WEST LONG BRANCH – When Monmouth University’s schedule is released each season there is always one game that immediately gets circled in bright red ink – Kennesaw State.
In the past five years the game has blossomed into one of the most intense rivalry games in Monmouth’s history, mostly due to the fact that it usually ends up being for the Big South championship.
“We’ve had some big-time rivalries throughout the past 29 years,” said Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan. “Albany was a big rivalry game in the NEC for us. There was a streak there where either Monmouth or Albany won the NEC championship for a number of years in a row. But certainly, Kennesaw State is our biggest rivalry game in the Big South and it usually ends up being the last game of the season.”
Saturday’s game at the Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia will decide the Big South championship for the fifth consecutive season with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs.
To the victor go the spoils.
In 2017, Monmouth was 9-1 and 4-0 in the Big South when they traveled to Kennesaw State for their first real meaningful showdown with the Owls.
After beating Charleston Southern on October 28, the Hawks had earned their first national ranking in program history at No.24 and reached as high as No.22 entering their game with Kennesaw State two weeks later.
The Owls entered the game ranked No.20 and had an identical record as the Hawks at 9-1 and 4-0 in the Big South, however, Kennesaw St. got the better of the Hawks, 52-21. They then went on to win two playoff games before losing to No.6 Sam Houston State in the FCS quarterfinals finishing ranked No.9 in the country.
Monmouth did, however, earn an at-large bid for their first playoff appearance in program history, but lost to No.19 Northern Iowa, a team making its 19th playoff appearance, 46-7 in the first round.
Despite the loss, it was another step in the right direction for the ascending Monmouth football program that has big-time aspirations.
The following season, 2018, Kennesaw State marched into Kessler Stadium ranked second in the country at 8-1 and 4-0 in the conference and took care of business beating the Hawks, 51-14. They went on to reach the quarterfinals before losing to No.3 South Dakota State, 27-17 and finishing ranked fourth in the country, while the Hawks season ended at 8-3 and 4-1 in the Big South.
“We kind of started off slow playing Kennesaw and couldn’t get over the hump,” said Monmouth record-breaking wide receiver Lonnie Moore IV, who will be playing in his fifth game against Kennesaw State on Saturday. “Those first two games getting our butts kicked like that (Monmouth was outscored 103 to 35) really was a turning point for us. Everyone had to look themselves in the mirror and we didn’t want to feel that feeling again, so we knew as leaders on the team we weren’t going to let that happen again. In 2019 we were able to turn the switch and ever since then we haven’t looked back.”
In 2019, Moore IV and company upset then No.4 Kennesaw State, 45-21, for their first ever win against them and one of the biggest wins in Monmouth’s history. It marked the worst loss in Kennesaw State history and first conference loss in 13 games while snapping a 17-game home winning streak.
“That was a real big confidence builder,” said Moore IV. “Just being able to go to Kennesaw and beat them by that big of a margin, it wasn’t even close, was also a big turning point for this program.”
The Hawks still had some business to take care of for them to win the Big South championship though. They did that two weeks later when they beat Campbell, 47-10, on the road to clinch the title and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs.
Ranked as high as No.11 at one point, the Hawks received a home playoff game against Holy Cross and whipped the Crusaders, 44-27, picking up the programs first ever playoff win in the process and a chance to play second-ranked James Madison in the second round.
James Madison entered the game on an 11-game winning streak and rolled over the Hawks, 66-21, before reaching the FCS playoff final where they lost to No.1 North Dakota State, 28-20. The Hawks finished at 11-3 and 6-0 in the conference and ranked twelfth in the country capping off the most successful season in Monmouth football history.
The 2020 season was cancelled due to Covid but with it sprung a shortened 2021 spring season and the Hawks made the most of it.
In the final game of the regular season for both teams with the conference championship and automatic playoff berth again at stake, the Hawks prevailed again, this time, 42-17, for their second straight Big South championship.
In that game, Moore IV had eight catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
“That actually felt pretty good,” said Moore IV of his big game. “In 2019 I dislocated my toe in the first drive of the game so I wasn’t able to contribute the way I wanted to. So last year was kind of like my first real full Kennesaw game and I had a breakout game and it was just good all around – I’d like to do that in this game too.”
For its efforts, Monmouth was awarded an away game against second-seed Sam Houston State – ranked No.2 in the country.
Undeterred, the Hawks almost shocked the FCS world coming within nine yards of pulling off the biggest upset of the season or maybe even years. Trailing 21-0, Monmouth scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull within six, 21-15.
Taking over at their own 25-yard line with 4:20 left in the game, the Hawks drove to the Sam Houston 9-yard line and had a first-and-goal in the final minutes. But on fourth-and-goal from the nine, then freshman quarterback Tony Muskett, playing on a huge stage in only his fourth game of his college career, was intercepted with 48 seconds remaining ending their comeback bid.
