Monmouth (1-2, 1-0 CAA) at FIU (1-2, 0-0 CUSA)
Saturday, September 21; 6:00 p.m. ET
Pitbull Stadium; Miami, FL
 
WATCH
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Steve Goldstein                                     
Analyst: Corey Brooks
 
LISTEN
MonmouthHawks.com
Play-by-Play: Gary Kowal
Analyst: Bob Lampinen
 
Ticket Information
For tickets click HERE for more information
 
Pitbull Stadium Information
For information and directions click HERE
                           
Road Trippin' 
Monmouth is playing its third road game in the first four weeks and its final game away from Kessler Stadium until November. The Hawks will have traveled 3,682 air miles after flights to Eastern Washington and Maine.
 
Familiarity with Conference USA
FIU will be the fourth Conference USA program Monmouth has played during its history, but it will be the first matchup with a team as a current CUSA member. Monmouth played Kennesaw State (2-5), Liberty (2-3) and Sam Houston (0-1) during their tenures as FCS programs.  
 
A Win Would ...
Be Monmouth's first-ever victory against a FBS program (0-6).
Be Monmouth's second consecutive road win.
Give Monmouth a 2-1 record all-time in the state of Florida (loss at FAU in 2023; win at Jacksonville in 2000).
 
The Coaching Matchup
Kevin Callahan
32nd Season / 183-144
 
Mike MacIntyre
12th Season, Third at FIU / 55-83, 9-18
 
All-Time Series
Series Record: First Meeting

Scary Derry
Sophomore wide receiver Josh Derry was honored by the Coastal Athletic Association as its Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Derry was pivotal to Monmouth's offensive success in the Hawks' 51-22 victory over Maine, recording seven catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns. His 56-yard touchdown in the third quarter extended the Hawks' lead, while his program-record 94-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth helped seal the CAA win. Derry hauled in the 94-yarder down the left sideline from Derek Robertson and eclipsed Zach Tredway's previous record 92-yard TD catch against Kennesaw State on Nov. 2, 2019. His totals on Saturday were all new career highs and his 227 yards were the second-most by an FCS receiver in a game this season and ranked fourth in school history. On the year Derry has 16 grabs for 362 yards and four touchdowns. He is second in the FCS in receiving yards and is tied for second with his four touchdowns. Derry was also an Honorable Mention selection for the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week award and earned a helmet sticker from Joey Galloway on ESPN's College Football Final.
 
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 with 1,135, and he ranks first in passing touchdowns with 11. Robertson is also responsible for 66 points, while his passing efficiency rating of 174.2 places him sixth nationally. Robertson is averaging 378.3 yards per game through the air.
 
Within the CAA, Robertson is leading the conference in all major passing categories, including passing yards, touchdowns, and efficiency. His ability to consistently move the ball down the field has been crucial to Monmouth's high-powered offense, which ranks second in the nation in total offense at exactly 500 yards per game. Robertson's 390  yards and four touchdowns in the win over Maine ranked tied for sixth in a single-game in Monmouth history. His 1,135 yards are the most ever for a Monmouth QB over a three-game stretch and Robertson occupies three of the top 10 single-game passing yard totals through his first three performances in a Monmouth uniform.
 
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. 
 
A Ntoh for the End Zone
Running back Sone Ntoh found the end zone for the 18th time in 14 career games for Monmouth with his two scores in the win at Maine. Ntoh has scored at least one touchdown in all but two games over the last two seasons. His 18 rushing touchdowns are tied for 11th in the Monmouth career record book alongside Owen Wright. Ntoh needs five touchdowns to crack the top 10 in program history.
 
Spreading the Love
Derek Robertson has distributed the ball effectively this season, connecting with a variety of Monmouth receivers. Robertson has completed at least eight passes to six different players and leading the way is Josh Derry, who has emerged as Robertson's primary target, recording 362 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Maxwell James and Jack Neri had each scored two touchdowns. In addition, Tra Neal, TJ Speight and Gavin Nelson have played pivotal roles, with Neal catching 12 balls and one TD, Speight scoring an 89-yard TD against Lafayette and Nelson totaling 135 total yards this season. The depth of Monmouth's receiving corps has been instrumental in their ranking as the second-best passing offense in the FCS, at 378.3 yards per game.
 
