Albany Great Danes (1-1, 0-0 CAA) at
Monmouth Hawks (1-1, 0-0 Big South)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019; 1:05 p.m.
Kessler Stadium, West Long Branch, N.J.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
ESPN+
Matt Harmon (Play by Play); Eddy Occhipinti (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 TODAY'S GAME
 

• Monmouth and UAlbany each come into today's game with a 1-1 record after falling to Mid-American Conference opponents in week 1 and defeating FCS foes at home last weekend.
• The Hawks downed Lafayette for the third straight season last weekend in the Monmouth home opener. The Hawks opened up a 21-7 lead going into halftime but needed a fourth quarter Devell Jones run to run out the clock and win by three.
• UAlbany is coming off of a 45-3 dismantling of old NEC foe Bryant University, with the Great Danes racking up 362 yards on the ground and forcing three Bulldog turnovers.
• The Hawks are trying to snap a seven-game losing streak to UAlbany, one that dates back to 2006. In 2017 the two teams met as non-conference opponents for the first time with the Great Danes earning the 28-14 win at home. Today's game can be viewed on ESPN+, with Matt Harmon (pxp) and Eddy Occhipinti (analyst) on the call.

TODAY'S PROMOTIONS

Today's game is Monmouth Football Alumni Day; all Monmouth Football alums are entitled to free tickets (5) and varsity club passes (2). Deadline to register is 12 PM – Register at www.Monmouthhawks.com/19FBAlumni

THE COACHING MATCHUP

Kevin Callahan is in his 27th season at Monmouth as the Hawks' head coach. Callahan owns a 153-122 career coaching record, all with Monmouth. Coming into the season, Callahan's 153 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.

Greg Gattuso, in his 6th year as Albany's head football coach, has guided the Great Danes to a 1-1 record this season. Last year Gattuso's Great Danes finished with a 3-8 record, including a 1-7 record in CAA play. The former Penn State defensive lineman was tabbed to usher Albany into a new era in 2014 after a three-year stint with Maryland. For 12 years he led Duquesne University, winning seven MAAC titles and the 2003 Mid-Major National Championship. Prior to his time at Maryland Gattuso was on the University of Pittsburgh's staff, serving as recruiting coordinator, defensive line coach and assistant head coach. The Pittsburgh native is a 1983 graduate of Penn State and helped lead the Nittany Lions to a national championship in 1982.

INSIDE THE MU-UALBANY SERIES

Seventeenth Overall Meeting

Overall Record: UA leads 12-4
    West Long Branch: UA 5-2
    Albany: UA leads 7-2

First Meeting: Sept. 19, 1998

Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2017

Longest MU Win Streak: 4 gms

Longest UA Win Streak: 7 gms

Largest MU W Margin: 19 (2006)
Largest UA W Margin: 31 (2012)

Smallest MU W Margin: 1 (2004)

Smallest UA W Margin: 3 (1998)

Shutouts: Monmouth 1

Overtime Games: None
 

INSIDE THE MONMOUTH-UALBANY SERIES

• Monmouth University is 4-12 all-time against UAlbany and have dropped seven straight contests to the Great Danes.
• Today's game is just the second time that the two teams will meet as non-conference opponents since each left the Northeast Conference.
• Prior to the seven-game skid to Albany, Monmouth had won four consecutive games in the series, including clinching the NEC title in 2006 with a 19-0 win in the regular season finale.
• At one point the matchup featured two of the nation's best running backs in MU's David Sinisi and UAlbany's Dave McCarthy. Sinisi set the NCAA record for consecutive games with a touchdown at 21 which was then topped by McCarthy the following season.
• The two teams have combined for 11 Northeast Conference Titles.

MONMOUTH AGAINST THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

• Monmouth University is 3-13 all-time against members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
• This is the second time since 2012 that Monmouth has faced a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
• MU dominated Rhode Island in 2012 at home, 41-6 with Kyle Frazier throwing for 264 yards and three touchdowns.
• The Blue & White notched their first win over the CAA in 2009 against Old Dominion, with its most recent win coming over Villanova in 2011
• The Hawks picked up their first victory of 2011 at Villanova, in part due to a pair of goal line stands from the MU defense. Dan Sullivan led the Hawks with eight tackles, none bigger than the one he had early in the fourth to halt a Wildcat drive at the Monmouth one yard line.

 DID YOU KNOW?
Monmouth Head Coach Kevin Callahan got his college coaching start under legendary UAlbany Head Coach Bob Ford prior to the 1977 season. Callahan is a native of Elmira, NY about a three hour drive from the state capitol. Last December he was inducted to the Chemung County Hall of Fame.

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