Monmouth football collapses in 45-31 loss to Campbell, spoiling home opener

Monmouth’s home opener at Kessler Stadium Saturday loomed as an intriguing early-season measuring stick, as the new-look Hawks hosted a Campbell team that lost by 10 points to No. 4 William & Mary, the preseason CAA favorite.

But the end result looked an awful lot like the old Hawks.

In a performance that was eerily similar to last season, Monmouth’s defense was unable to get Campbell off the field in key spots despite employing a more aggressive style, as the Camels scored 24 unanswered points at one point en route to a 45-31 victory, spoiling the home opener in West Long Branch.

And as the game was slipping away, Monmouth’s offense was unable to answer, with Campbell adjusting to keep the Hawks from scoring on five of six possessions when the game was still in doubt, after they scored on four straight possessions to start the game, opening up a 23-7 lead.

The exclamation point came on a 26-yard TD run by Campbell’s Chris McCay with 1:52 remaining.

Monmouth's Jaden Shirden: 165 rushing yards but left favoring his shoulder

Wasted was another great effort by Monmouth junior running back Jaden Shirden, who ran for who ran for 165 yards and a TD, and caught a 22-yrd TD pass late in the third quarter that, along with a two-point conversion, tied the game at 31-all. Shirden came off the field in the final two minutes, and appeared to be favoring his shoulder.

Offsetting Shirden’s heroics was a 152-yard, three-TD performance by Campbell’s NaQuari Rogers. Campbell rolled up 435 yards of offense, including 251 on the ground.

Trailing 31-23, Monmouth rallied with a 12-play, 83-yard drive, with Shirden swinging out of the backfield and up the sideline to catch a 22-yard TD pass from McRay in the back of the end zone,. The Hawks tied the game with a two-point conversion on a shovel pass to tight end Jack Neri with 12 minutes to play.

But the track meet was on, and Campbell drove downfield with Rogers scoring on a 32-yard TD run to put his team back on top, 38-31.

Then Campbell cornerback Keevan Bailey, son of former NFL great  Champ Bailey, picked off a McCray pass intended for Miller, who Bailey did a good job shutting down in the second half. But Monmouth’s defense bent but did not break, and Campbell missed a 48-yard field goal with 4:51 to play.

But Monmouth was unable to score on its final two possessions, with McCray intercepted again on a desperation pass in the final minute.

Campbell quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 184 and a score, and ran for 32 yards and another score.

Monmouth had several players go out with injuries during the game, including cornerback Eddie Morales and left tackle Jordan Hall.

Pregame

Monmouth football vs. Campbell: Scouting report, analysis, prediction

WEST LONG BRANCH – As Monmouth returns to Kessler Stadium for Saturday’s home opener, the Hawks have an opportunity to jump out to a 2-0 start in Colonial Athletic Association play when they host Campbell, their former Big South rival.

It would be a big step forward for a program picked to finish eighth in the CAA’s preseason poll, a year after the Hawks got off to a 3-1 start in the league, only to drop four straight.

“I think last Saturday night was a game in which all three phases complimented each other,” Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said of the Hawks’ 42-23 win at Towson. “We all kind of played off each other, and got energy from each other. The defense coming up with the turnovers, creating short fields for the offense, which in turn was able to put the ball into the end zone, and get some keys scores, and special teams, recovered the fumble on the punt. We’re really playing complimentary football.”That same kind of performance will be key against the Fighting Camels, coming off a resounding 56-7 win at The Citadel.

Here’s a look at today’s CAA matchup. And check back right here Saturday afternoon for complete coverage of Monmouth's game against Campbell:

CAMPBELL (1-1) AT MONMOUTH (1-1)

WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.

WHERE: Kessler Stadium, West Long Branch.

TV/STREAMING: SNY, NBC SPORTS Philadelphia / FloSports.com.

SERIES: Monmouth has won all three meetings with the Fighting Camels, including a 34-17 victory in Buies Creek, North Carolina on Oct. 15, 2021 in the last meeting of these former Big South rivals.

When Monmouth has the ball

The Campbell defense features nine transfers in the starting lineup, with the Camels possessing both size and athletic ability. LB CJ Tillman was an All-Big South performer last season who leads the team in tackles. But Monmouth does what they do, and that surrounds handing the ball to junior RB Jaden Shirden, who had a career high 33 carries in rushing for 145 yards in last week’s 42-23 win at Towson. QB Marquez McCray has been rock solid over the first two games, but has a turnover in each. Cleaning that up against Campbell is critical. Transfer RB Sone Ntoh has scored 4 TDs in five carries, including a 66-yard TD burst against Towson. Ntoh has not come in to relieve Shirden for an entire series yet, but he's shown he’s capable of handling the workload. This will be an important game for Monmouth’s offensive line, which faces a defensive front that is anchored by 346-pound Illinois transfer Verdis Brown. Giving McCray, who has been sacked six times. Giving him enough time to get the ball into the hands of WRs Dymere Miller and Assante Kearney will be key.

