West Long Branch, N.J.- Monmouth University's football team wraps up the regular season on Saturday when they travel up to Albany at 1 p.m. The winner of that game will earn at least a share of the Northeast Conference Championship and may be the conference's outright champion depending on what Stony Brook does.

""The Monmouth-Albany game has always been a tough, physical, close contest with a lot on the line," said MU head coach Kevin Callahan. "This year is no different. It will be an exciting game and we are looking forward to it."

Here is a peek at the upcoming weekend's action:

MONMOUTH vs ALBANY GAME NOTES

Monmouth at Albany
Date: Nov. 11, 2006
Kickoff: 1:00 PM
Field: University Stadium, Albany, N.Y
Hawks Coverage: WMCX [88.9 FM]; www.wmcx.com

SETTING THE SCENE
Monmouth enters today's matchup on a five-game win streak and an overall record of 9-1 after defeating St. Francis 54-20 at home last week. The Hawks are tied with Albany, who is on a four-game win streak of its own, for first place, with each team owning 5-1 Northeast Conference marks.

Today's game has a lot riding on it because the winner will go home with at least a share of the Northeast Conference Title. If Stony Brook, who is playing Central Connecticut, loses its game, the winner of this matchup will be outright NEC Champs. With a Seawolve loss, the winner will also earn the right to host the first Gridiron Classic Bowl Game, which pits the winner of the Pioneer Football League and the NEC against each other on Dec. 2.

This Saturday will be the final regular season game for a special group of seniors, players that have won two out of the school's four NEC Championships. Included in that senior class are captains Brian Boland, David Jiles and Mike Castellano.


THE COACHING MATCHUP
Monmouth head coach KEVIN CALLAHAN is in his 14th season at Monmouth and also in his 14th year as a head coach. Callahan owns an 84-55 career coaching record, all with the Hawks. Callahan has led Monmouth to four Northeast Conference co-championships, in 1996, 1998, 2003 and 2004. He earned NEC Coach of the Year accolades in 1998 and 2003. Prior to arriving in West Long Branch, Callahan served as a defensive coordinator at Colgate for eight seasons and at Wagner for three years. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Albany (1977-79) and Syracuse (1980) before becoming a Seahawk assistant in 1981.

Albany is led by BOB FORD who is in his 33rd season as the head coach of the Great Danes. Ford owns an impressive 208-135 record during his tenure at Albany and has led his squad to a pair of NEC Championships, in 2002 and 2003. Ford is the only coach that Albany has ever known, since the program was reinstated in 1970. Ford also spent five years as the University's Director of Athletics and has had coaching stops at St. Lawrence, Albright College and Springfield College, where he was a quarterback. Over 100 assistant coaches under Ford have gone on to careers in coaching in the high school, collegiate and professional setting, incluing MU's Kevin Callahan.

INSIDE THE MONMOUTH-ALBANY SERIES
Today marks the ninth time that Monmouth and Albany have squared off, with the Great Danes owning a 5-3 advantage in the series. However, the Hawks have won three straight against Albany, including last year's 16-13 win at Kessler Field. In that game, the Great Danes jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a 31 yard pass, but MU scored 13 unanswered points to take a 13-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Albany scored a touchdown with 10:16 left in regulation but the Hawks were able to drive down to the Great Dane nine yard line and call a timeout with two seconds remaining in the game. Sophomore kicker Fred Weingart came on and kicked the game-winning field goal from 26 yards out, marking the second straight year in which the Hawks won on a last-second kick. Four games in the series have been decided by three points or less, including all three of Monmouth's wins. Albany took the first five wins in the series, including a 31-28 victory at home on Sept. 19, 1998. Albany owns a 3-1 record at home against the Blue & White.

MONMOUTH AGAINST THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
After last week's win, Monmouth owns a 50-31 (.617) record all-time against members of the Northeast Conference. While a member of the NEC, the past 10 seasons, the Hawks own a 44-25 (.638) record. MU owns a 3-5 record against Albany, with the Great Danes being the only NEC team that the Hawks have losing records against. Monmouth's best winning percentage comes against Saint Francis (Pa.), whom the Hawks are 12-2 all-time against. Last season MU finished 4-3 in conference play. Head coach Kevin Callahan has led the Hawks to four Northeast Conference Co-Championships in 1996, 1998, 2003 and 2004. Monmouth has never gone undefeated in the conference but has suffered just one loss in each of the those championship seasons.

DIRECTIONS TO ALBANY
Fans planning on attending Saturday's game can Click Here for directions.

MEDIA INFORMATION
Those who cannot make it to Albany can listen to all the action on WMCX, 88.9 FM and over the internet at www.wmcx.com (.)

Pictured: Senior Quarterback Brian Boland