2025 Monmouth Football Gameday Preview: Game Five
 
No. 12/14 Monmouth (3-1, 1-0 CAA) vs. Delaware State (3-2, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, October 4, 2025 – 1:00 p.m.
Kessler Stadium, West Long Branch, NJ
 
Please find PDF of full notes attached.
 
Watch
FloCollege / NBC Sports Philadelphia / SNY
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon
Analyst: Emory Hunt
Sideline: Brandon London

Listen
WMCX 88.9 FM
Play-by-Play: Dean Heidel
Analyst: John Grano
 
Tickets and Parking Information
Click HERE to buy tickets and HERE to buy parking

Kessler Stadium Information
For venue information HERE
 
Game Promotions
Celebrate Community Day with the Hawks

Delaware State Comes to Town
Head Coach DeSean Jackson and Delaware State make the trip to West Long Branch to take on #12/14 Monmouth on Saturday, October 4. These two squads last met in 2016, and Monmouth has won both all-time meetings by an average margin of 22.5 points.
 
A Farewell to the 'Cats
#18/21 Monmouth defeated #12/11 Villanova, 51-33, in front of a soldout Kessler Stadium on September 20. The Hawks are 4-0 all-time against the Wildcats, sending the Pennsylvania squad on their way to the Patriot League without a win versus the Hawks in CAA competition (0-3).
 
A Win Would ...
- Be Monmouth's first 4-1 start since 2017.
- Make MU 20-13 all-time following a bye week.
- Be Head Coach Kevin Callahan's 192nd career victory.

The Coaching Matchup
Kevin Callahan
33^rd Season / 191-149
 
DeSean Jackson
1^st Season / 3-2
 
All-Time Series
Series Record: Monmouth leads 2-0
at Monmouth: Monmouth leads 1-0
at Delaware State: Monmouth leads 1-0
Most Monmouth points: 52, 8/30/14
Most Delaware State points: 21, 8/30/14
Most combined points: 73, 8/30/14
Biggest Monmouth win: 31, 8/30/14
Current streak: Monmouth, W2
 
Sellout Crowd Fuels Statement Win
Monmouth played in front of a sellout crowd of 4,200 fans at Kessler Stadium in its 51-33 victory over #12/11 Villanova. The Family Weekend and Youth Day atmosphere marked the Hawks' largest home crowd since the September 2021 opener against Holy Cross. Feeding off the energy, Monmouth built a lead as large as 24 points in the first half on the way to its first CAA win of the season.
 
Chasing First 4-1 Start Since 2017
Monmouth enters this week looking to open a season 4-1 for the first time since 2017, when the Hawks advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs. In program history, Monmouth has started 4-1 on six occasions (1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2014) with 2017 marking the most recent instance.
 
Success Against Villanova
Monmouth improved to 4-0 all-time against Villanova with its 51-33 victory two weeks ago at Kessler Stadium. The Hawks have defeated the Wildcats in back-to-back seasons on the Jersey Shore, including last year's 40-33 win over a top-10 Villanova team. Since joining the CAA, Monmouth is 3-0 against the Wildcats, highlighted by a 49-42 road triumph in 2022 that marked the program's first-ever league victory. The series began in 2011 with a 20-9 Monmouth win in Philadelphia.
 
Scary Derry
Wide receiver Josh Derry has emerged as one of the top playmakers in the nation, leading the FCS with eight receiving touchdowns despite Monmouth's bye week. He ranks second nationally in receiving yards per game (133.8) and third in total yards (566) while eclipsing 100 yards in each of the Hawks' first four games, including 111 against Villanova. Derry's explosiveness was on display when he hauled in a 75-yard touchdown on the second play of the win over the Wildcats. A go-to option for quarterback Derek Robertson, Derry's 33 receptions are 13 more than any other Hawk this season.
 
Palmer's Breakout Against the 'Cats
The Hawks may have found an X-factor in the secondary with true freshman Chris Plamer Jr. The Philadelphia native subbed in early in the first half at the corner position, limiting the Villanova passing attack and collecting four tackles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. It was Palmer's first significant playing time of his career, and his performance earned him the CAA's Rookie of the Week honor.
 
Star Safeties
Safeties Jaeden Jones and Deuce Lee have been flying around on defense for Lewis Walker's defensive unit early in 2025. Jones (37) and Lee (24) currently lead Monmouth in total tackles and have accounted for 24% of the unit's solo tackles. Josiah Graham has (10) is the only other Hawk to reach double-digit solo stops through the firt four games.
 
Derek > Sawyer
Quarterback Derek Robertson continues to post eye-popping numbers at both the FCS and national levels. He leads the subdivision with 1,677 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, totals that remain unmatched even after Monmouth's bye week. Robertson's touchdown tally edges out Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson, a Heisman candidate at the FBS level, while his passing yards per game average is 96 yards higher than any other FCS quarterback and 77 more than the FBS leader. After throwing five interceptions in his first 86 attempts, he has gone 119 consecutive passes without a pick. Robertson also owns a 184.2 passer efficiency rating, fifth-best in the FCS. Robertson's 506 passing yards in the Week One win at Colgate are the second-most in an FCS game this season and was his second 500+ yard effort during his time with the Hawks.
 
Keeping Robertson Upright
Monmouth's offensive line has provided steady protection for Derek Robertson, allowing zero sacks in six of his 16 career starts. The Hawks are a perfect 6-0 in those games, including this season where the unit has given up just 1.5 sacks per contest through four games — the best mark in the CAA.
 
Explosive Offensive Output
The Hawks put up 51 points versus Villanova, marking the seventh time they have scored 50+ since joining the CAA. Monmouth's high-powered attack has fueled each of the Hawks' last 13 victories, with the team scoring 40 or more points in every win dating back to the start of the 2023 season. During that span, the Hawks have piled up 659 total points, averaging 50.7 points per game. The production has come under the direction of Offensive Coordinator Jeff Gallo, who was recognized as a finalist for the 2024 FootballScoop.com FCS Coordinator of the Year Award.
 
Monmouth in the Polls
The Hawks enter Week 6 as the nation's #12 team in the AFCA Coaches Poll, while Stats Perform FCS ranked them #14. The Hawks are now 12-8 all-time in games played as a ranked team following the win over Villanova.
 
CAA in the Polls
CAA Football has three teams ranked in the second editions of the FCS Top 25 polls. Rhode Island enters as the league's top team ranked #10 in the AFCA poll and #8 in the Stats poll, while the Hawks appears at #12 and #14. Villanova dropped down to #19/18 following their loss to Monmouth. Two teams, New Hampshire and Stony Brook, have each received votes and sit just outside the top 25 rankings.
 
The Hawks in Season Openers
Monmouth improved to 9-24 all-time in season openers with the victory at Colgate being Callahan & Co.'s first road win in an opener since September 6, 2016, when the Hawks defeated Lehigh in Bethlehem, 23-21.
 
The Hawks in Home Openers
Monmouth improved to 17-16 all-time with the victory over Villanova, claiming its first home-opening win in the last five tries.
 
A 33rd Season Under Callahan
Kevin Callahan is currently the longest-tenured head coach in the FCS and has amassed the most wins by an active FCS head coach with 191. The veteran has been with the program since its inception in 1993 and is a five-time conference Coach of the Year (3x NEC, 2x Big South). The 2025 campaign is Callahan's 33rd with the program.