MONMOUTH HAWKS (4-5, 2-4 CAA) AT #16/18 DELAWARE BLUE HENS (6-2, 3-2 CAA)
Saturday, November 5, 2022; 1 p.m.
Delaware Stadium, Newark, DE

BROADCAST INFORMATION
FloSports, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Jon Mozes (Play-by-Play); Matt Janus (Color Analyst)
 
Monmouth Digital Network Audio
Matt Harmon (Play-by-Play); Gary Kowal (Color Analyst)

TICKET INFORMATION
For tickets click HERE for more information.
(note: Use promo code: MUVisiting)

HAWKS ON THE ROAD
Join fellow Hawk fans pregame for a Blue/White Club tailgate.
Click HERE for more information.

OPENING KICKOFF
Monmouth travels to nationally-ranked Delaware following a shootout loss to Towson. The Hawks challenge the Blue Hens in the second-ever meeting between the two schools and the first since 2007. Delaware is coming off a 27-7 loss to Elon and both of the Blue Hens' losses have come on the road to ranked teams.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win would give the Hawks a third victory in conference play and snap a three-game skid. Monmouth would also improve to 3-2 on the road this season and give the Hawks their second ever win over Delaware. A victory over Delaware would be Monmouth's second victory over a ranked opponent this year.
 
HAWKS ON LINEAR TELEVISION
Saturday's game is one of seven Monmouth games that will be broadcast on linear television this season. The contest will be shown live in the Philadelphia market on NBC Sports Philadelphia. In addition to the traditional TV broadcasts, FloSports will also carry all home and conference road games on its streaming platform.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Delaware leads 1-0
Last Meeting: 9/29/07 L, 42-7 at Delaware
at Delaware: Delaware leads 1-0
Streak: L1

DID YOU KNOW?
Owen Wright's 15 rushing touchdowns are the most in a single season since Pete Guerriero had 18 in 2017. Wright's 15 rushing touchdowns are the fifth most in a single season in program history and his 16 total touchdowns this season are tied for the FCE lead.
 
PUTTING ON A SHOW
Monmouth's offense has been outstanding in its five games this season at Kessler Stadium. The Hawks have averaged 45.2 points and 522 yards of total offense per home game in 2022. Since opening Kessler Stadium in 2017, Monmouth has played 30 home games. The Hawks have scored 30 points or more 26 times and have a 23-3 record in those games. Monmouth is 1-3 when it is held below 30 points at home since 2017. Sophomore running back Jaden Shirden has run for 1,862 yards in his career and 1,342 of those yards have come in home games. At quarterback, Tony Muskett has a career 28-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio at Kessler Stadium.
 
BACKS ON BACKS
The duo of Jaden Shirden and Owen Wright have paced Monmouth's rushing attack. Wright is the CAA leader with 15 rushing TDs and Shirden leads the FCS in rushing with 1,365 yards. In the win against UAlbany, Wright set a career-high with 114 yards, while Shirden totaled 160 on the ground. The effort was the first time since April 2021 that Monmouth had two 100-yard rushers, when Juwon Farri and (124 yards) and Romeo Holden (112) ran past Gardner-Webb. Both Wright (Fordham) and Shirden (Towson) have three touchdown games this season.
 
RECORD RUNS
Owen Wright's 99-yard touchdown run against UAlbany marks the third time in program history that a Monmouth back has tied the FCS record with a 99-yard rushing touchdown. Former backs David Sinisi (2007) and Jim Varick (1994) share the Monmouth record of 99-yard runs, each done against Sacred Heart. Earlier this year, Jaden Shirden had a 95-yard touchdown run against Fordham. Shirden's touchdown scamper is the fourth longest run in school history and Pete Guerriero had a 93-yard touchdown run in the 2019 NCAA Second Round against JMU. Monmouth's defense has allowed just one 90+ yard run, in the 2013 opener against Montana State (90).
 
CAN'T CATCH SHIRDEN
As a rookie in 2021, Shirden had a pair of 75-yard touchdown runs against Holy Cross and Robert Morris and eight of his 13 career touchdown runs have been at least 55 yards in length after a 75-yarder against Towson. Shirden's 917 rushing yards over the five games from Fordham-UAlbany are the most in a five-game span in program history. Shirden ran for 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game and became the first Hawk since David Sinisi in 2008 to have five straight games with at least 100 yards rushing. Shirden and Sinisi are the only two Monmouth backs to run for 100+ in five straight games.
 
JADEN MAKES MORE HISTORY
Jaden Shirden became the 16th player in Monmouth history to rush for 1,000 career yards – achieving the feat in just 15 games with his 211-yard performance against Villanova. The sophomore's 211-yard effort was the 14th 200-yard game in Monmouth history and the first by a Villanova opponent since 1995 (Jerry Azumah). Shirden matched the 211-yard output against Towson, giving him three 200-yard games on the season and became the second Hawk to achieve that feat joining Pete Guerriero who had five 200-yard games in his historic 2019 season.
 
RUNNING FROM THE RAMS
Jaden Shirden was named the CAA Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week on September 12 after his scintillating effort on the ground against Fordham. The sophomore back set a program record with 299 rushing yards on 12 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 80 and 95 yards, respectively. His 299 yards are the most rushing yards in an FCS game this season, they eclipsed the previous single-game record of 247 set by David Sinisi in 2008 and the 200+ yard performance was the most since Pete Guerriero ran for 220 against Holy Cross in 2019. Shirden averaged 24.9 yards per carry in the game, setting the program record for per game average with a minimum of 10 carries. Shirden had four explosive runs in the game, with carries of 35, 37, 80 and 95 yards.
 
