2026 Monmouth Football Gameday Preview: Game Six
 
Monmouth Hawks (3-2, 2-0 CAA) vs. Towson Tigers (0-5, 0-1 CAA)
Saturday, October 3, 2026 – 1:00 p.m.
Kevin Callahan Field at Kessler Stadium, West Long Branch, N.J.
 
Please find attached PDF labeled 'Monmouth/Towson/CAA Notes' for full notes.
 
Watch
Live: FloCollege, NBC Sports Philadelphia & Monumental
Tape Delay: SNY
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon
Analyst: Brandon London
Sideline: Jack Barteck
 
Ticket & Parking Information
Click HERE to buy tickets and parking

Game Promotions
Homecoming and Student Fan Zone

Happy Homecoming, Hawks
Monmouth hosts winless Towson on Saturday during Homecoming weekend. The Hawks are 17-15 all-time in Homecoming contests and have won three straight and the last seven of eight.
 
Tricky Tigers
Though the Tigers are yet to find the win column in 2026, Towson has had success over the Hawks throughout the years. Towson is 9-3 all-time versus the Hawks and a staggering 6-0 at Kessler Stadium. The road team has won in four straight contests in the series, and the series is tied 2-2 as CAA foes. Monmouth and Towson have met in four straight seasons since the Hawks joined the Coastal.
 
A Win Would ...
- Be the fourth straight win vs. FCS opponents for the Hawks.
- Be the 18th victory for the Hawks on Homecoming (17-15 all-time).
- Move Monmouth to 3-0 in CAA games and sole possession on first place in the conference.

The Coaching Matchup
Jeff Gallo
1^st Season at Monmouth / 3-2 / 2-0 in-conference
 
Pete Shinnick
4^th Season at Towson / 18-22 / 13-12 in-conference
 
All-Time Series
Series Record: Towson, 9-3
at Monmouth: Towson, 6-0
at Towson: Tied, 3-3
Most Monmouth points: 48, 10/29/2022
Most Towson points: 52, 10/29/2022
Most combined points: 100, 10/31/1998
Biggest Monmouth win: 21, 9/9/2023
Current streak: Monmouth, W1
 
The Win at Dartmouth
Monmouth won the first meeting in program history with Dartmouth, 31-28, on a 31-yard field goal from Sky Sholder with 1:09 remaining. The Big Green had one final chance, but a 59-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired, giving the Hawks their first win over an Ivy League opponent since 2014.
 
Win No. 200
Monmouth's victory at Dartmouth marked the 200th win in program history. Jeff Gallo earned his third career victory as head coach, while 197 of Monmouth's first 200 wins came during Kevin Callahan's 33-year tenure; the Hawks now own 102 road victories and 98 at home.
 
Weaver's Best Outing of 2026
Frankie Weaver turned in his best performance of the season at Dartmouth, completing 33-of-42 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns without an interception or a sack. Christian Harrison and Greg Genross each finished with a team-high 79 receiving yards, with Harrison recording the first touchdown of his FCS career on one of his nine catches. Tra Neal also found the end zone for the third consecutive game.
 
Balanced Running Attack
Elijah Jennings (74 carries) and Kenny Smith Jr. (81) have split the rushing workload almost perfectly through five games. Jennings has 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Smith has 333 yards and three scores; both also have a receiving touchdown, while Nazir Treadwell added a score each at Western Michigan and UAlbany. The trio has combined for nine of Monmouth's 14 offensive touchdowns this season.
 
Third Down Remains a Strength
Monmouth continues to rank among the FCS leaders on third down, converting 39-of-75 opportunities for a 51.7 percent success rate, good for sixth nationally and first in the CAA. The Hawks went 8-of-15 on third down at Dartmouth and are second nationally behind Illinois State for the most third-down conversions in the FCS this season.
 
Getting or Not Getting to the Quarterback
Monmouth has recorded 2.40 sacks per game through five contests, ranking 26th nationally and third in the CAA. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Hawks have allowed just two sacks all season (0.40 per game), including three games with zero, ranking second in the FCS and first in the CAA.
 
Hawks Win at UAlbany
Monmouth rallied for a 28-20 victory at UAlbany last Saturday, moving to 2-0 in CAA play and into sole possession of first place in the conference. The win was Monmouth's first in Albany since 2006 and avenged last season's 31-24 loss to the Great Danes that ended the Hawks' regular season and kept them out of the FCS Playoffs.
 
Defense Balls Out Against the Great Danes
Monmouth's defense turned in its strongest statistical performance of the season at UAlbany, recording season highs with five sacks and nine tackles for loss. Ryan Russo gave the Hawks an early lead with a pick-six on the second play from scrimmage, while Jaeden Jones added the second interception of his career.
 
Watson Comes Up Huge
Hunter Watson delivered one of the biggest plays of the season when he recorded a game-winning fourth-down sack late in the fourth quarter at UAlbany. The Great Danes had taken over inside the Monmouth five-yard line following a Frankie Weaver interception, but the Hawks kept UAlbany out of the end zone before Watson ended the threat on fourth down.
 
