Monmouth (3-4, 2-2 CAA) at William & Mary (4-3, 2-2 CAA)
Saturday, October 28, 2023; 1:00 p.m.
Zable Stadium (11,646), Williamsburg, VA
 
Television/Streaming Video
FloSports
Cox
Play-by-Play: Jay Colley
Analyst: Mike Leach
Analyst: Shawn Knight
 
Monmouth Radio Coverage
Monmouth Digital Network (MonmouthHawks.com)
Play-by-Play: Gary Kowal
 
Ticket Information
For tickets click HERE for more information
 
Zable Stadium Information
For information and directions click HERE
                           
OPENING KICKOFF
Monmouth is looking to rebound from a two-point loss at Elon when its faces one of the toughest opponents on its schedule, nationally ranked William & Mary. The Tribe enter the game at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the CAA, but are on a three-game losing streak.
 
THE GAUNTLET
Monmouth is in the midst of the CAA portion of its schedule and is playing five of six opponents who have earned votes in a national poll at one point this season. William & Mary sits at #24 in the AFCA poll and #22 in the STATS poll.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win would give the Hawks their fourth victory of the season and move the team to 4-4 overall. Monmouth is looking to win the first-ever meeting against William & Mary. The Hawks are looking to win their third CAA game of the year. Monmouth is in search of its sixth win ever against a ranked opponent.

THE COACHING MATCHUP
Kevin Callahan
31st Season / 181-139
 
Mike London
15^th Season / 89-80
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Series Record 0-0
At Monmouth 0-0
At William & Mary 0-0
Most Monmouth points N/A
Most William & Mary points N/A
Most combined points N/A
Biggest Monmouth win N/A
Current streak N/A
 
SCORING MARGIN
Monmouth's scoring margin in 2023 is shaping up to be one of the program's best in its 31-year history. The Hawks are +9.43 points per game better than their opponents this season, the best mark since the 2006 squad averaged 11.16 more points per game than their adversaries. The program's high-water mark during a full season was in 2003 when the Blue and White outscored their opponents 247-101 for an average of 12.1 points per game. During the four-game spring 2021 campaign, Monmouth was 16.5 points per game better than their foes.
 
HAMPTON HIGHLIGHTS
Monmouth turned in another dominant performance against Hampton. The Hawks' 61 points were the most they have ever scored at home and the second most in program history. Monmouth set the team record for rushing touchdowns in a game with seven and TJ Speight's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown set a new school record. Shirden's four rushing touchdowns were a career best and he totaled 276 yards on the ground, the second best single-game total at Monmouth. Defensively, Monmouth held Hampton to 45 passing yards, the lowest total for an opponent since the Hawks held Stony Brook to 35 yards in 2002.
 
LEHIGH ROUT
Monmouth shined in all three phases in its 49-7 victory over Lehigh. The Hawks racked up 619 yards of offense, the most since it had 719 against Fordham on Sept. 10, 2022. Marquez McCray threw for a season-high 333 yards and four touchdowns on 22-for-28 passing and Dymere Miller had eight catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. It was also the first time since the UAlbany game last year that Monmouth had a pair of 100-yard rushers in a game as Jaden Shirden finished with 119 yards on the ground and Sone Ntoh had 110, including a 92-yard TD run. Monmouth held Lehigh to a season-best seven points and forced eight punts. Deuce Lee's interception and touchdown return was Monmouth's first pick-six since Anthony Budd against Princeton in 2021. On special teams, Josh Derry recovered a fumble on special teams.
 
MILLER TIME
Dymere Miller is having a historic 2023 season with 57 receptions for 698 yards and five touchdowns. His 57 catches are tied for ninth on Monmouth's single-season receptions list. Miller leads the CAA and is third in the FCS in receptions per game (8.1), while his 99.7 yards per game lead the CAA and are third in the FCS this season. Miller has three double-digit reception games, including his career-best 11 for 146 yards at Elon. Miller is seventh in career receptions (135), tied for eighth in touchdowns (13) and is eighth in yards (1,792) and is the fifth Hawk with eight career 100-yard games.
 
AWARDS ON AWARDS
Jaden Shirden earned CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors, while TJ Speight was selected as the CAA Special Teams Player of the Week following their standout performances in Monmouth's 61-10 victory over Hampton. Shirden ran 276 yards and a career-high four TDs on 16 carries for an average of 17.3 yards. His 276 yards are the most by an FCS player this season and the second-most in school history behind his record 299 set against Fordham last year. Shirden had touchdown runs of 72, 63, 25 and nine yards in the game, in addition to a 52-yard run. Shirden leads the CAA and ranks third in the FCS in rushing with 135.3 yards per game in 2023. Shirden now has 12-career touchdown runs of at least 50 yards and is the third back in team history to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark in his career.  In addition, Shirden was recognized as the NCAA's FCS Player of the Week and was an Honorable Mention choice for FCS National Performer of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards.
 
