WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University football program hosted its annual Blue/White Open Scrimmage and signed autographs for fans in attendance as it continued to prepare for its August 29 season-opening game at Eastern Washington.

The Hawks ran 99 total plays and worked on live game, red zone, goal line and special teams situations. A majority of the day was dictated by the defensive unit under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Lewis Walker.

Head Coach Kevin Callahan, who is entering his 32nd season on the sidelines, also met with the media following the game and shared his thoughts on the Hawks to this point in camp.

"There was good give and take out here today," Callahan said. "There was great competition out here and guys really got after it and it was back and forth at times. We limited the play count in certain situations and ended a couple series down at the 15-yard line that might have taken some scoring opportunities away from the offense. Credit to the defense, they bounced back, made some big plays with a turnover for a score and a fourth down stop on the goal line. Those are the things that build confidence and show you are headed in the right direction."

"The offense had a very good scrimmage the last time we played," graduate transfer safety Alex Odom said. "Today we came out with a high intensity level, Dana Johnson Jr. had a nice tackle for loss and early on and everyone fed off of that and that is what led to my pick six. It was great to see and it was good on our end to know that we can do it. Everyone believes in it, but once you see it happen, it brings a different type of confidence."

Drive-by-Drive Highlights 
The opening series began with a nice pickup by Makhi Green out of the backfield on a swing pass from starting quarterback Derek Robertson for a gain of 20 yards. A Miles Mitchell tackle for loss helped set up a fourth and short that was converted by Josh Derry on a push pass before Deuce Lee broke up a pass intended for Derry down the seam. The drive stalled and the defense forced a missed 45-yard field goal to keep the offense off the board.

Frankie Savino came in to lead the offense on the next possession and connected with freshman tight end Chase Wilkens on back-to-back plays. A completion to Max James moved the offense inside the red zone before a blocked 25-yard field goal attempt by graduate transfer Tyler Alston ended the series. 

The defense continued to shine when safety Alex Odom jumped Robertson's pass along the sideline and returned it for a touchdown. That play was followed up by another three-and-out as stops by Ryan Alexander and a tackle for loss by Remi Johnson stopped the offense in its tracks. With Zack Hios in at quarterback for the first time, a run by Lawrence Hunter picked up 10 and a fresh set of downs before Brendan Bigos got in the backfield for a sack three plays later. The next drive featured a tackle for loss by true freshman Willy Love and a pass breakup on third down by safety Justin Bennin. 

Monmouth's offense started to move the ball on its next drive. Jamir Barnes picked up 11 yards on a first-down run, Robertson hit TJ Speight to bring the Hawks to midfield and a penalty moved the white jerseys to the 33-yard line. Following a nice play by Odom to break up a pass, James secured a Robertson pass for a 20-yard pickup. The Hawks had a first-and-goal opportunity a few plays later, but ultimately Sone Ntoh was stopped short of the goal line on fourth and one by Israel Clark-White and Johnson.

A pass breakup by K-Shawn Schulters and a Connor Farrell sack gave the defense two more stops before the team started to get in some work in the two-minute drill.  

A completion to Rodney Nelson moved the ball out to the 46-yard line prior to Robertson finding James for 15 yards with 18 seconds remaining. Robertson then scrambled down to the 32-yard line with 12 seconds left to set up a successful 49-yard field goal by Luke Schabel as time expired in the drive. 

The defense responded with sacks by a pair of true freshmen, Sebastien Acheampong and Avery Barnes, on back-to-back possessions. 

The Hawks moved on to work on their red zone possessions. A 10-yard pass to Gavin Nelson set up first and goal before John England broke up a pass that set up a short successful field goal by Michael Calton Jr. Freshman running back Elijah Jennings scored on a 19-yard touchdown run that included a couple broken tackles before Marcus Middleton punched in a score from on the next red zone series.

Up Next
Monmouth returns to practice on Monday morning and will begin to prepare for Eastern Washington later next week. The Hawks will open the season in Cheney, Wash. on Thursday, August 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.