Big Plays Finally Arrive
Monmouth's offense broke loose for two of its biggest plays of the season at UAlbany, with Gavin Nelson connecting on a 46-yard touchdown and Tra Neal hauling in a 60-yard touchdown. The two plays are now the longest plays from scrimmage for the Hawks this season.
 
Top Wideouts Getting Going
Gavin Nelson and Tra Neal have emerged as Monmouth's clear top two receiving threats through four games. Nelson has 23 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns, while Neal has 24 catches for 326 yards and two scores; no other Hawk has more than 60 receiving yards or 10 receptions this season. Nelson and Neal have now scored in the same game six times during their careers, with their performance at UAlbany marking the first time they have done so in 2026.
 
Neal Climbing the FCS Charts
Tra Neal enters Week 5 ranked 18th nationally and third in the CAA with 381 receiving yards. Gavin Nelson is also among the FCS leaders, ranking 43rd nationally and fifth in the CAA with 300 yards.
 
A Historic Third-Down Night in Kalamazoo
Monmouth converted 11 third downs at Western Michigan, the second-highest single-game total by an FCS team during the 2026 season. Despite falling 49-14 to the Broncos, the Hawks' 11 conversions were a major bright spot for the offense.
 
JJ Lewis Loves Playing UAlbany
JJ Lewis turned in his best game as a Hawk in last week's win at UAlbany, recording four tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry and two pass breakups. Lewis also tipped both of Monmouth's interceptions at the line of scrimmage, continuing a strong track record against the Great Danes after recording 3.5 tackles for loss in last year's matchup.
 
Bright Spots in Kalamazoo
Monmouth dropped a 49-14 decision at Western Michigan last Saturday in front of 24,605 fans, the largest crowd the Hawks have ever played in front of. Despite the result, Monmouth produced several strong individual and team performances, including 11-of-20 third-down conversions on offense while holding the Broncos to 4-of-9 on third down defensively.
 
Neal Reaches 1,000
Tra Neal turned in the best game of his young season at Western Michigan, catching seven passes for a career-high 106 yards and a touchdown. His 44-yard catch-and-run on the scoring drive in the third quarter was Monmouth's longest play from scrimmage this season, and the performance pushed Neal over 1,000 career receiving yards.
 
Treadwell Finds the End Zone
Nazir Treadwell recorded his first career touchdown as a Hawk with 15 seconds remaining at Western Michigan. The Union Beach native carried the ball five times in Kalamazoo and provided a positive finish for Monmouth after a difficult night on the road.
 
Weaver Looks Poised
Frankie Weaver continues to settle into the starting quarterback role, completing 28-of-46 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown at Western Michigan. His best stretch came in the third quarter, when he completed 9-of-11 attempts for 102 yards and a score while making several big throws against the Broncos.
 
Hawks Win Home Opener
Monmouth rallied past Sacred Heart, 31-24, on Sept. 5 to move to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in CAA play. Kenny Smith Jr.  was the first player to score on the newly named Kevin Callahan Field and later scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:54 remaining, Frankie Weaver threw three touchdown passes and freshman DB Amori McNeil sealed the victory with a fourth-down stop in Monmouth territory in the final minute.
 
The O-Line Continues to Rotate
Monmouth has continued to utilize a deep offensive line rotation through the opening three games, with eight linemen seeing significant action. Matt Fries, Collin Goetter, Kevin Shriner, Michael Petito and Josh Duran have all seen starting action, while Reed Collins and Brady O'Hara have also rotated into the lineup, with O'Hara seeing time at both tackle spots. Bleek Turner poured in a solid effort at left guard in his collegiate debut in Kalamazoo.
 
Midnight Blue Lids are Back
Monmouth sported midnight blue helmets for the first time since 2013 at Western Michigan, then wore them again at UAlbany. Now, the Hawks sport a 62-49 all-time while wearing them, as they are fully in the rotation this season after being the primary look from 2004-2013.
 
Gallo: The Offensive Guru
Monmouth enters its fourth game of the 2026 season looking to build on an offense that led the FCS in total offense in 2025. The Hawks averaged 498.7 yards per game last season, including 322.5 through the air and 176.2 on the ground, while their 40.0 points per game ranked fifth nationally and first in the CAA. Gallo's offense ranked among the FCS's top 12 in total offense in six of his seven seasons as offensive coordinator.
 
Six of Eight on the Road
Monmouth will play six of its first eight games away from home in 2026. The Hawks get a home game this weekend and then a bye before returning for two straight contests outside of New Jersey - at New Hampshire (Oct. 17) and at Hampton (Oct. 24).
 
Three More Home Dates at Kessler
Monmouth will return home at the end of the month for three consecutive home games to host Bryant on Oct. 31, North Carolina A&T on Nov. 7 and Merrimack on Nov. 14.
 
*****
To follow along with everything Hawks Athletics follow @muhawks on Instagram and @MonmouthHawks on X and Facebook. For everything Hawks Football follow @muhawksfb on Instagram, X and Facebook.