WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) Pete Guerriero ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns and Monmouth defeated Holy Cross 44-27 on Saturday for the program’s first FCS playoff victory.

The Hawks (11-2), the Big South champions, will play at No. 2 seed James Madison next Saturday after speeding to a 23-0 lead en route to their ninth straight win.

Guerriero, coming in as the FCS rushing leader at 139.0 yards per game, had 31 carries including touchdowns of 68, 24 and 1 yards. He set a Monmouth season rushing record, with 1,888 yards, passing David Sinisi, who had 1,674 in 2008.

Kenji Bahar added 249 yards passing, completing 19 of 32 throws with a touchdown.

Matt Considine threw for 196 yards with three scores and an interception for the Crusaders (7-6), the Patriot League champs. Starting quarterback Connor Degenhardt was just 2 of 7 with two early picks. Domenic Cozier rushed for 97 yards.

Copyright 2019 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.