Monmouth (3-5, 2-3 CAA) vs. Stony Brook (0-8, 0-6 CAA)
Saturday, November 4, 2023; 1:00 p.m.
Kessler Stadium (4,200), West Long Branch, NJ
 
Television/Streaming Video
FloSports
NBC Sports Philadelphia / SNY (Tape Delay)
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Brandon London
 
Ticket Information
For tickets click HERE for more information
 
Kessler Stadium Information
For information and directions click HERE
                           
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS
Celebrate Family Weekend and Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Day during Saturday's game. Season ticket holders can claim their free gift at the Austin Family Box Office.
 
BEER GARDEN OPENS
Saturday's game is the first opportunity to for fans 21+ to try Bradley Brew Project's new Monmouth University inspired 1933 Great Hall IPA in Kessler Stadium's Beer Garden.  

OPENING KICKOFF
Monmouth is looking to bounce back from a disappointing three-point loss at nationally ranked William & Mary. The Hawks have lost back-to-back games to CAA teams, while Stony Brook is without a victory in their last 10 games dating back to 2022.
 
CLOSE CALLS
Monmouth has suffered a number of close losses this season, with three of its five losses coming on the road in one-possession games. The Hawks have lost their last two contests by a total of five points and two of their losses have come on the road to teams currently ranked (Lafayette and William & Mary).
 
A WIN WOULD
A win would give the Hawks their fourth win of the season and move the team to 4-5 overall. Monmouth is looking to win its second straight game against Stony Brook. The Hawks are in pursuit of their third CAA victory of the year. A victory would improve Monmouth to 3-1 at home this season and be their third straight win at Kessler Stadium.

THE COACHING MATCHUP
Kevin Callahan
31st Season / 181-140
 
Chuck Priore
24th Season / 136-108
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Series Record Monmouth leads 6-4
At Monmouth 3-2
At Stony Brook 3-2
Most Monmouth points 36, 10/1/05
Most Stony Brook points 36, 9/30/06
Most combined points 53, 9/30/06
Biggest Monmouth win 29 points, 36-7, 10/1/05
Current streak Monmouth, W1
 
DOUBLE THE FUN
Jaden Shirden has run for more than 200 yards six times, including the top three performances in school history. Last season he ran for 299 yards against Fordham, he had 276 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Hampton and had a 251-yard game at William & Mary. Pete Guerriero (2017-19) previously held the record with five-career 200-yard rushing games. The FCS record for 200-yard games is 13, held by Sacramento State's Charles Roberts (1997-2000).
 
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 3,392 yards rushing after passing Lavon Cheney, Juwon Farri and Julian Hayes. He is also tied for eighth in team history with 24 career rushing scores following his two TD performance last week.
 
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 leading the FCS in rushing yards per game with 146.6.
 
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 and he has two of the eight 250+ yard performances. 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.
 
MILLER TIME
Dymere Miller is having a historic 2023 season with 63 receptions for 760 yards and six touchdowns. His 63 catches are eighth on Monmouth's single-season receptions list. Miller leads the CAA and is third in the FCS in receptions per game (7.9), while his 94.8 yards per game lead the CAA and are sixth 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 (141), tied for seventh in touchdowns (14) and is eighth in yards (1,854) and is the fifth Hawk with eight career 100-yard games.
 
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 +7.88 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.
 
SHORT AND LONG YARDAGE BACK
Sone Ntoh is second in the CAA and is tied for third in the FCS in rushing touchdowns with 12 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 340 yards on 43 carries this season, good for 7.9 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. Last week against William & Mary, Brown led the Hawks with 12 tackles and is second on the team this year with 44 stops, despite only playing six games.
 
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 25 consecutive games, the longest active starting streak on the team and leads the team in tackles this season with 51.
 
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 two others are receiving votes in the latest FCS Top 25 polls. Delaware remained at #5 in the Stats poll and #6 in the AFCA poll after beating Towson, 51-13. Villanova is #17 in the Stats poll and #22 in the AFCA poll following a big win over Stony Brook. William & Mary is ranked #24 in both rankings following its last second win over Monmouth. UAlbany moved up to #23 in the Stats poll after defeating Maine, 37-21.  Richmond (Stats), New Hampshire (AFCA) are the two 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 25-35 all-time against current CAA opponents. Monmouth has never played Richmond. 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 and William & Mary. Bryant will join CAA Football ahead of the 2024 season and increase the league's football membership to 16.
 
TICKETS FOR MONMOUTH HOME GAMES ON SALE NOW!
Group tickets and individual single-game tickets are on sale now for Monmouth's home contests in 2023 Visit MonmouthHawks.com/Tickets for more information
 
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