Fordham Rams (1-0, 0-0 Patriot League) at Monmouth Hawks (0-1, 0-1 CAA)
Saturday, September 10, 2022; 1 p.m.
Kessler Stadium, West Long Branch, N.J.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
FloSports, SNY, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Eddy Occhipinti (Play by Play); Emory Hunt (Color Analyst)

DIRECTIONS TO KESSLER STADIUM
Directions to Monmouth University and Kessler Stadium can be found here:

TICKET INFORMATION
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 

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
Heroes Day. All service members and first responders will receive free admission to the game with proof of a valid ID at the Austin Family Box Office inside Kessler Stadium.

A LOOK AT THE GAME
Monmouth is in search of its first win following a 31-21 CAA loss at New Hampshire. The Hawks held a fourth-quarter lead, but UNH scored the final 14 points to secure the win. Fordham started its season out with a 48-31 victory over Wagner. Tim DeMorat threw for 386 yards and five touchdowns, and ran for another, as Fordham erased a 7-point halftime deficit.
 
Monmouth, coming off a 7-4 season in 2021 as a member of the Big South Conference, was selected to finish 10th in the CAA Preseason Poll. The Rams were selected to finish second behind the three-time defending Patriot League Champions, Holy Cross by the league's coaches and media members after finishing with a 6-5 (4-2) Patriot League record in 2021.
 
A win would give Monmouth its third straight victory over Fordham and fourth overall in five meetings against the Rams. The Hawks are in search of their first win of the 2022 season and would improve to 17-13 all-time in home openers with a win. Monmouth is trying to improve to 23-4 at home since opening Kessler Stadium in 2017.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES          
Monmouth leads 3-1
Last Meeting: 9/11/21 W, 26-23 at Fordham
at Monmouth: Monmouth leads 1-0
Streak: W2
First Meeting: 9/2/06 L, 23-9 at Fordham

MUSKETT CLIMBING THE MONMOUTH RANKS
Tony Muskett, who has started 16 consecutive contests for the Blue & White will continue his assault on the Monmouth record books this season. The junior is seventh all-time in completions and passing yards. His 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions already ranks him top in passing efficiency and his 64.3 percent passing efficiency is second all-time behind former Hawk Brett Burke (2005-08).
 
GRIMES BACK IN THE MIX
Graduate student linebacker Da'Quan Grimes eclipsed the 200 career tackles mark with his team-high 11-stop effort against New Hampshire. Grimes became the 15th Hawk in program history to reach the milestone and he played in his first game since the Spring 2021 season after missing all of last fall with an injury.
 
DO YOUR DANCE
Junior Alex Bryant made the most of his opportunities in the season opener last Thursday night at UNH. Bryant had a career-high eight catches for 67 yards and registered his first-career touchdown reception. Bryant led Monmouth in every receiving category with 13 targets on the night.
 
MONMOUTH AGAINST THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Monmouth is one of 13 current members of the CAA in football, with the addition of Campbell and North Carolina A&T set for 2023. The Hawks are 16-29 all-time against current CAA opponents. Monmouth has never played three teams in the conference; Elon, Richmond and William & Mary. The Hawks' wins over Hampton (3-0) came as a member of the Big South Conference, while UAlbany (5-12) and Stony Brook (5-4) were foes at times during Monmouth's time as a member of the Northeast Conference. Prior meetings with Delaware (0-1), Maine (0-3), Rhode Island (1-1), Towson (1-7) and Villanova (1-0) were non-conference contests. Monmouth opened its 2022 season with a loss at New Hampshire (0-1).
 
FARRI AND THE CENTURY MARK
Juwon Farri's success in reaching the 100-yard rushing mark is tied to Monmouth's success as a team. The Hawks' standout back had three 100-yard games in 2021, all in Monmouth victories. During Farri's career, Monmouth is 11-1 when he eclipses the 100-yard mark and the Hawks have won eleven straight games when he accomplishes the feat. His collegiate debut was the lone Monmouth loss, when he ran for 111 yards on 13 carries at Eastern Michigan in 2018.
 
FROM THE JUMP
Only two players in the country have started at quarterback in every game of their careers and thrown at least 30 touchdowns. Monmouth's junior QB Tony Muskett has thrown 35 career touchdown passes in 16 starts over his three seasons. Jackson St. sophomore Shedeur Sanders started all 13 games as a freshman in 2021 and tossed 30 touchdown passes en route to winning the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award as the nation's top freshman. Sanders has 35 TDs in 14 career games.
 
LEADERSHIP ROLES
Five Hawks, three on defense and two on offense, will lead the Monmouth program this year as team captains. LB Da'Quan Grimes, DB/PR Eddie Morales III, QB Tony Muskett, OL Justin Szuba and DB Tyrese Wright will serve in leadership roles. Grimes and Szuba both return after missing the 2021 season with injuries. Muskett is Monmouth's returning two-year starter at quarterback who finished the 2021 season with 2,651 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. Morales III is a dual-threat defensive back and special teams' standout who was a First Team All-Big South honoree at both corner and punt returner. Wright has played in every game of his three-year career, including 20 starts in the secondary. He is coming off a 2021 Second Team All-Big South honor after leading the Hawks in tackles (71) and solo stops (49).
 
ALL-AMERICA STATUS
The Monmouth University football program had a pair of student-athletes named to the STATS Perform Preseason All-America Team. Senior running back Juwon Farri was a second team choice, while graduate student punter Ryan Kost earned a spot on the third team. Kost also earned a spot on the 2022 HERO Sports FCS Preseason All-America Third Team. Farri was a First Team All-Big South selection last season after he totaled 705 yards on the ground and eight rushing touchdowns despite missing three games due to injury. Kost was a First Team All-Big South choice as a senior in 2021 and claimed his second straight all-league award. He averaged 44.3 yards per punt which led the conference and ranked eighth in the NCAA.
 
SWEETNESS
Juwon Farri was named to the STATS Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. The award is given annually to the top offensive player in the FCS following the regular season. Farri's inclusion is the second of his career and he is the fifth Hawk in program history to be named to the watch list, joining Monmouth greats David Sinisi (2008), Reggie White Jr. (2018), Pete Guerriero (2019) and Kenji Bahar (2019). Farri finished eighth in the voting during the Spring 2021 campaign.