Tackling Totals
Deuce Lee (12), Sam Korpoi (10), Damir McCrary (8) and Isaiah Rogers (7) 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.

Critical Conversions
Monmouth's dominance on third and fourth downs is a key reason for the offensive success this season. The 60.5% third-down conversion rate (23-for-38), the best in the FCS, has been driven by consistent performances in critical situations. 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 ranks 16th in the FCS on fourth-down conversions with a 75% success rate (6-for-8), highlighted by five straight conversions over the last two games.
 
Disciplined Football
Monmouth leads the FCS in fewest penalty yards with 65 on the season, averaging just 21.67 penalty yards per game, and has been penalized only 10 times across three games, the best in the CAA. The Hawks are tied with Samford and Texas Southern with 65 total penalty yards against, and their best game was the opener at Eastern Washington when they were penalized once for five yards. 
 
CAA in the Polls
CAA Football has 11 teams ranked or receiving votes in the latest FCS Top 25 polls. Villanova is ranked #5 in both the Stats Perform and AFCA polls, while William & Mary is ranked #12 in the Stats poll and #13 in the AFCA poll. UAlbany is ranked #20 in the Stats poll and #22 in the AFCA poll, and Elon, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Richmond are receiving votes in both polls. Additionally, Campbell and Towson received votes in the Stats poll, while Monmouth and Stony Brook received votes in the AFCA poll.
 
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 33-38 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 is looking for its first wins opposite Delaware (0-2) and New Hampshire (0-2). 
 
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 last week at Maine and travels to Miami for an FBS game at FIU this week.
 
Shrine Bowl 1000
Running back Sone Ntoh was selected to the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 List during the preseason. The list is compiled from all four levels of football in consultation with NFL and college personnel to put together the best 1000 players for the NFL level. Ntoh was one of 14 players from the Coastal Athletic Association recognized and his inclusion came following Jaden Shirden's invitation to the 2024 Shrine Bowl as Monmouth's first-ever participant. Ntoh is in his final season of eligibility after playing three seasons and graduating from Harvard in 2023. The running back made a big impact in Monmouth's backfield last year alongside Shirden. In his first season as a Hawk, Ntoh finished the regular season tied for the CAA lead with 14 rushing touchdowns. The Macungie, Pa. native earned Second Team All-CAA and Phil Steele Fourth Team FCS All-America honors after tallying 411 yards on 56 carries in 2023. Ntoh shined in a role that saw him as the primary back in short-yardage situations, though was able to flash his speed on a career-long 92-yard touchdown run versus Lehigh on Sept. 30 – the second-longest run in the CAA in 2023.

Robertson Named Starting Quarterback
Maine transfer quarterback Derek Robertson was named the program's starting quarterback at the end of spring practice. Robertson, a familiar name in the CAA, went 258-for-404 through the air in 2023 and totaled 2,933 yards passing with 25 touchdowns in 11 games at Maine. The signal caller transferred to Monmouth ahead of the spring semester and his 266.6 passing yards per game ranked third in the conference a year ago. Robertson was voted an All-CAA Honorable Mention choice following the season and came to Monmouth with two years of eligibility after competing in 21 career games for the Black Bears. Robertson is the younger brother of Monmouth Quarterbacks Coach Jimmy Robertson and is being backed up this season by Frankie Savino.
 
Robertson's Wideout Weapons
After the departure of Dymere Miller (Rutgers) and Assanti Kearney (graduation), a new-look wide receiver room features a combination of Josh Derry, Maxwell James, Gavin Nelson, TJ Speight, Will Silverman and Tra Neal. Coming into the season, only Nelson had starting experience after he made two during the 2023 season and contributed six receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. Derry had three grabs for 36 yards and a score as a true freshman, while Speight has the most experience with 21 career receptions for 202 yards. James had 24 catches for 398 yards and five touchdowns at Lackawanna College in 2023 after playing seven games at JMU in 2022.

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