VILLANOVA, PA-  Monmouth University (2-2, 1-1 CAA) defensive back Mike Reid came down with the ball in the endzone on the final Villanova (2-2, 0-1 CAA) play of the game to seal the Hawks' 49-42 upset over the ninth-ranked team in the nation.
 
Jaden Shirden cut right and was never touched hitting paydirt from 16 yards out to give the Hawks a 49-42 lead with 46 seconds left in regulation. The two teams traded scores for the full 60 minutes but the Hawks never trailed in the contest.
 
Shirden ran for 211 yards and two scores while averaging 9.6 yards per rush. Tony Muskett threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 78 yards as the offensive rolled up 482 yards of offense. Assanti Kearney caught a pair of touchdowns (three catches-58 yards) while Dymere Miller had five receptions for 62 yards in his first action since week 1. DaQuan Grimes finished with 12 tackles while Reid and Davis Smith came away with two takeaways.
 
The first play from scrimmage was a Muskett to Dymere Miller 43-yard pass play to set up Monmouth's first score of the game. On the fourth play of the game the junior signal caller threw a fade pass to Assanti Kearney for a 18-yard touchdown that put the Hawks up 7-0 early. Nova answered on their first drive, which comprised of almost all runs including a nine-yard Jalen Jackson touchdown run.
 
Monmouth's defense got a huge stop on a fourth and one from the Monmouth 13. The Hawks drove the length of the field to take the lead, ignited by a 30-yard Shirden run. The 10-play drive was capped by Owen Wright, the nation's leading scorer, plowing in off the right side from three yards out. The Wildcats tied the game up with 2:04 left in the second quarter on a one-yard Connor Watkins touchdown run.
 
The Hawks took a 21-14 lead into halftime when Tony Muskett hit Dymere Miller for a six-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left in the half. Monmouth went 73 yards on eight plays in just 1:39 to give the Hawks a seven-point lead over the ninth-ranked team in the nation.
 
After Villanova tied the game at 21-all on their opening drive of the second half, Jaden Shirden regained the lead for the Hawks with a 56-yard touchdown run, his The Wildcats tied it up on the ensuing drive going 90-yards on eight plays, with Jalen Jackson scoring his third rushing touchdown of the game with 3:08 left in the third quarter.
 
The teams traded touchdowns early on in the fourth – with Muskett hitting Kearney for his second touchdown of the game but Villanova responding four plays later for the TD.
 
Davis Smith's interception and return midway through the fourth quarter set up Owen Wright's second touchdown of the game. Vincenzo Rea's extra point put the Hawks ahead 42-35 with 6:21 left in regulation.
 
 
QUOTES & NOTES
 
"I told the team last night and then again this morning that this was a game we could go out and win. We had to take it one play at a time and the biggest thing was playing until there were zeros on the clock and we certainly did that – twice. Getting the first CAA Win is a great feeling and I am really happy for the team." Head Coach Kevin Callahan
 
"I trusted in Coach Bishop and his words a couple series before the interception, that they (Villanova) were going to come back to that play and I would have an opportunity to make a play and I took that (opportunity)." Davis Smith on the interception in the fourth quarter
 
"When we were 0-2 our team, to their credit, felt that we weren't an 0-2 team. We were doing a lot of good things we just needed to finish the game. We did that last week and although this was a different game, we did it again today." Coach Callahan on the team's attitude after starting 0-2
 
"I thought this was Tony's best game by far this season. He took what the defense game him, he was excellent throwing the ball. He threw some outstanding passes and was able to pull the ball down and run for close to 80 yards and was smart with it." Coach Callahan on Tony Muskett's play
 
"The way the game was going, we had momentum and I knew we were going to score. Whether it was me or one of the receivers or one of the backs, we were going to score." Jaden Shirden on the last offensive drive
 
"All credit to the offensive line. Without them I wouldn't have had any of those yards. They played hard, they practiced hard all week. They were just focused, I saw the look on their faces to be dominant and they did a great job today." Shirden on the play of the offensive line
 

• Shirden became the 16th player in Monmouth history to rush for 1,000 career yards – achieving the feat in just 15 games. He finished with 211 yards rushing on two touchdowns
• He also went over 100-yards rushing for the third straight week – the first player to do so since teammate Juwon Farri achieved it in the Spring 2021 season
• Jackson's touchdown was the first touchdown run the Monmouth defense allowed in five quarters
• Muskett kept his touchdown pass streak alive – he has now thrown for a score in 19 consecutive games. He was 8-of-11 in the first half for 109 yards and two touchdown passes
• Monmouth's first drive was a four-play 75-yard drive that took just 1:45
• It was the first two-touchdown reception game for Kearney
• The last opposing player to rush for 200+ yards against Villanova was UNH's Jerry Azumah on 11/11/95
• Shirden has rushed for 649 yards over his last three games, the most for a Monmouth running back over a three-game stretch since Pete Guerriero ran for 697 yards in three games late in the 2019 season. Guerriero had games of 237 (Campbell), 240 (Hampton) and 200 (Holy Cross) to set the program's three-game record. Shirden's 649 ranks second only to Guerriero's 697.

 
NUMBERS CRUNCH

• The Wildcats held a 34:38-25:22 advantage in time of possession
• Monmouth's scoring drives were 75, 87, 73, 73, 75, 10 and 75 yards
• The game was Villanova's Family Day with an announced crowd of 12,001
• MU only punted twice in the game but Ryan Kost averaged 55 yards per punt with a long of 63
• The Hawks were 5-of-5 in the redzone

 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will head back to Pennsylvania to face Lehigh next weekend. Kickoff is slated for 12 PM from Goodman Stadium. Head to MonmouthHawks.com for official tailgate information.