Hampton Pirates (5-6, 1-4 Big South) at
#12/15 Monmouth Hawks (9-2, 5-0 Big South)
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019; 12:05 p.m.
Kessler Stadium, West Long Branch, N.J.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
ESPN3
Matt Harmon (Play by Play); Emory Hunt (Color Analyst)
DIRECTIONS TO KESSLER STADIUM
Directions to Monmouth University and Kessler Stadium can be found here:
TICKET INFO:
For tickets call 732-263-5735 or visit MonmouthHawks.com for online sales
Day of game tickets can be purchased at the Austin Family Box Office 

A LOOK AT THE GAME

• Today is the third meeting between Monmouth and Hampton, with the Hawks winning each of the previous meetings. The Hawks are one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning seven straight while Hampton is looking to wrap its season with a .500 record.
• The Hawks picked up at least a share of their first Big South Conference Championship and the league's automatic qualifier to the FCS Playoffs after defeating Campbell 47-10 last Saturday. A win today would give Monmouth the outright championship- the first time in school history the team has gone unbeaten in league play.
• Monmouth is ranked 12th in the AFCA Coaches Poll and 15th in the STATS FCS Poll,  the highest rankings in school history.
• Hampton is looking to snap a two-game skid, falling to Kennesaw State last weekend CSU in overtime two weeks ago. The Pirates have not topped an opponent on the road this season.
• A win today for the Hawks would move Monmouth to 16-1 all-time at home since Kessler Stadium opened in 2017.
• The game will air on ESPN3with Matt Harmon (pxp) and Emory Hunt (analyst) on the call.

TODAY'S PROMOTIONS
Monmouth Football Jersey Rally Towel: Come join us to celebrate our seniors with a pregame celebration, get here early because the first 300 fans will receive a Monmouth Football jersey rally towel. 

THE COACHING MATCHUP
Kevin Callahan is in his 27th season at Monmouth as the Hawks' head coach. Callahan owns a 161-123 career coaching record, all with Monmouth. Coming into the season, Callahan's 156 victories ranks him 8th among active coaches in the Football Championship Subdivision. He is one of three FCS coaches with 150+ wins all at one institution and his 26 years as a head coach is the seventh most among active coaches. The only coach in Monmouth history, he has led the Blue & White to five conference championships, in 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2006 and its first at-large playoff berth in 2017. Callahan has earned conference coach of the year accolades in 1998, 2003 and 2006 and was named as an Eddie Robinson Award finalist in 2017, finishing 10^th in the voting. Prior to arriving in West Long Branch, Callahan served as 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.
 
Robert Prunty, a veteran with more than 30 years of football experience as a player and coach and a four-time conference recruiter-of-the-year honoree with two different Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs, was named the 21st head coach of the Hampton Pirates on Dec. 8, 2017. Prunty served last season as East Carolina University's associate head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Prior to that, he served four years as the University of Cincinnati's associate head coach and defensive ends coach and three years as co-defensive coordinator. Before impacting the Bearcat program, Prunty spent three seasons under Tommy Tuberville at Texas Tech, 2010-2012, directing the Red Raiders' defensive ends.
 
INSIDE THE MU-HU SERIES
Third Overall Meeting
Overall Record: MU 2-0
    West Long Branch: 1-0
    Hampton, VA: MU 1-0
First Meeting: Sep. 23, 2018
Last Meeting: Sep. 8, 2019
Longest MU Win Streak: 2 gm
Longest HU Win Streak: ---
Largest MU W Margin: 28 points
Largest HU W Margin: ---
Smallest MU W Margin: 7 points
Smallest HU W Margin: ---
Shutouts: ---
Overtime Games: MU 1-0
 
MONMOUTH AGAINST THE BIG SOUTH

• Since starting up Big South league play in 2014, Monmouth owns an 17-14 conference record, however is 13-2 since 2017.
• The Hawks own a 5-1 record against Gardner-Webb, 2-0 against Campbell, 4-2 against PC, 3-3 vs CSU and 1-4 vs Kennesaw State. The Hawks are also 2-0 against Hampton but those were non-conference contests. The Hawks are 1-0 against North Alabama as well.
• The Hawks won their first Big South Title last weekend with the win over Campbell, however can be crowned outright champs with a win today.
• MU was 0-3 against members of the Big South prior to joining the league, including dropping a home and home series with Coastal Carolina and a non-conference tilt with the Flames.
• With the win over Campbell, Monmouht won four consecutive Big South games to start Big South play for the first time in school history (2017).

 
HAWKS CLIMB TO HIGHEST RANKING IN PROGRAM HISTORY

• After being receiving votes for seven of the 10 previous weeks, Monmouth broke through the national rankings for the first time after the KSU win
• Monmouth is ranked 12th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 15th in the STATS FCS Poll, moving up from 15/17 last weekend
• The 12/15 ranking is the highest ranking in the 27 year history of the program, with the previous high coming last week
• The first time the Hawks were nationally ranked came in 2017 when Monmouth was 22^nd in both polls

 
GUERRIERO NAMED FCS STATS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Pete Guerriero was named STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week it was announced Monday. Guerriero scored four times in Monmouth's 47-10 win over Campbell last week, finishing with 303 total yards from scrimmage to help Monmouth lock up the Big South Conference automatic qualifier. The redshirt junior rushed for a career-high 237 yards on 30 carries, scoring on runs of 75, 57 and two yards. He also caught a 50 yard screen pass that went the distance, finishing him with 303 total yards – three short of the record.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
The Hawks are now 5-0 in conference play and have won seven consecutive games, one win shy of tying the program record (2003 season). This is the third time Monmouth has won seven games in a row (2017, 2004). A win against Hampton would give Monmouth a 6-0 record at home this season, the fourth time in history the Hawks finished unbeaten at home.

Social Media Links:
Follow the Hawks all season long on twitter (@MUHawksFB)
Facebook (facebook.com/MUFootball)  
Monmouth's YouTube page (YouTube.com/monmouthhawks)