Monmouth (0-1, 0-0 CAA) vs. Lafayette (0-1, 0-0 Patriot)
Saturday, September 7; 12:00 p.m. ET
Kessler Stadium; West Long Branch, N.J.
 
WATCH
SNY / NBCSP+ / FloSports
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon
Analyst: Emory Hunt
 
LISTEN
WMCX 88.9 FM
Play-by-Play: Dan Yeserski
Analyst: Nick Giannantonio

Ticket Information
For tickets click HERE for more information
 
Kessler Stadium Information
For information and directions click HERE
                           
Game Promotions
Join us for the season opener with the kickoff to local summer party and youth football day. Be sure to arrive early for face painting, balloon twisting, a photo booth and local summer themed giveaways! The first 200 fans will receive a Monmouth mini beach ball or limited edition Hawks beach badge t-shirt.

Home Opener
Saturday's game is the home opener for Monmouth after it began the season with a loss at Eastern Washington. Lafayette started its year on the road at Buffalo and suffered a 30-13 setback. 

Preseason Predictions
Monmouth is coming off a 4-7 season in 2023 and was picked to finish 10th in the CAA Preseason Poll. Lafayette won the Patriot League last year and was a unanimous pick to repeat as champions in the league's preseason poll.

A Win Would ...
Give the Hawks their first victory in a home opener since the Spring 2021 season (35-17 over Charleston Southern).
Improve the Hawks to 4-2 all-time against Lafayette and 3-0 at Kessler Stadium. 
Be Monmouth's first over a ranked opponent since it defeated No. 9/10 Villanova 49-42 on September 24, 2022.
Be Monmouth's sixth victory over a ranked team in program history (5-20 all-time).

The Coaching Matchup
Kevin Callahan
32nd Season / 182-143
 
John Troxell
18th Season, 3rd at Lafayette / 105-78, 13-11
 
All-Time Series
Series Record: Monmouth leads 3-2
At Monmouth: 2-0
At Lafayette: 1-2
Most Monmouth points: 31, 9/2/17
Most Lafayette points: 30, 9/7/02
Most combined points: 59, 9/7/02
Biggest Monmouth win: 31-12, 9/2/17
Current streak: Lafayette, W1

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. For Maine in 2023, Robertson set a career-high with 503 passing yards in a loss at Campbell.

Ntoh Scores … Again
Running back Sone Ntoh found the end zone for the 15th time in 12 career games for Monmouth against Eastern Washington. Ntoh has scored at least one touchdown in all but two games for the Hawks, one of which was at Lafayette last season. His 15 rushing touchdowns rank 13th in the Monmouth career record book.

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. Justin Bennin and Miles Mitchell each added six tackles to equal their career highs, while Alex Odom made eight in his Monmouth debut, giving him 207 career tackles after coming over from Temple with 199 stops to his name.

Strong Start
Monmouth is opening the season with two opponents in the national FCS conversation. Eastern Washington is receiving votes in both the AFCA Coaches Poll presented by Hudl and Craig Haley's The Analyst FCS Poll, while Lafayette is ranked No. 19 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 19 in Haley's Poll. Lafayette opened its season with an FBS game at Buffalo, but fell by a 30-13 final score. In week three, Monmouth opens CAA play on the road at Maine next week and then travels to Miami for an FBS game at FIU.

Phil Steele Honors Three Hawks
TJ Speight, Sone Ntoh and Derek Robertson, were honored by Phil Steele on the 2024 FCS Preseason All-America and All-CAA teams. Speight headlined the list with an All-America nod at kick returner and he was joined on the All-CAA First Team alongside Ntoh. In addition, Robertson garnered All-CAA Fourth Team honors.

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 will be 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.

Senior Bowl Watch List
Monmouth junior defensive lineman Miles Mitchell was named to the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List. This year's Senior Bowl Watch List included an all-time record 859 prospects. The total number was up significantly from past years due to the new addition of specialists and underclassmen. Mitchell has been a familiar face on the Monmouth defensive line and has played in 22 games, including 12 starts. Mitchell has totaled 56 tackles, including 36 solo stops, nine tackles for loss and two sacks in his career for the Hawks. He has one year of eligibility remaining after this season and was one of 10 CAA student-athletes on the list and one of 81 underclassmen included. 