REID IN THE RANKINGS
Mike Reid's 11 pass breakups this season is tied for the fifth most of any player in the country. He currently ranks 16th in passes defended per game in the NCAA with 1.3 while his 12 passes defended is tied for sixth in the FCS. Reid's 19 career pass breakups ranks him tied for eighth in the Monmouth history books while his 21 passes defended puts him in the top-10. His 11 PBU's this season are tied for sixth in Monmouth single-season history.
 
SMITH PICKS
Safety Davis Smith is tied for second in the CAA with three interceptions this season. William & Mary's Jalen Jones has four to lead the conference, while Aaron Banks of Richmond is tied with Smith. All three of Smith's interceptions have come in CAA play, including two against Rhode Island. He became the first Hawk to record two interceptions in a game since Anthony Budd had a pair against UAlbany in 2019.
 
CAA LEADERS
Monmouth has the top scoring offense in the CAA at 39.9 points per game. The Hawks also lead the conference with 49 total touchdowns, 29 rushing touchdowns, yards per rush (6.08), and in total offense at 480.89 yards per game Individually, Jaden Shirden is tops in rushing yards per game (151.6) and Owen Wright leads the conference in scoring (96 points) and total touchdowns (16).
 
ARJONA STARTS HOT
Monmouth freshman Enzo Arjona made his first-career start against Towson and became the fourth quarterback throw for multiple touchdowns in a debut, joining Tony Muskett, Brandon Hill and Dan Sabella who each had two TD passes. Arjona's three touchdown passes are the most for a Monmouth quarterback in his first start in program history.
 
FCS ELITE
Monmouth ranks in the top 10 in the FCS in three offensive categories. The Hawks are sixth in total offense (480.9 yards per game), eighth in rushing offense (233.0) and seventh in scoring offense (39.9 ppg).
 
Individually, Jaden Shirden is first in rush yards per carry (8.69), first in total rushing yards (1,365) and rushing yards per game (151.7), and eighth in all-purpose yards per game (154.6). Owen Wright is second in the FCS in rushing touchdowns with 15 and Shirden is eighth with 11. Mike Reid ranks 16th in the country in passes defended with 12.
 
OWEN WRIGHT: TD MACHINE
Running back Owen Wright has been a touchdown machine this season and is tied for the NCAA lead with 16 total touchdowns. Mercer's Devron Harper and Montana State's Sean Chambers share the touchdown crown with Wright. Wright has at least two touchdowns in five games this season and his three rushing touchdowns against Fordham are tied for the most for a Monmouth player in a game this year. Wright has 17 career rushing touchdowns at Monmouth after running for two in 2021. Wright had one rushing touchdown against Towson, giving him 15 rushing scores this year. His 15 rushing TDs are fifth in a single season in program history.
 
MILLER TIME
Dymere Miller is Monmouth's leading receiver this season with 44 catches for 642 yards and six touchdowns in just seven games. Miller missed Monmouth's games against Fordham and Georgetown, but has bounced back to make a big impact on Monmouth's offense. He had 62 yards on five catches with a TD at Villanova, before a career-day with nine grabs for 125 yards and a score at Lehigh. Miller had another 100-yard day with six catches for 116 yards in the UAlbany win. Against Towson, Miller registered his first-career two-touchdown game with eight grabs for 99 yards.
 
KEARNEY MAKING PLAYS
Wide receiver Assanti Kearney has been a major weapon for Monmouth's offense this season and has four touchdowns on the season. In the Fordham game, Kearney had a career-best 121 yards, including receptions of 35, 28 and 25 yards. In the win at Villanova, Kearney registered his first-career two-touchdown game with receiving touchdowns of 21 and 18 yards, respectively. Kearney followed up that with a three-catch, 73-yard day at Lehigh, including a career-long 52-yard touchdown grab. Kearney set a new career high with six catches at Maine and has at least one grab in every game this season.
 
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Junior Mike Reid became the first Hawk to earn a CAA Defensive Player of the Week award after having perhaps his most complete game as a Hawk, finishing second on the team in tackles with nine, recovering a fumble and registering a career-high three pass breakups in Monmouth's win over UAlbany. In the second quarter Reid pounced on a ball that was knocked out of the receiver's hand, ending a 44-yard strike and giving the ball back to the Hawks. Reid, who has a team-high 11 pass breakups this season, had one of the biggest of his career on the final play from scrimmage. With the Great Danes driving to tie the game from the Monmouth 26, Reid reached in front of the wide receiver and knocked the ball away to secure the Hawks' first home CAA victory.
 
DUAL THREAT
Tony Muskett has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game of his career dating back to the Spring 2021 season. He has at least two touchdown passes in 15 of his 23 career games and has 51 career touchdown passes to go along with just 16 career interceptions. Muskett ranks fifth among active FCS players in career passing efficiency (149.86) and fifth in total offense per game (253.7 yards). Muskett has totaled 203 rushing yards this season and is averaging 25.4 yards per game on the ground. He has set new career standards in rushing yards (78 at Villanova) and attempts (15 vs. Rhode Island).
 
MUSKETT CLIMBING THE MONMOUTH RANKS
Tony Muskett is continuing his assault on the Monmouth record books this season. The junior is fifth all-time in passing yards, career completions and total offense and fourth in passing touchdowns. His 51 touchdowns and 16 interceptions put him first in passing efficiency and his 64.3 percent completion percentage is second all-time behind former Hawk Brett Burke (2005-08).
 
CAA COACHES PRESS CONFERENCE
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