Speight returned two kickoffs for 167 yards and a touchdown in the victory. The junior opened the second half with a 98-yard return for a touchdown, the longest in school history and first since 2019. Speight also started Monmouth's first offensive possession with a 69-yard return that set up the Hawks in the red zone where Sone Ntoh scored two plays later. Speight has 229 yards on five kickoff returns this season. Speight was also named as an Honorable Mention pick for FedEx Ground FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
POUND THE ROCK
Sone Ntoh's 92-yard TD run against Lehigh is the second longest in the conference this year. Jaden Shirden's 276 yards against Hampton were the second-most in a single-game in the FCS this year. His four touchdowns against the Pirates are tied for the CAA lead in 2023 and his 33 attempts at Towson are tied for the most in a game for a CAA player this year. Shirden (119) and Ntoh (110) each went over the century mark in the win over Lehigh, marking the first time this season the duo accomplished that feat as Ntoh set a new career high in the process.
 
SHORT AND LONG YARDAGE BACK
Sone Ntoh leads the CAA and is tied for third in the FCS in rushing touchdowns with 11 on the season. Known for punching in touchdowns near the goal line, Ntoh ran away from the Lehigh defense on a 92-yard touchdown run, the longest run of the season for Monmouth. Ntoh also had a 66-yard score at Towson and has 295 yards on 36 carries this season, good for 8.2 yards per carry.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Jaden Shirden claimed five national preseason All-America honors from Phil Steele, Stats Perform, Hero Sports, Athlon Sports and The Bluebloods. Shirden completed his sophomore season as the nation's leading rusher and earned consensus All-America honors from six different major publications. Shirden led the entire country in rushing at the end of the regular season, including FBS running backs, with 1,722 yards. His 8.4 yards per carry and 156.5 rushing yards per game were both tops in the FCS, earning him CAA Offensive Player of the Year honors. Shirden averaged an impressive 52.8 yards on 13 touchdown runs, including eight 50+ yard touchdown runs.
 
IMPACT TRANSFERS
Monmouth welcomed the addition of several impact players from the transfer portal ahead of the 2023 season. Graduate linebacker Jake Brown came to Monmouth from Harvard where he was a 2022 All-Ivy League Honorable Mention choice. The defensive line features two-time All-PSAC First Team selection Nick White (Gannon University - DII), Isaiah Oduro (Lackawanna College), Isaiah Rogers (Central Michigan) and Antonio Colclough (JMU). Offensively Harvard running back Sone Ntoh and reserve offensive lineman Matt Fries (Illinois) are the new faces to know. On special teams, Luke Schabel (Incarnate Word) has taken over as the team's primary punter.
 
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Harvard graduate transfer linebacker Jake Brown was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in the Hawks' win over Towson. Brown led Monmouth's defensive efforts with a team-high seven tackles, a pair of sacks and forced a critical fumble in the 42-23 victory. Holding on to a 28-23 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Brown jarred the football loose from Towson quarterback Nathan Kent. The fumble was recovered by Miles Mitchell inside Towson territory and Monmouth scored two plays later to regain a two-possession lead.
 
MORAN IN THE MIDDLE
Graduate linebacker Ryan Moran racked up a career-high 13 tackles at FAU, including nine solo stops, to lead the Monmouth defense. Moran's 13 stops were the most since Da'Quan Grimes had 13 last season against Towson. Moran, a team captain, has started 24 consecutive games, the longest active starting streak on the team and leads the team in tackles this season with 47.
 
JOHNSON STEPS UP
Junior linebacker Remi Johnson started the Lafayette and Lehigh games in place of Jake Brown and has made a big impact on the defense this season. Johnson led or tied for the team lead in tackles in both games, with nine stops, including two TFL and eight solo tackles in the win over Lehigh. Johnson is tied for third on the team in total tackles this season with 33 and is tied for the team lead with Tyrese Wright with 4.5 tackles for loss.
 
AK MAKES PLAYS
Wide receiver Assanti Kearney became a major weapon for Monmouth's offense last season and he was second on the team in catches (37), yards (638) and touchdowns (4). He set new career highs in catches (6) at Maine, yards vs. Fordham (121) and touchdowns (2) in the win over Villanova. Kearney was named to Phil Steele's CAA Preseason All-CAA Fourth Team and has three touchdown catches this year. Kearney delivered a 27-yard touchdown reception on fourth down in the season opener at FAU before hauling in TD receptions of 36 and 16 yards in the victory at Towson.
 
