WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ- Monmouth University (1-2, 0-1 CAA) scored five touchdowns on the ground and held the visiting Georgetown Hoyas (1-2, 0-1 PL) out of the end zone en route to a 45-6 dominant win.
 
The Monmouth running back crew of Owen Wright, Jaden Shirden and Juwon Farri combined for five touchdowns, including four on the ground as the defense allowed just a pair of field goals during the game. The hawks racked up 466 yards of offense while holding the Hoyas to three-of-14 on third down.
 
For the second consecutive week Wright scored three touchdowns, scoring a pair of short runs and catching a 14-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Monmouth jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, then added another score in the second while yielding just one field goal to take a 21-6 lead into the break.
 
Jaden Shirden's 67-yard touchdown gave the Hawks a 28-6 lead in the third quarter before Monmouth knotched 17 fourth-quarter points to cruise to the 45-6 victory.
 
QUOTES AND NOTES
"We got the first win of the season and as I told the team, sometimes that first one is the hardest to get. Today I thought we played a fairly dominant second half and really sealed the game. On the defensive side we came up with two turnovers and gave the ball to the offense who was able to turn those posessions into scores." Head Coach Kevin Callahan
 
"Last week hurt a lot, we couldn't get off the field on third down and that was our emphasis this week. Coach Bishop really pushed us to run to the ball, play for each other and make sure we got off the field on third down. That was our focus this week." Safety Tyrese Wright
 
"We kept it personal this week. We [the defensive line] felt responsible for the Fordham loss, we didn't get enough pressure, we didn't make him think or move him around. It was a collective effort this week." Senior defensive lineman Pat Hayden
 

• Ryan Kost punted four times for an average of 54.0 yards per punt, including a career-long punt of 67 yards. Kost now has 101 punts for his career and is Monmouth's all-time leader in career punting average at 43.1 yards per punt. 
• Tony Muskett extended his touchdown passes streak to 18 games. Muskett has a touchdown in every game of his career. Muskett increased his career touchdowns total to 38, tying him for fifth in program history with Brandon Hill (2013-14). 
• Monmouth's defense limited Georgetown to six points. The six points are the lowest total since the Hawks held Presbyterian scoreless on Oct. 12, 2019.
• Jaden Shirden ran for 139 yards, giving him back-to-back 100-yard performances. The last time a Hawk ran for 100 yards in consecutive games was Juwon Farri against Gardner-Webb and Kennesaw State in the Spring 2021 season.
• Shirden had a long run of 67 yards, giving him five explosive runs this season (20+yards). Shirden's 18 carries set a new career high.
• Owen Wright had two rushing touchdowns, giving him at least two scores on the ground for the third straight game. 
• Monmouth's defense held Georgetown to 61 rushing yards. It was the first time the Hawks have held a team to less than 75 yards since the matchup with Princeton in 2021.

NUMBERS CRUNCH

• Monmouth leads the all-time series against Georgetown, 3-0. 
• The Hawks had a season-high three sacks and seven tackles for a loss
• MU outgained the Hoyas 466-251 in the contest, allowing just 68 yards in the second half
• Vincenzo Rea finished with eight points, going 5-for-5 on XPs and hitting a 40-yard field goal
• Ugo Obasi led Monmouth with 81 receiving yards. 
• Monmouth's 39-point victory was its largest margin of victory since a 45-0 win over Presbyterian on Oct. 12, 2019.
• Davis Smith had his first career forced fumble when he punched the ball out and sophomore linebacker Remi Johnson recovered it 

UP NEXT
Monmouth will face CAA foe Villanova next weekend at 3:30.