Preseason Punter of the Year Watch List
Junior Luke Schabel was named to the Augusta Sports Council's preseason watch list for the 2024 FCS Punter of the Year award. Schabel was one of 12 student-athletes recognized and four of the honorees were CAA punters. The Augusta Sports Council, also home to the Ray Guy Award, created the FCS Punter of the Year Award in 2019 to honor the best collegiate punter playing in the FCS. The 2023 season was Schabel's first in West Long Branch after transferring in from Incarnate Word. Schabel, a native of Landing, N.J., punted 40 times for an average of 40.4 yards per punt last season. Six punts landed inside the opposition 20-yard line, while six went for 50-plus yards, including a season-best 69-yard boot against Lafayette.

Impact Transfers
Monmouth welcomed the addition of several impact players from the transfer portal for the 2024 season. The defensive line features three new graduate students in Tyler Alson (Bucknell), Joel Parker (Kennesaw State) and Joe Loiseau (Gannon). In the defensive backfield Alex Odom (Temple) will play a key role at safety and the Hawks also added two more grad students in K-Shawn Schulters (Villanova) and Coleon Williams (Delaware State). Offensively, quarterback Derek Robertson (Maine) and junior wide receiver Maxwell James (Lackawanna / JMU) have a strong outside connection, while graduate offensive lineman Logan Bednar came to Monmouth from Harvard where he was an All-Ivy League selection. 

Leadership Roles
Seven student-athletes were named team captains for the 2024 season. Justin Bennin, Ed Gatling, Remi Johnson, Ryan Moran, Sone Ntoh, Derek Robertson and Frankie Savino will hold leadership roles this year. The group will rotate each week as four players will serve as game captains for each matchup. Moran's appointment as captain marks his second consecutive season as a team leader and is one three defensive players named, along with fellow linebacker Johnson, and Bennin from the defensive backfield. On offense, Gatling represents the offensive line, with Ntoh leading the running backs and a pair of quarterbacks in Robertson and Savino directing from the quarterback room. 

Preseason CAA Predictions
Derek Robertson and TJ Speight were recognized with Preseason All-CAA accolades earning Preseason Honorable Mention nods. In addition to Robertson and Speight being named All-Conference Honorable Mention, Monmouth was picked 10th in the league's annual preseason coaches poll.

CAA in the Polls
Six CAA teams are recognized in the AFCA Coaches Poll presented by Hudl and The Analyst FCS Polls. The Coaches Poll had four ranked teams with Villanova at #6, followed by UAlbany at #13, William & Mary at #14, and Richmond at #15. Elon and Rhode Island are among other teams receiving votes. Craig Haley, FCS Senior Editor for Stats Perform and the Analyst, has four CAA teams in his Top 25. Villanova tops the list at #5, followed by #13 William & Mary, #14 Richmond, and #16 UAlbany. 

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 32-38 all-time against current CAA opponents. The Hawks had three wins over Hampton (4-0) as a member of the Big South Conference, while UAlbany (6-13) and Stony Brook (7-4) were foes at times during Monmouth's time as a member of the Northeast Conference. The Hawks are 2-8 all-time against Towson and are winless against New Hampshire (0-2), Elon (0-1) and William & Mary (0-1). 

Offensive Firepower
Monmouth scored at least 45 points in five games during the 2023 season, the most since 2019 when it had six games with 45 or more points. The Hawks averaged 32.5 points per game and 431.5 yards of total offense in 2023, both of which were top 15 in the FCS for the second consecutive season. 

The Specialists
Monmouth's specialists all returned for 2024. Sophomore placekicker Michael Calton Jr. was 26 for 31 on extra points and 3-for-6 on field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards. Vincenzo Rea has 20 career touchbacks in 93 kickoff attempts in his career, with a 29-for-31 conversion rate on extra points. Long snapper Justin Nyers is back for 2024 as well as starting punter Luke Schabel, who averages better than 40 yards per punt in his career.

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