MORE WEAPONS EMERGE
In addition to Dymere Miller and Assanti Kearney, Marquez McCray has a number of options to spread the ball around. TJ Speight had career-highs of six receptions for 72 yards and a 15-yard rush in the season opener and followed that effort up with another six-catch night for 30 yards in the win over Towson. Dre Tucker has a pair of touchdown receptions this season and also recovered a muffed punt on special teams against the Tigers. Gavin Nelson, Ashanti Caviness Jr. and Josh Derry each hauled in their first-career touchdowns against Lehigh, Hampton and Elon, respectively.
 
CAA IN THE POLLS
Four CAA Football teams are ranked and one other is receiving votes in the latest FCS Top 25 polls. Delaware climbed to a season-best #5 in the Stats poll and #6 in the AFCA poll after beating Hampton, 47-3. William & Mary is ranked #22 in the Stats rankings and #24 in the AFCA rankings following its 34-24 setback to Towson last week. Villanova is #19 in the Stats poll coming out of its bye week. New Hampshire moved up to #20 in the AFCA poll after defeating Stony Brook, 45-14.  Villanova (AFCA), New Hampshire (Stats) and UAlbany (Both) are among teams receiving votes.
 
MONMOUTH AGAINST THE COASTAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Monmouth is one of 15 current members of the CAA in football, with the new additions of former Big South Conference opponents Campbell (3-1) and North Carolina A&T (1-0) in 2023. The Hawks are 25-34 all-time against current CAA opponents. Monmouth has never played two teams in the conference; Richmond and William & Mary. The Hawks had three wins over Hampton (4-0) as a member of the Big South Conference, while UAlbany (6-12) and Stony Brook (6-4) were foes at times during Monmouth's time as a member of the Northeast Conference. The Hawks improved to 2-8 all-time against Towson with this season's win and are 0-1 against Elon. Bryant will join CAA Football ahead of the 2024 season and increase the league's football membership to 16.
 
THE SPECIALISTS
Monmouth has three specialists new to the lineup this season. Freshman placekicker Michael Calton Jr. is 26-for-30 on extra points, including a 7-for-7 showing against Lehigh, and has made three of six field goals, including a season-long 47-yarder in rainy conditions at Lafayette. Sophomore Luke Schabel is averaging 42.2 yards per punt with a CAA-long boot of 69 yards and junior Justin Nyers is handling long snapping duties.
 
RED ZONE SUCCESS
Monmouth is 20-for-23 in the red zone this season with 18 touchdowns and two field goals. The Hawks scored on 36-of-42 red zone trips during the 2022 season.
 
STARTING NODS
Marquez McCray started his first game for the Hawks at quarterback and was one of six Hawks to earn their first starts in a Monmouth uniform against FAU. TE Sean Fleming, LB Jake Brown, DT Bryce Rooks, DE Nick White and DB Jude Umunakwe each earned starting assignments against FAU. Dre Tucker earned his first-career start at wideout in the win at Towson. Adrian Hawkins made his first-career start at right tackle against Campbell. Against Lafayette, Justin Bennin and Kryik Mason earned their first career starting nods. Ed Gatling (C), Ashanti Caviness (TE), Logan Barnes (DT), Deuce Lee (DB) and Israel Clark-White (DB) each made their first career starts in the win over Lehigh. At Elon, Gavin Nelson started in the slot for the first time
 
MORALES MAKES HIS RETURN
Eddie Morales III missed games against Lafayette and Lehigh before returning to the starting lineup with an interception in the victory over Hampton. Morales III is now in the top 10 in program history in passes defended with 26 and his eight career interceptions are tied for seventh.
 
MCCRAY NAMED STARTING QUARTERBACK
Sacred Heart graduate transfer Marquez McCray will lead Monmouth's offense in 2023. McCray played in 32 games across four seasons and helped the Pioneers win three NEC championships before joining the Hawks ahead of the Spring 2023 semester. McCray threw for 5,002 yards on 422-of-673 passing with 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and led the NEC in passing yards with 1,973 last season. McCray threw for a season-high 333 yards in the win over Lehigh and has 14 touchdowns compared to four interceptions on the season.
 
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Mike Reid, a senior defensive back from Owings Mills, MD, collected preseason all-conference honors from the CAA, Phil Steele and The Bluebloods. Reid ended his 2022 season with 12 passes defended, 52 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception. Reid's 11 pass breakups were the fifth most in the NCAA and tied for sixth in a single season in Monmouth history. His 22 career pass breakups are tied for fifth in Monmouth history with Aaron Edwards (1997-01).
 
DOUBLE THE FUN
Jaden Shirden has run for more than 200 yards five times, including the top two performances in school history (299 vs. Fordham in 2022) and his effort against Hampton (276 yards). Shirden is tied with Pete Guerriero (2017-19), with a record five-career 200-yard rushing games.
 
