FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) _ Chad Smith rushed for 121 yards and scored two touchdowns as Monmouth defeated Sacred Heart 37-17 Saturday in a Northeast Conference game.

Monmouth (2-6, 2-3 NEC) used a tandem of quarterbacks _ Chris Wielgosz and John DiPasquale _ to amass 192 yards in the air. Wielgosz threw for two touchdowns, hitting Smith with a 46-yard strike and Bryan Peck with a 29-yard TD pass.

Monmouth took an early lead on a 38-yard Chris Mandell field goal midway through the first quarter and never trailed.

Sacred Heart (1-8, 0-6) had to rely on its defense for offense. The Pioneers got their two touchdowns on interception returns from Victor Benson in the second quarter and Pete Athans in the fourth quarter. Sacred Heart senior Chris Wilkinson had three catches for 33 yards to become the second receiver in school history with more than 1,000 receiving yards for his career.