Monmouth (4-5, 2-3 CAA) at New Hampshire (5-4, 3-2 CAA)
Saturday, November 9; 1:00 p.m. ET
Wildcat Stadium; Durham, NH
 
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Setting the Stage
Monmouth is back on the road this Saturday for a CAA tilt at New Hampshire. The Hawks are coming off a narrow loss to No. 14 Rhode Island, while UNH is looking for consecutive wins after a 17-point victory at UAlbany.

Record Watch
Sone Ntoh is two rushing touchdowns shy of equaling the single-season program record set by David Sinisi in 2008.
Derek Robertson is seven passing touchdowns short of the single-season mark and 839 yards away from Kenji Bahar's record setting 2019 campaign. 

A Win Would ...
Be Monmouth's fifth victory and third in CAA play.
Give the Hawks their first ever win against Rhode Island.
Improve Monmouth to .500 overall and 3-2 on the road this season.

The Coaching Matchup
Kevin Callahan
32nd Season / 186-147
 
Rick Santos
4th Season / 26-18
 
All-Time Series
Series Record: UNH leads 2-0
At Monmouth: 0-1
At New Hampshire: 0-1
Most Monmouth points: 24, 11/11/23
Most New Hampshire points: 31, twice
Most combined points: 55, 11/11/23
Biggest Monmouth win: N/A
Current streak: New Hampshire, W2

50 Piece
Monmouth has scored 50-plus points three times 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, MU is averaging 39.2 points per game, with the program record sitting at 36.4 points per game set in 2022. The 63 points Monmouth scored against Fordham are the most for a CAA team in a game this season and only two other CAA teams have scored more than 50 points in a game this year.

In their four wins, the Hawks have outscored their opponents 211-102. Over the last seven games, Monmouth has a positive scoring margin of 81 points (288-207). Overall, Monmouth has scored 353 points, while surrendering 289 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. Against Rhode Island, Monmouth's defense forced a season-high three turnovers, two interceptions and a fumble recovery, as well as a turnover on downs.

Derek's Dominance
Derek Robertson has been exceptional for Monmouth this season, emerging as one of the top quarterbacks in the FCS. He currently is third in the nation in passing yards per game (316.1) and ranks third in passing touchdowns with 23. Robertson is also responsible for 16.9 points per game (5th in FCS), while his passing efficiency rating of 155.8 places him 16th nationally. Robertson is within reach of 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 most major passing categories, including passing yards and touchdowns. His ability to consistently move the ball down the field has been crucial to Monmouth's high-powered offense, which leads the league in total offense at 486 yards per game, passing offense (317.6) and scoring at 39.2 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 34 times in 20 career games for Monmouth. Ntoh scored twice against Rhode Island to extend his streak of games with a touchdown to nine. 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 34 rushing touchdowns are third in program history. 

Hot Rod
Sophomore running back Rodney Nelson has made a big impact on the Hawks' rushing attack this season. Nelson has accumulated 635 rushing yards on 105 carries, good for 6.1 yards per carry, with three rushing touchdowns, and 70.5 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. 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 eight different players. Leading the way is Josh Derry, who has emerged as Robertson's primary target, recording 702 receiving yards and four touchdowns. TJ Speight and Tra Neal lead the Hawks with five touchdowns each, while 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 CAA and third in the FCS, at 317.6 yards per game.

Tackling Totals
Justin Bennin made a career-best 14 stops against Towson, the most for a Monmouth player in a game this year. Deuce Lee (12), Sam Korpoi (10) and Damir McCrary (8) each set new career highs in total tackles against Eastern Washington, with Korpoi equaling that effort against Towson. Miles Mitchell added six tackles at EWU 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. Isaiah Rogers set a new career-high with 11 tackles in the Delaware contest.  Israel Clark-White turned in a new personal high with seven tackles in the victory over Bryant, while Charlie Sasso (8) and Jaden Jones (7) each had career-highs at Rhode Island.

First Impressions
Monmouth freshmen have made an impact on defense this season. Linebacker Willy Love has played in every game for the Hawks and has 19 tackles to this point. In the secondary, Jaeden Jones made the most of his first extended action with a seven-tackle performance at Rhode Island and he blocked a field goal in the game. On special teams, Destin Hill made three tackles in his debut against the Rams. Hunter Watson and Sebastian Achempong have also seen limited action on the defensive line.

Campbell Trophy Semifinalist 
Jack Neri has been a reliable target for Derek Robertson this season, catching 26 passes for 208 yards and four touchdowns. Neri hauled in 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 set new career-highs at Rhode Island with eight catches for 50 yards and a score. 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.

CAA in the Polls
CAA Football has five teams ranked in the latest FCS Top 25 polls. Rhode Island is ranked #10 by the AFCA and #11 by Stats, Richmond is #9 by the AFCA and #13 by Stats, Villanova is #11 in the coaches polls and #12 in the media poll, Stony Brook is #17 in Stats and #18 in the AFCA, while William & Mary moved up to #20 in the Stats poll and #21 in the AFCA rankings. 

Critical Conversions
Monmouth's success on third and fourth downs is a key reason for the offensive success this season. The 46.5% third-down conversion rate (53-for-114), ranks 17th in the FCS and third in the CAA. 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 20 fourth-down conversions, with a 64.5% success rate (20-for-31), 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. 

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 34-41 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, 1-3 against Rhode Island, 1-4 against Maine and 2-9 against Towson. Monmouth does not have wins against Delaware (0-3) and New Hampshire (0-2). 

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