The Hawks outgained Sam Houston State, 398 to 297 in total yardage and Muskett tied a career-high with 297-yards passing and a touchdown.
Notwithstanding, the Hawks showed the world and to themselves that they deserved to be there and the best was yet to come.
That brings us to the 2021 fall season and yet another potentially epic Monmouth, Kennesaw State showdown looming.
Saturday’s game is a must win for the Hawks, as they normally are against the Owls, if they expect to qualify for the FCS playoffs. A loss would drop their overall season record to 7-4 and that would most definitely keep them on the outside looking in.
Ranked No.12 in the preseason, Monmouth (7-3, 6-0) was hit with a string of significant injuries in preseason and struggled early on. They got off to a 3-3 start, including a head-scratching blowout loss to Holy Cross at home and a demoralizing 31-28 loss to Princeton, also at home, where they let a 21-6 third-quarter lead slip away.
Up until those two home losses this season, the Hawks were 19-1 at home since 2017 when Kessler Stadium opened up.
Since then, the Hawks have won four conference games in a row outscoring their opponents 158-73 in the process and they have moved back into the CBS FCS Coaches top 25 this week at No.24.
Kennesaw State enters Saturday’s clash ranked No.5 in the country at 9-1 and 6-0 in the Big South and boast the nation’s fourth-ranked rushing offense averaging 255.9 yards per game.
Recently, however, they’ve found its passing game under the direction of sophomore duel-threat quarterback Xavier Shepard, who has thrown for over 500 yards and nine touchdown in the last three games and has 14 touchdown passes overall.
Graduate wideout Caleb Hill is Shepard’s main target. The 6-foot-2, 200 pound Shepard has 17 receptions for 308 yards and five touchdowns.
The Owls live-and-die with the triple-option offense and it’s one of the toughest schemes in college football to defend against. But with Shepard’s ability to hurt you with not only his legs but his arm as well, you can’t sell out on defense to stop the run by bringing the safeties up to defend against the run because he’ll then burn you over the top.
“A new aspect to what they do offensively is their effectiveness at throwing the ball and their willingness to throw the ball,” said Callahan. “In previous years they might’ve averaged six or seven throws a game now they’re closer to 15-16 throws a game. So, they’re throwing more frequently and they’ve been very effective doing it and that is just an added point of stress for your defense. You can’t get locked in to simply defending the run, you have to be somewhat balanced in your approach and prepare to defend against the run and the pass.”
The 6-foot-0, 205 pound Shepard also leads the team in rushing with 838 yards on 192 attempts and 15 touchdowns so containing Shepard will be the key to winning the game. The Hawks defense will also have to contend with Owls running back Kyle Glover, who has rushed for 500 yards on one touchdown on 102 carries for a 4.9 yard per carry average.
“They’re a unique offense,” said Callahan. “There are some things that you would normally do against a spread offense that you just won’t do against them. There will be some things we’ll have to tweak (on defense) and play a little differently just because of the nature of their formation and how they align and what it is they like to do with their offense.”
Monmouth’s defense is first in the Big South against the run and 17th in the country allowing 104.2 yards per game and has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. However, the Hawks pass defense slips to eighth in the conference surrendering 259.1 yards per game through the air for a total of 364 yards per game – fourth in the Big South.
Kennesaw State’s defense is first in the conference in total yards allowed at 309.1 per game.
It will be up to Monmouth’s defense to be disciplined and stick to assignment football. It’s generally impossible to stop the triple option with a team like Kennesaw State though - the goal is to contain it.
Monmouth’s offense is third in the Big South averaging 395.6 yards per game and first in points scored averaging 33.7 points per game while Kennesaw State is fifth (378.3 pts/g) and fourth (27.2 pts/g).in scoring.
Muskett just keeps getting better and better with each game. He’s barley got a full season of experience under his belt yet he acts and plays like a seasoned veteran.
He’s passed for 2,314 yards and 24 touchdowns (11th nationally), including four in each of the last two games and has completed 211-of-324 passes for a 65.1 completion percentage with six interceptions.
His go-to guys are graduate wideouts Moore IV (66-744-6), Zach Tredway (28-277-2) and Terrance Greene Jr. (36-496-4) and fifth-year tight end Gene Scott (15-148-2). Sophomore Dymere Miller (18-230-1), senior Joey “Touchdown Maker” Aldarelli (13-132-5) and junior Ezrah Archie (12-156-2) are in the rotation as well and have Muskett’s total trust.
