Monmouth

Monmouth Has Turned The Page On Disappointing Loss To New Hampshire With Fordham On The Horizon

WEST LONG BRANCH – Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan feels his team has turned the page on their opening night 31-21 loss to New Hampshire in their inaugural Colonial Athletic Conference game last Thursday in Durham.

However, the sting of losing a game of such magnitude in which they could’ve of and in all reality should’ve won most likely is still eating at them deep below the surface; after all, they’re only human and that loss was as tough as it gets.

Against New Hampshire the Hawks led 21-17 after three quarters and held a whopping 29:20 to 15:40 advantage in time of possession, a 19 to 11 advantage in first downs and had outgained the Wildcats 329 to 239 in total yardage. Seven of New Hampshire’s first-half points came on a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown.

“We’ve moved on, we’ve turned the page,” said head coach Kevin Callahan. “It was a tough game and a tough game not to win. We did an awful lot of very good things, things you would say would contribute to us coming away with a win. But on the other hand, there were things we didn’t do well enough to win and that’s kind of been our focus this week in addition getting ready for Fordham and improving in the many areas we need to get better.”

Junior quarterback Tony Muskett – a first team All-CAA Preseason selection – was stellar in the first half completing 13-of-20 passes for 199 yards but in the second half he suffered through what was probably his worst half of football of his Monmouth career in his 16th game as the starter.

Muskett threw three interceptions in the second half, including a pick six into double coverage with 4:07 remaining in the game that put the Wildcats up 31-21 and pretty much sealed the win for them.

“Obviously we all thought we should’ve won that game,” said Muskett. “I don’t think I played my best second half of football there, but you got to move forward. It was the first week of the season and we have 10 more games. If we can go out and win the next 10 no ones going to be talking about the first loss. The past is the past and we’re moving forward and focusing on how we can get better and just come out each day with that energy and execution.”

Callahan knows what he has in Muskett and has no doubt his quarterback will bounce back in a big way.

“He had a couple of plays that he wishes he had back,” Callahan said of Muskett. “There are some balls he’d like to have over again. I think the quarterback position gets too much attention when you win and too much attention when you don’t win. But he’s moved on. Tony’s resilient that way; he’s a great leader for our team. They’re going to take their cue from him, and he understands that. So, he knows he has to turn the page and move on and get ready for week two.”

It's cliche to say you’ve moved on from a tough loss – all teams do it - but the true test of putting it behind you is how you perform the following week and Monmouth’s opponent this week,in its home opener, Fordham University, will certainly be a true test.

The Rams were picked to finish second in the Patriot League Preseason rankings and there’s no reason to believe they won’t live up to their billing.

Last week, Fordham beat Wagner 48-31 as All-Patriot League quarterback Tim DeMorat passed for 386 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for a score and was named the Patriot League Football Geico Offensive Player of the Week for his sixth time.

DeMorat is a Hero Sports Preseason All-American second team selection after passing for 3,214 yards and 31 touchdowns while averaging close to 300 yards passing per game a year ago. He’s also the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

In Monmouth’s 26-23 win over Fordham last season, DeMorat passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns before his last second pass into the end zone fell incomplete putting an end to Fordham’s furious comeback attempt.

His two top receivers, Dequece Carter and Fotis Kokosiouslis are All-Patriot League Preseason first team selections as is running back Trey Sneed and offensive lineman Phil Saleh.

“We’re going to have to play very well in pass coverage,” Callahan said. “But they have a big offensive line and they have the ability to run the ball too, that’s why they’re picked to compete for the Patriot League championship. We’re going to have to play real good football.”

On defense the Rams are led by FCS Preseason All-American first team linebacker Ryan Greenhagen who recorded 28 tackles in last season’s meeting but is coming off an injury. He was limited to five games a year ago but in those five games he posted an unbelievable 102 tackles. Last week against Wagner he had nine tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Defensive lineman Johnathan Coste is another Patriot League Preseason first team selection. Coste was injured most of last season but was first team All-Patriot pick in the Spring of 2021.

