Monmouth (4-3, 2-1 CAA) vs. Towson (3-4, 1-2 CAA)
Saturday, October 26; 1:00 p.m. ET
Kessler Stadium; West Long Branch, NJ
 
Watch
FloFootball
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Emory Hunt

Listen
WMCX 88.9 FM
Play-by-Play: Nick Giannantonio
Analyst: Dean Heidel

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

Game Promotions
Celebrate Halloween with the Hawks! The pregame Trunk-or-Treat begins at 11:30 in the Kessler Stadium driveway and all participants will receive a free ticket to the game.

Celebrate Monmouth's Allie Wilson '18, '19M following her performance at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Allie will sign autographs and take photos with fans throughout the game. 

The Beer Garden returns in the east end zone and opens two hours prior to kickoff. Fans must be 21+ to enter and have a game ticket.

League Play Heats Up
Monmouth closes its four-game home stand with a critical CAA matchup against Towson. The Hawks and Tigers will meet in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Kessler Stadium on FloFootball.

Offensive Firepower 
Monmouth boasts the nation's top scoring offense (44.4 ppg), leads the FCS in total offense (525.4 ypg), and has the top passing attack (326.7 ypg). Derek Robertson leads the country in passing yards per game (324.9) and is second with 20 passing touchdowns, while Sone Ntoh leads the FCS with 17 rushing touchdowns.

A Win Would ...
Be Monmouth's fifth victory and third in CAA play.
Give the Hawks back-to-back wins.
Be Monmouth's second straight against Towson and first against the Tigers at Kessler Stadium.

The Coaching Matchup
Kevin Callahan
32nd Season / 186-145
 
Pete Shinnick
22nd Season / 167-76
 
All-Time Series
Series Record: Towson leads 8-2
At Monmouth: 0-5
At Towson: 2-3
Most Monmouth points: 48, 10/29/22
Most Towson points: 52, 10/29/22
Most combined points: 100, 10/29/22
Biggest Monmouth win: 19, 9/9/23
Current streak: Monmouth, W1

50, 50, 50
Monmouth has scored 50-plus points in three games this season, marking the first time the team has accomplished that feat since 2018 and the third time ever, joining the 2014 squad. No Monmouth team has ever scored more than 50 points in a game four times. On the year, Monmouth is averaging 44.4 points per game, with the program record sitting at 36.4 points per game set in 2022.

In their four wins, the Hawks have outscored their opponents 211-102. Over their last five games, Monmouth has a positive scoring margin of 102 points (246-144). Overall, Monmouth has scored 311 points, while surrendering 226 points. 

Defense Rising
Monmouth's defense has steadily improved throughout the season and turned in its best performance of the year in the win over Bryant. The Hawks held Bryant to a season-low 17 points and set new season-highs in sacks (3), tackles for loss (6) and interceptions (2). It was the first time Monmouth had three sacks and two picks in the same game since it had four sacks and two interceptions at Towson last season.

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 (324.9) and ranks second in passing touchdowns with 20. Robertson is also responsible for 17.4 points per game (4th in FCS), while his passing efficiency rating of 167.5 places him eighth nationally. 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 525.4 yards per game, passing offense (326.7) and scoring at 44.4 points per contest. Robertson became the fastest Monmouth QB to 2,000 passing yards in a season when he did it in six games and he 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 31 times in 18 career games for Monmouth. Ntoh scored four times against Bryant, extending his streak of games with a touchdown to seven. 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 31 rushing touchdowns are fourth in program history. 

Hot Rod
Sophomore running back Rodney Nelson has made a big impact on the Hawks' rushing attack over the last five games. Nelson has accumulated 513 rushing yards on 71 carries during the stretch that has seen Monmouth win four of five. Nelson is averaging 7.2 yards per carry, with three rushing touchdowns, and 102.6 yards per game. 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. Last week, Nelson led the Hawks with 101 yards on 16 carries in a convincing win over Bryant. 

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 seven different players. Leading the way is Josh Derry, who has emerged as Robertson's primary target, recording 553 receiving yards and four touchdowns. TJ Speight, Tra Neal, Jack Neri, Maxwell James and Gavin Nelson have also each scored multiple touchdowns. The depth of Monmouth's receivers has been instrumental in its ranking as the top passing offense in the FCS, at 326.7 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.  Israel Clark-White turned in a new personal high with seven tackles in the victory over Bryant.

Critical Conversions
Monmouth's success on third and fourth downs is a key reason for the offensive success this season. The 49.4% third-down conversion rate (43-for-87), ranks eighth in the FCS and third in the CAA behind William & Mary, and Hampton. Monmouth converted a season-best 11-of-15 third downs in the win at Maine. Additionally, the team is tied for first in the FCS with 15 fourth-down conversions, with a 68.2% success rate (15-for-22), highlighted by a 5-for-7 showing at FIU. 

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. 

CAA in the Polls
CAA Football has five teams ranked in the latest FCS Top 25 polls. Villanova is ranked #14 by the AFCA and #13 by Stats, William & Mary is #15 by the AFCA and #16 by Stats, Richmond is #13 by the AFCA and #18 by Stats, Rhode Island is #15 by Stats and #16 by the AFCA, and Stony Brook is #24 by the AFCA and receiving votes in the Stats poll. Monmouth, New Hampshire, and Maine 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 (7-1) in 2024. The Hawks are 34-39 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 17 passes for 155 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.

Strong Start
Monmouth opened the season with two opponents in the national FCS conversation. Eastern Washington was receiving votes in both the AFCA Coaches Poll presented by Hudl and Craig Haley's The Analyst FCS Poll, while Lafayette was ranked No. 19 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 19 in Haley's Poll. Monmouth opened CAA play on the road at Maine and traveled to Miami for an FBS game at FIU, a game the Hawks won 45-42 in thrilling fashion. Of the teams eligible for Top 25 consideration, Fordham and Bryant are the only two teams on Monmouth's schedule who have not earned a vote this year.

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