HAWKS RUN PAST CAMPBELL ON HOMECOMING, 38-21
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Led by freshman Juwon Farri's (Germantown, MD/Northwest) 239 yards and two touchdowns, the Monmouth University football team defeated Campbell in the Big South opener, 38-21. Farri accumulated the second-most rushing yards in Monmouth history in a single game, and was just eight yards short of the all-time record set by David Sinisi in 2008. In total, the Hawks rushed 40 times for 298 yards and four touchdowns. With five catches in the win, senior wide receiver Reggie White Jr. (Randallstown, MD/Milford Mill) broke the Big South record for career receptions (225). Senior defensive back Tymere Berry (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) led the team with 12 total tackles, while sophomore defensive back Justin Terry (Brooklyn, NY/Christ the King) added seven pass breakups. Monmouth is now 9-0 in the new Kessler Stadium dating back to last year, and improves its record to 5-2 on the 2018 season. NOTES AND QUOTES "We are certainly happy with the win. When you get into conference play in the Big South there is not a lot of margin of error when there are only five conference games. The goal is to be 1-0 each week. You can never look down the road because every team is tough, and we are just happy to come off the field with the victory and be 1-0 in conference and we will get ready for the next week. Juwon [Ferri] had an exceptional game and seems to get better each week out there and I am extremely happy with what he is doing and the production we are getting out of him. On the defense side of the ball, I thought an excellent football game. I am very happy with the effort on that side of the ball today." Monmouth Head Coach Kevin Callahan "I thought we had a good plan in place. We knew the quarterback and running back were a guy we had to be careful with. I thought we did a good job with taking away the runs from the quarterback. We made plays on the ball down the field. I am very happy with Tymere [Berry] and Justin Terry with making key pass break ups. We made plays when we had to, so we are just happy with that side of the football." Callahan on the play of the defense "I ran through the tackle and dove for it and I was lucky enough to have a hand on it." Ryan Schoer on the blocked FG "That was a key play for us at the time. It came off a turnover were Campbell took over down inside the 20-yard line and to come off the field without yielding any points I thought was huge for the defense and huge for the way the game played out and it gave the defense a lot of confidence." Callahan on Schoer's block "We knew how much it meant. We knew how good this quarterback and this offense was and we knew the numbers they put up prior to our game. We just wanted to come out and be physical and be dialed in and Justin [Terry] did a great job of that today. He had a great game, he had some big pass break ups on some big plays and I am just proud of our defense and especially the back end." – Monmouth Head Coach Kevin Callahan
Monmouth gained 45 yards on the opening drive of the game, which ended in a 47-yard field goal by Matt Mosquera. It was a career-long for the junior.
Campbell was left with a third-and-2 on its first drive, but Monmouth DL Ryan Schoer made an open-field tackle for a two-yard loss.
The Hawks used a 60-yard run from Farri to get down to Campbell's 10, and junior quarterback Kenji Bahar tossed a six-yard touchdown pass to White Jr. two plays later. Monmouth led 10-0 with 6:43 left in the first quarter.
The Camels were forced into a third-and-10 on the next drive, but QB Daniel Smith threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Snead to make it 10-7.
With 10:56 left in the first half, Monmouth used a 12-play, 80-yard drive in 6:47 to go ahead 17-7. After an 18-yard White Jr. catch, Farri burst through the middle for 25 yards and was called down at the half-yard line. Farri capped off the long drive with a touchdown run.
On the next drive, Monmouth forced Campbell into a fourth-and-15 after a five-yard tackle for loss by Anthony Budd. However, Budd was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty, giving Campbell an automatic first down. The Camels eventually scored on a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Smith. Going into halftime, the Hawks led 17-14.
The Hawks forced a punt on the opening drive of the second half, and then used an 8-play, 76-yard drive to go ahead 24-14. Farri had a 39-yard rush and a 24-yard touchdown on the drive.
Schoer blocked a 43-yard Campbell field goal attempt in the third quarter to keep Monmouth ahead by 10.
Later in the third, Grasso returned a Campbell punt 62 yards down to the one-yard line. Senior Devell Jonesplowed up the middle for the rushing touchdown, giving Monmouth a 31-14 advantage.
Campbell capitalized off a muffed MU punt with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jayson DeMild to Snead to make it 31-21.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Bahar took a play-action run 58 yards down to the Campbell 14. After a 12-yard Farri rush, Jones scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run. The Hawks led 38-21, and a defensive battle the rest of the way would make that the final.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
After setting the Monmouth record for receptions against Wagner and the Monmouth receiving yards record against Bucknell, White Jr. set the Big South record for career receptions. White Jr. passed Gardner-Webb's James Perry III, who held the record with 223.
Coming in to the game, Campbell outscored opponents 89-10 in the first quarter. The Hawks held them to just seven points in the opening frame.
Jones now has 19 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks seventh all-time.
Farri registered his fourth 100-yard game of the season. The rookie has 674 rushing yards and six touchdowns in just seven games.
Grasso's 62-yard punt return is the third longest in Monmouth history. He has 199 punt return yards this season, just 58 away from the single-season program record.
Grasso finished with 154 all-purpose yards; including 105 in punt returns
Farri had 263 all-purpose yards; tying Pete Guerriero's Monmouth record set against Lehigh last season
The Hawks have scored 184 points in four games at home this year (46.0 average).
Monmouth sophomore Colin McCreary booted a 48-yard punt down that was downed by Terry at the CU one.
Monmouth starting center Pete Righi had his 29 game starting streak broken; backup AJ Farris got his first start. John Gallina also missed due to injury with redshirt sophomore Manny Christian earned his first start at guard.
Monmouth improves its record to 12-14 on Homecoming.
UP NEXT The Hawks will take to the road for the first time since September 22, traveling to South Carolina to face Presbyterian. The teams have each won two games in the all-time series. Monmouth earned a 42-21 win last season behind 237 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.