When Campbell has the ball

Campbell quarterback, Hajj-Malik Williams was a freshman in 2019, throwing for 169 yards and rushing for 83 more as a Monmouth team that would eventually advance in the FCS Playoffs won, 47-10.  But now Williams is a red-shirt senior, and ranks eighth nationally with 576 passing yards, coming off a 353-yard, 3-TD performance in a 56-7 win over The Citadel. This will be a test for Monmouth’s improved defense, which has been vulnerable to big plays, as well as its LBs, led by CAA Defensive Player of the Week Jake Brown. Monmouth got pressure blitzing against Towson, but needs more pressure from its front four. Williams has four reliable targets downfield in 6-2 Jalen Kelsey (10-162), 6-5 Ezeriah Anderson, VJ Wilkins (11-162, 2 TDs) and Chaney Fitzgerald (10-88). Monmouth’s secondary is one of its strengths, and the experienced group will have to keep everything in front of them. RB Lamagea McDowell (6-2, 230) has already scored three TDs.

Special teams

Monmouth has been solid with freshman K Michael Calton and sophomore P Luke Schabel, while getting a key turnover in the fourth quarter on a fumble recovery off a punt return vs. Towson.

Prediction

Monmouth 35, Campbell 28

From Friday

As Monmouth football hosts Campbell, Mike Minter remembers Sam Mills

WEST LONG BRANCH – It was their thing. Sam Mills, the 5-9 linebacker inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer, and Mike Minter, the 5-10 safety who became close friends with Mills during their time together with the Carolina Panthers.

“He was a short guy, I’m a short guy, playing in the National Football League at a high level,” Minter said. “Every time we saw each other we would stand next to each other and we would see who was taller every single time. We would just laugh about it.”

In reality, Mills was larger than life, with the Long Branch native and Montclair State standout losing his courageous battle with intestinal cancer in 2005.

On Saturday, Minter brings his Campbell (N.C.) University team to Monmouth for a critical early-season Coastal Athletic Association test at Kessler Stadium, a short distance from where Mills grew up.

It will be the second time Minter has visited the Jersey Shore since attending Mills’ funeral in 2005, with Campbell having lost a Big South game at Monmouth in 2018.

Monmouth football: Harvard grad Sone Ntoh flashes punishing, explosive style in 3 TD game

“I think when a person lives through truth, they become special to everybody,” Minter said. “He was so genuine to who he was that he lived his life in truth. And when you’re humble, too, that’s a special mixture of ingredients. And that’s really what everybody was drawn to.”

Keep pounding

Minter, an All-American at Nebraska, was taken in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Panthers, when Mills was entering the final season of his career, having established himself as ferocious defender, first with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL, and later as a Pro Bowler with the New Orleans Saints and Panthers.

“I come in as a rookie and it was probably three practices in when he was like, ‘hey young fella, you can play.’ And you’re hearing that from Sam Mills, All-Pro, a big-time name and I was a rookie, that meant a lot to me," said Minter, who played 148 games over 10 seasons with the Panthers before retiring in 2007. "Our relationship started right there.”

When Mills retired after the 1997 season, with nearly 1,300 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 11 interceptions over 12 seasons, he coached the Panthers’ linebackers.

Mills provided the inspiration for the Panthers’ run to the Super Bowl in 2003, never missing a game despite going through brutal chemotherapy treatments. And it was Mills who delivered an emotional speech to the team before a wildcard game against Dallas, with the “keep pounding” message remaining the team’s mantra to this day.

“He didn’t change. He lived in truth, and my truth is I have cancer right now,” Minter said. “The truth is I’m fighting it right now. The truth is that I am going through chemo. The truth is that I am a coach and I am going to coach games. All of that says, ‘man, I want to be like this guy.’ “

Minter continues to use Mills as an example for his own players, having taken the program over in 2013.

“He was always humble, walking through what god was asking him to walk through. And he never complained,” Minter said. “So all those things definitely encourage players going through a tough season, going through moments to be encouraged by that.”

Minter’s team is off to a solid start this season, having lost to No. 4 William & Mary, the CAA favorites, 34-24, in the season opener before pounding The Citadel, 56-7, last Saturday. But having lost all three of his previous encounters with the Hawks, he understands this weekend’s challenge.

“(Monmouth) Coach (Kevin) Callahan’s teams are always the same,” Minter said. “Which means that they are going to be tough, they’re going to be well coached, they’re going to have a big offensive line to get things done, they’re going to have a heck of a running back that runs for 2,000 yards and then they’re going to have a receiver that you have to deal with in the slot, that can do everything.”

And in a game played so close to where his mentor first learned the lessons that would impact the lives of many, you might expect Minter to lean on what he learned from the ultimate underdog in the effort to pull off a big win on the road.

Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: CFB games today: Monmouth vs Campbell football in big CAA showdown