately completed a 28-yard pass to Nikiema make it 1st-and-goal. Two plays later, Kimon O'Sullivan rushed it in from five yards out to give Monroe a quick 7-0 lead.
 
It did not take long for the Mustangs to get the ball back. After converting a 3rd-and-3 to keep the drive going, Applewhite hit Nikiema deep down the near sideline for a 49-yard touchdown, giving the Mustangs a very early 14-0 advantage.
 
The Eagles bounced back on the following possession, driving 85 yards on 10 plays to score. Broghean McGovern capped off the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run, cutting Monroe's lead to 14-7.
 
It did not take long for the Mustangs to make it a two-score lead once again. After a holding penalty left Monroe with 2nd-and-18 from the Post 49-yard line, Applewhite once again found Nikiema for a long touchdown, this time from 49 yards, making it a 21-7 game just before the end of the first quarter.
 
After another quick stop, the Mustangs took over on their own 27-yard line early in the second. O'Sullivan opened the drive with a 13-yard run, then Applewhite completed a pass to Ernest Blackshear for 10 yards to reach midfield. The Mustangs converted a third-and-long when Applewhite hit Jamarii Robinson for 26 yards. He then hit Nikiema for 11 yards, helping set up a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dixon-King to push the lead to 28-7.
 
Post was given a break on its next drive when a roughing the kicker penalty on a punt gave them a new set of downs. They took advantage and eventually reached 1st-and-goal at Monroe's nine-yard line. A couple holding penalties kept the Eagles out of the end zone, and the Mustangs eventually forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back just before the end of the half, taking a 28-7 lead into the break.
 
The Mustangs opened the third quarter with a big play, a 42-yard pass from Applewhite to Dixon-King to get the Mustangs down to Post's 25. A 10-yard pass to Brand had the Mustangs in the red zone, but a penalty pushed them back to Post's 30. After a seven-yard run by O'Sullivan, Applewhite found Dixon-King for a 23-yard touchdown pass, making it a 35-7 game with 12:40 on the clock in the third.
 
On the first play of Post's next possession, a 20-yard completion for the Eagles quickly turned into a disaster, as Walker forced the ball loose, and Gordon fell on it, giving the ball right back to Monroe in plus territory. Unfortunately, the Mustangs ended up giving the ball back on a fumble four plays later.
 
The run of turnovers ended up in Monroe's favor on the very next play. Corey Fappiano was in at quarterback for Post, and his first pass went to Monroe's Nami Brown, who returned the interception 65 yards to the house for Monroe's first defensive touchdown of the year, making it a 42-7 game.
 
The Mustangs once again got the ball back on a fumble on Post's third play of the next drive. Applewhite's day was done, as Purcell took over under center for Monroe. Three plays into the drive, Purcell took off for a 53-yard touchdown run, making it a 49-7 score with 6:07 left in the third.
 
Early in the fourth, Post managed to score on a 4th-and-14 when McGovern hit Antonio Spencer for a 16-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 49-15 after a successful two-point conversion.
 
Three plays into the ensuing drive, Purcell did it again, rushing for a long 72-yard touchdown for the final score of the game, making it a 56-15 ballgame.
 
Monroe produced 490 yards of total offense in Saturday's win, while holding Post to just 255 total yards, including just 28 rushing yards. Monroe passed for 287 yards and ran for 203 on the day.
 
The Mustangs are set for arguably the biggest game of the season next Saturday, Oct. 9, when they visit Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. The Mustangs and rival Falcons are set to kick off next Saturday at 7 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 39 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 18 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).