SHIRDEN RISING
Monmouth's junior running back Jaden Shirden is quickly ascending up the Monmouth all-time rushing record book. Shirden entered the 2023 season at seventh in team history with 2,219 career yards. He is currently third with 3,141 yards rushing after passing Lavon Cheney, Juwon Farri and Julian Hayes. He is also tenth in team history with 22 career rushing scores following his career-best four TD day against Hampton. The last time a Hawk ran for four touchdowns in a game was Juwon Farri against Gardner-Webb on April 3, 2021.
 
THE ART OF THE RUNNING BACK
In three of the last four seasons, Monmouth has had a rusher rank first or second in the FCS in rushing yards per game. Pete Guerriero averaged 142.5 yards per game with 1,995 yards in 14 games in 2019. Juwon Farri ran for 520 yards in four games in the Spring 2021 season (130 per game). Last year Jaden Shirden averaged 156.5 yards per game with a total of 1,722 in 11 contests. Shirden is currently third in the FCS in rushing yards per game with 131.7.
 
SWEETNESS
Coming off a third-place finish in last year's voting, junior RB Jaden Shirden was named to the 2023 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List presented by FedEx Ground. The award is given annually to the top offensive player in the FCS following the regular season. Shirden's inclusion on the Payton Award Watch List is the second of his career and he is the sixth in program history to be named to the list, joining Monmouth greats David Sinisi (2008), Reggie White Jr. (2018), Pete Guerriero (2019), Kenji Bahar (2019) and Juwon Farri (2021 and 2022).
 
TAMING THE TIGERS
Monmouth's defense held Towson to 75 yards rushing, the best total since it limited Georgetown to 61 yards on Sept. 17, 2022. Monmouth had its first four sack game of the season, a feat it accomplished twice last year against Rhode Island and Stony Brook. Monmouth held Towson to 2-of-10 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down in the victory. The last time Monmouth had four sacks and four turnovers in the same game was against Gardner-Webb in 2014.
 
PRESEASON CAA PREDICTIONS
Four Monmouth football student-athletes were recognized with CAA Football Preseason accolades. Jaden Shirden earned Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as well as All-Conference Team honors at running back, while Dymere Miller claimed the All-CAA nod at wide receiver. In addition, offensive lineman Greg Anderson and defensive back Mike Reid were Honorable Mention choices. The Hawks were voted eighth out of 15 teams in the preseason poll.
 
PHIL STEELE PRESEASON ALL-CAA AWARDS
Jaden Shirden was selected as Phil Steele's CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as well as being one of three First Team honorees from Monmouth. Dymere Miller and Mike Reid claimed first team honors alongside Shirden, Greg Anderson was a second team pick, Tyrese Wright landed on the third team, while Assanti Kearney, Jake Brown and Eddie Morales III were fourth team choices. Morales III earned a fourth team nod at defensive back and punt returner. Miller led Monmouth in receptions (55), yards (820) and touchdowns (7) in 2022. Reid started all 11 games at cornerback in 2022 and finished the regular season ranked fifth in the FCS with 11 pass breakups. Anderson paved the way for Shirden's terrific season and started all 11 games at right guard. Wright played in all 11 games, including 10 starts at safety, and was third on the team with 54 tackles. Kearney finished second on the team in catches (37), yards (638) and touchdowns (7) with 10 starts in 11 games. Brown, a linebacker, joined the Hawks following a four-year career at Harvard where he was a Phil Steele All-Ivy League Third Team selection. Morales III returned for his sixth season and has previously earned all-conference recognition as a defensive back and punt returner.
 
LEADERSHIP ROLES
Five Hawks, three on offense and two on defense, are leading the Monmouth program this year as team captains. OL Greg Anderson, OL Tyler Williams, WR Dymere Miller, DB/PR Eddie Morales III and LB Ryan Moran are in leadership roles. Anderson, an All-CAA selection a year ago, has started 23 games on the offensive line. Williams started every game at center a season ago, leading the way for the CAA's top scoring offense and the nation's leading rusher. Miller is one of the most explosive wide receivers in Division I football, finishing with 820 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games last season. Morales III, a two-time captain, is in his sixth season with the Hawks after suffering a season-ending injury in 2022.The versatile defensive back has 154 tackles and eight interceptions in 46 games. Moran has started every game the last two seasons and leads the Hawks in tackles this year.
 
MILESTONE WIN
With the victory over Towson, Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan earned his 100th career conference victory. Callahan picked up his fourth win against CAA competition, combined with 27 victories in eight Big South seasons and 69 during Monmouth's time in the Northeast Conference from 1996 through 2012. Monmouth played as an independent in four seasons; 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2013.

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