Monmouth (3-3, 1-1 CAA) vs. Bryant (2-4, 0-2 CAA)
Saturday, October 19; 1:00 p.m. ET
Kessler Stadium; West Long Branch, NJ
 
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Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Emory Hunt

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Play-by-Play: Dean Heidel
Analyst: Nick Giannantonio

Ticket Information
For tickets click HERE for more information
 
Kessler Stadium Information
For information and directions click HERE

Game Promotions
Celebrate Homecoming with the Hawks. Visit monmouth.edu/homecoming for all the information on weekend festivities.      

Second Half
Monmouth returns to action at Kessler Stadium to host Bryant in a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Hawks and Bulldogs will meet for the first time as CAA foes and the first time since 2015 with Monmouth coming off its bye week.

Offensive Firepower 
Monmouth boasts the nation's top scoring offense (42.7 ppg), leads the FCS in total offense (515.7 ypg), and has the top passing attack (338.5 ypg). Derek Robertson leads the country in passing yards per game (339.5) and total offense (340), while Sone Ntoh is second in the FCS with 13 rushing touchdowns.

A Win Would ...
Be Monmouth's fourth victory and second in CAA play.
Give Monmouth its second straight homecoming win.
Improve Monmouth to 19-13 all-time after a bye week.

The Coaching Matchup
Kevin Callahan
32nd Season / 185-145
 
Chris Merritt
6th Season / 25-30
 
All-Time Series
Series Record: Monmouth leads 6-1
At Monmouth: 3-1
At Bryant: 3-0
Most Monmouth points: 40, 10/15/11
Most Bryant points: 35, 10/15/11
Most combined points: 75, 10/15/11
Biggest Monmouth win: 13, 09/20/08
Current streak: Monmouth, W2

Homecoming Numbers
Monmouth owns a 15-15 record all-time in homecoming games following a run of recent success. The Hawks have won five out of their last six games, with the lone loss in 2022, a 48-46 seven overtime thriller against Rhode Island. Monmouth has won seven homecoming games since 2013 and owns a 7-3 record since then. The Hawks biggest ever win on homecoming was the 42-point rout of Lehigh last season. 

Bye Bye, Bye Week
Overall, Monmouth has won six out of its last seven games after a bye week and six consecutive games at Kessler Stadium following a bye week. The last time the Hawks lost a home game coming off a bye week was September 25, 2010, a 35-21 setback against Old Dominion. The Hawks' best defensive performance after a week off was a 35-0 win at Saint Francis (Pa.) in 1995. Monmouth's 61-10 win over Hampton set a new record for points scored following a bye for the Blue and White. Monmouth had three bye weeks during the inaugural 1993 season, but lost all three of those contests.

Derek's Dominance
Derek Robertson has been exceptional for Monmouth this season, emerging as one of the top quarterbacks in the FCS. He currently leads the nation in passing yards per game (339.5) and ranks second in passing touchdowns with 18. Robertson is also responsible for 18.3 points per game (2nd in FCS), while his passing efficiency rating of 167.5 places him ninth nationally. Midway through the season, Robertson is on pace for the first 4,000 yard passing season in program history. He tied the program record with his 35 completions at FIU, equaling the effort by Kyle Frazier against Cornell on October 13, 2012. 

Within the CAA, Robertson is leading the conference in all major passing categories, including passing yards, touchdowns, and completions per game. His ability to consistently move the ball down the field has been crucial to Monmouth's high-powered offense, which leads the nation in total offense at 515.7 yards per game and scoring at 42.7 points per contest. He is the fastest to 2,000 passing yards in a season and Robertson occupies five of the top 12 single-game passing yard totals in Monmouth's program history.

A Ntoh for the End Zone
Running back Sone Ntoh has found the end zone 27 times in 17 career games for Monmouth. Ntoh scored once against Delaware, extending his streak of games with a touchdown to six. Ntoh has scored at least one touchdown in all but two games over the last two seasons, highlighted by his career-high five TD effort against Fordham. Ntoh's five touchdowns against the Rams equaled the program record held by David Sinisi and Ralph O'Neill. His 27 rushing touchdowns are eighth in program history. 