New Hampshire shut down the Hawks ground attack last week holding Monmouth to 62 yards rushing and 1.7 yards per carry which in turn allowed the Wildcats to tee off on Muskett with intense pressure from its front seven.

The Hawks are 11-1 over the past two seasons when FCS Preseason All-American running back Juwon Farri rushes for more than 100 yards and 1-5 when he doesn’t. So, it’s essential that the Hawks get their ground game untracked in order to keep the ball out of DeMorant’s hands with sustained, time-consuming drives. If they can get the running game rolling with Farri, Jaden Shirden and Owen Wright grinding out yardage it will go a long way in taking some of the pressure off of Muskett.

“It’s huge, it’s definitely something we’re going to want to establish,” said Muskett about the importance of the running game. “And we can establish it. We have a three-headed monster at running back so I think we’re going to try to get that going early and establish some dominance and go from there.”

However, for its running game to click it’s imperative that Monmouth’s rebuilt offensive line improves its run blocking. Last week was their first game together as a unit so some miscommunication was expected but come Saturday, they must take a huge step forward.

“We have new guys and they’re still trying to figure out how to play together,” said Muskett of his offensive line. “For the most part they were pretty clean. New Hampshire had a great defensive front – probably one of the best we’ll see all year – and it was definitely a challenge for them in the first week. But I have complete faith in my guys and they’ve looked really good this week in practice and I think they’re going to have a great game this week against Fordham.”

Monmouth’s unproven receiving corps also needs to step up. It looks as though top Muskett target, Dymere Miller, will miss the game with an upper body injury so that opens the door for the others. Alex Bryant stepped in last week with eight catches for 68 yards and a touchdown in a clutch performance. Virginia transfer Ugo Obasi had his moments last week and Yale transfer Darrion Carrington was a factor early, but these two veterans need assert themselves in a more formidable way. Assanti Kearny, Dre Tucker and Joey Aldarelli need to factor in as well.

“We have a group of wide receivers that we feel are all capable of playing,” said Callahan. “Guys will step up just like Alex Bryant stepped up last week and came in with eight catches. Guys will step up and fill in if Dymere can’t go. Opportunities will find them. One of the things you can’t do is press and try to force things to happen.”

Overall, the defense had a solid game last week allowing the Wildcats just three scoring drives all game -two touchdown drives and one field goal drive. But the front seven will definitely need to apply more pressure on the quarterback after recording just one sack and one QB pressure a week ago. If they allow DeMorant sit back in the pocket, it will be a long day for the defense.

Defensive end Zamon Robinson posted the sack and tackle Dominick Spano had a tackle for loss while end Isaiah Bishop added a tackle for loss and a QB hit.

Linebacker DaQuan Grimes looked like his old self after missing all of last season which is great new for the defense. He recorded a team-high 11 tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss while strong safety Tyrese Wright added eight tackles.

Cornerback Eddie Morales III had a fabulous all-around game with seven tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception and a defended pass. His leadership and play in the backfield are invaluable to the success of the defense.

The secondary is going to have their hands full Saturday so a collective effort out of Morales III, Wright, Temple transfer T.J. Kamara, Mike Reid and Jaylen Dotson will be essential.

The battle of the turnovers could determine the outcome of the game so if the Hawks can force a couple on defense and avoid any on offense it will go a long way in helping them get the win.

“I think our attitude has been really good this week,” said Muskett. “Like I said, that was a tough loss, a conference game the first game of the season that we felt we could’ve won. But we’ve got a great group of leaders and a great group of guys in the locker room and I think we’ve responded really well this week in practice. We’ve come out everyday with a next game mentality and I think that’s going to show on Saturday and we’re going to have a great game.”

Prediction: In a high scoring affair, Monmouth 42, Fordham 35