HAWKS HOST CAMPBELL IN BIG SOUTH SHOWDOWN FOR HOMECOMING
A LOOK AT SATURDAY'S . GAME
Monmouth comes into today's game looking to win three consecutive games for the first time this season and keep its eight-game home winning streak alive. The Fighting Camels are coming off a bye week and are 5-1 this season, their only setback coming against FBS opponent Coastal Carolina. Campbell is 1-0 on the road this season with a win at Georgetown.
Monmouth has been at home for the past four weeks, with three games and a bye week. Its last road game came on Sept. 22 at Princeton.
Today's game is the first conference game for the Hawks while it is the first Big South Conference game for the Camels who joined after spending the first 10 years of the program in the Pioneer Football League.
Today is Homecoming at Monmouth, which looks to win for the 12th time on Homecoming and for the second consecutive year.
Today's game is the first of three home contests that will air on ESPN3, with Matt Harmon (pxp) and Eddy Occhipinti (analyst) and Suzi Mellano (Sideline) on the call.
HOMECOMING & HAWK WALK PROMOTIONS Join us in our Hawk Walk game day tradition, including free breakfast, beginning at 10am in the circle between Wilson and Rechnitz Halls. Be sure to stick around for the Hawk Statue ribbon cutting ceremony and Student Government Association Pep Rally following immediately after! THE COACHING MATCHUP Kevin Callahan is in his 26th season at Monmouth as the Hawks' head coach. Callahan owns a 148-120 career coaching record, all with Monmouth. Coming into the season, Callahan's 148 victories ranks him 10th among active coaches in the Football Championship Subdivision. The only coach in Monmouth history, he has led the Blue & White to five conference championships, in 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2006 and its first at-large playoff berth in 2017. Callahan has earned conference coach of the year accolades in 1998, 2003 and 2006 and was named as an Eddie Robinson Award finalist in 2017, finishing 10th in the voting. Prior to arriving in West Long Branch, Callahan served as defensive coordinator at Colgate for eight seasons and at Wagner for three years. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Albany (1977-79) and Syracuse (1980) before becoming a Seahawk assistant in 1981. Mike Minter comes into today's game with a 29-33 record at Campbell in his sixth season at the helm of the- Camels. Over the last five-plus seasons Minter has guided a Campbell program that has virtually set every record. Last season Campbell finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in Pioneer Football League play, tying the best overall and conference records in the 10-year history of the program. No stranger to the Big South Conference, Minter served as special teams coordinator at Liberty prior to taking over at Campbell. Minter, a 1997 graduate of Nebraska, Minter starred for the Huskers earning all-conference honors three times while leading his team to a pair of national championships. The Cleveland, Ohio native went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, racking up 790 tackles. INSIDE THE MU-CAMPBELL SERIES Second Overall Meeting Overall Record: First Meeting West Long Branch: N/A Buies Creek, NC: N/A First Meeting: Oct. 20, 2018 Last Meeting: Oct. 20, 2018 Longest MU Win Streak: N/A Longest BU Win Streak: N/A Largest MU W Margin: N/A Largest BU W Margin: N/A Smallest MU W Margin: N/A Smallest BU W Margin: N/A Shutouts: None Overtime Games: None MONMOUTH AGAINST THE BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE
Since starting up Big South league play in 2014, Monmouth owns an 8-13 conference record.
The Hawks own a 3-1 record against Gardner-Webb, 2-2 against PC, 1-3 vs CSU and and 0-3 vs Kennesaw State. Monmouth has yet to face Campbell or future BSC opponent Northern Alabama.
Monmouth followed up a 0-5 season in '16 in Big South play by going 4-1 in 2017. The Hawks were selected to finish second in the Big South in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
MU was 0-3 against members of the Big South prior to joining the league, including dropping a home and home series with Coastal Carolina and a non-conference tilt with Liberty.
THE HAWKS ON HOMECOMING Today is homecoming at Monmouth University and the MU football team is looking to win its second consecutive homecoming game. The Hawks are 11-15 all-time in homecoming games after last year's dismantling of Liberty where Monmouth racked up a program record 608 yards of offense. It has rained seven of the last 11 years on Monmouth's homecoming. MU is 10-13 on homecoming games played in October and 1-2 in November. Monmouth is 1-2 against Big South opponents on homecoming. ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER RECORD FOR REGGIE WHITE JR After setting the program record for receptions last game against Wagner, Reggie White Jr. set the program record for career receiving yards with 2,900, passing Miles Austin (2,867). His 23 career touchdown receptions moved him into sole possession of second all-time for career touchdown catches.. The second straight game White Jr. set a Monmouth receiving record in impressive fashion, scoring on the record-breaking catch. White Jr. finished with seven catches for 93 yards against the Bison and leads the team in receptions, yardage and touchdowns. After going the first four weeks of the season without a touchdown reception he has three in the last two games. DID YOU KNOW? Monmouth has outscored its last two opponents 42-13 in the fourth quarter to seal home victories against Bucknell and Wagner. Freshman Juwon Farri has accounted for three of those scores. Campbell has been impressive in the first quarter of games, dominating opponents to the tune of 89-10.