“Depth at the wide receiver position is something we talked about in the beginning of the year,” said Moore IV. “Whenever somebody goes down we know their will be a guy there willing to step up and it could be anybody that could honestly step up, because we all trust each other and we all feel like we have the ability to make plays.”
Moore IV has been double-teamed most the season but it hasn’t effected his output.
“That’s what I’ve been experiencing most of the year,” Moore IV said of the double-teaming. “It’s something I’m kind of used to now and I just look to make plays wherever I can. If they double team me that means probably someone else is open, so I’m just trying to do my job and make plays whenever I can.”
First team All-Big South running back Juwon Farri (149-697-8) has missed the last three games with an injury but hopes to play on Saturday. As of now, it looks like a game-time decision.
In his absence, freshman Jaden Shirden and grad transfer Owen Wright have been outstanding combining for 437 yards over the past two games.
Last week, the banged up Monmouth defense played its best all-around game of the season allowing Robert Morris just seven first downs and 161 yards of total offense. They’ll need to play as well or better Saturday against the Owls if they expect to win.
“We did a good job and we were missing some key players,” said Callahan. “It speaks a little bit to our depth being able to play with other players and still have a good performance. It’s a credit to some of those guys who haven’t had a lot of playing time and they had to come in and get the job done and to their credit. they came in and did what they were supposed to do.”
Defensive starters Nick Shoemaker at end, edge rusher Erik Massey, linebacker Tyler Delgado and free safety Anthony Budd, who was the Hawks leading tackler when he was hurt and the Big South Preseason POY, all missed last week’s game against Robert Morris.
Not to mention Big South Defensive POY candidate, Da’Quan Grimes and first-team All-Big South defensive end Kahari Scarlett who were both lost for the year in the preseason. So the Hawks defense has really been hit with the injury bug this season.
Stud defensive tackle Lorenzo Hernandez left the game with a leg injury last Saturday but the Hawks are hopeful he’ll be ready to go Saturday along with Budd and Massey and possibly Shoemaker. Delgado is still day to day.
“I think we’ll be in better shape than we were last week but I don’t know if we’ll be at full strength.” Callahan said when commenting on the injury front.
Fifth-year linebacker Eddie Hahn will be counted on Saturday for his veteran leadership and ability to make game-changing plays. He’s second on the team in tackles with 56 (38 solo) and TFL (8.5) along with two sacks, one interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery and seven passes defended.
With Delgado down, junior linebacker Ryan Moran has really stepped up his game and always seems to be around the ball. He’s fifth on the team with 48 tackles (25 solo) and has 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Henandez leads the team in tackles for loss (10.5), sacks (5) and QB hits (5) along with 22 tackles (16 solo), three blocked passes, fumble recovery and an interception for a touchdown. All this while being consistently double and triple teamed.
Junior defensive end DeAndre Clifton has been really solid in Shoemaker’s absence. He’s recorded 23 tackles (12 solo), 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble and at times has looked dominant. Senior Dominick Spano (3 sacks) and junior Pat Hayden (1.5 TFL) and sophomore Justin O’Bannon (1.5 sacks) have been consistent contributors along the line as well. Senior Zamon Robinson was a nice rotational player until he got injured as well.
Strong safety Tyrese Wright has been a steadying influence in the secondary with his consistent play while leading the team in tackles with 62 (42 solo) and passes defended (10) along with nine pass breakups, 2.5 TFL and an interception.
Budd’s probable return is a big boost to the secondary and the Hawks will count him as well as Wright, senior cornerbacks Eddie Morales III, who leads the team with three interceptions, and Justin Terry (two interceptions) and sophomore Mike Reid and freshman Jalen Dotson to help keep the Owls triple-option attack, particularly Shepard, in check
Having won two games in a row against the Owls is a definite confidence booster for the Hawks but you can be sure Fifth Third Bank Stadium will be rocking and Kennesaw State will come out breathing fire.
“Many of the guys playing for us Saturday have played against them before, including 2019 and last spring, so I think that helps build confidence on the part of our guys who will be playing,” said Callahan. “Previous to 2019 they (Kennesaw St.) won four in a row and some of them very convincingly. But there has been some growth on our part and our recent success will certainly help our guys from a confidence standpoint.”
The Hawks are a veteran team with a lot of players in their final year of eligibility so it would be a huge disappointment to see their careers end with a loss to Kennesaw State.
“Yea, all the seniors on the team it’s kind of like been a goal for us just to be in the playoffs every single year,” Moore IV said. “And we’ve been fortunate enough to make it to the playoffs since we’ve been here. So, it’s really big for us and we take a lot of pride in this game. Nobody wants it all to end with a loss down there. The energy has been great all week from the team and I feel like everybody is focused, so we’re looking to go down there and handle business.”
Monmouth Game Prediction
Monmouth 45, Kennesaw State 31
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