Hot Rod
Sophomore running back Rodney Nelson has made a big impact on the Hawks' rushing attack over the last four games. Nelson has accumulated 451 rushing yards on 67 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, with three rushing touchdowns. He racked up a career-high 128 yards rushing, including a 34-yard touchdown run against Fordham. At FIU, Nelson ran for 117 yards and scored a touchdown, including a career-long run of 59 yards. He also burst onto the scene in the win at Maine, with 91 rushing yards and another touchdown. Nelson has shown his versatility in the passing game with nine receptions for 77 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per catch. 

Debut Performance
Derek Robertson was excellent in his first game in a Monmouth uniform as he completed 27-of-42 passes and threw for three touchdowns. Robertson's 390 yards passing were the most for a Monmouth quarterback in his first start in program history. The 390-yard total was the most by a CAA passer in week one and is also tied for the sixth-most in a single game in Monmouth history with Brandon Hill, who had the same passing yardage against Lehigh in 2014. When he was the QB at Maine in 2023, Robertson set a career-high with 503 passing yards in a loss at Campbell.

Doubling Down
Derek Robertson followed up his performance in the season opener with another 350-plus yard performance against Lafayette. He totaled 355 yards, marking the first time a Monmouth quarterback has ever thrown for more than 350 yards in consecutive games. Robertson also threw four touchdown passes, all to different receivers, against the Leopards. 

Spreading the Love
Derek Robertson has distributed the ball effectively this season, connecting with a variety of Monmouth receivers. Robertson has completed double-digit passes to six different players and leading the way is Josh Derry, who has emerged as Robertson's primary target, recording 470 receiving yards and four touchdowns. TJ Speight, Tra Neal, Jack Neri, Maxwell James and Gavin Nelson have each scored multiple touchdowns. The depth of Monmouth's receiving corps has been instrumental in their ranking as the top passing offense in the FCS, at 338.5 yards per game.

Tackling Totals
Deuce Lee (12), Sam Korpoi (10) and Damir McCrary (8) each set new career highs in total tackles against Eastern Washington. Miles Mitchell added six tackles to equal his career high, while Alex Odom made eight in his Monmouth debut, giving him more than 200 career tackles after coming over from Temple with 199 stops to his name. In the Lafayette game, Emmanuel Lane led Monmouth with a career-best nine stops. Justin Bennin made a career-best seven stops in the win over Maine. Isaiah Rogers set a new career-high with 11 tackles in the Delaware game.  

Critical Conversions
Monmouth's success on third and fourth downs is a key reason for the offensive success this season. The 48.7% third-down conversion rate (38-for-78), ranks 11th in the FCS and fourth in the CAA behind William & Mary, Hampton and Delaware. Monmouth converted 11-of-15 on third downs in the win at Maine and was 7-for-12 on third down at Eastern Washington. Additionally, the team is second in the FCS with 14 fourth-down conversions, with a 66.7% success rate (14-for-21), highlighted by a 5-for-7 showing at FIU. 

CAA in the Polls
CAA Football has five teams ranked in the latest FCS Top 25 polls. Villanova is ranked #5 by the AFCA and #5 by Stats, William & Mary is #15 by the AFCA and #16 by Stats, Richmond is #15 by the AFCA and #18 by Stats, Rhode Island is #16 by Stats and #17 by the AFCA, and New Hampshire is #19 by the AFCA and #24 in the Stats poll. Stony Brook, Monmouth, and Towson also received votes in the polls.

Monmouth Against the Coastal Athletic Association
Monmouth is one of 16 current members of the CAA in football, with the new addition of former Northeast Conference opponent Bryant (6-1) in 2024. The Hawks are 33-39 all-time against current CAA opponents. The Hawks also played Stony Brook (7-4) during Monmouth's time as a member of the Northeast Conference. The Hawks are undefeated in two games against Villanova, 1-2 against Rhode Island, 1-4 against Maine and 2-8 against Towson. Monmouth does not have wins against Delaware (0-3) and New Hampshire (0-2). 

Campbell Trophy Semifinalist 
Jack Neri has been a reliable target for Derek Robertson this season, catching 15 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Neri set new career highs with five receptions for 44 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown grab against Eastern Washington. He followed up with four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown at Maine and added four receptions for 37 yards in the win at FIU. Neri was recently named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, an award given to the college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.

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