Monmouth football trounced by Albany, 41-0, as Hawks go quietly into offseason
It was a brutal end to an otherwise forgettable season for Monmouth football.
Because instead of playing spoiler against a nationally ranked Albany team with everything to lose, the Hawks went down with a whimper, falling 41-0 at Casey Stadium in Albany, New York Saturday.
Albany improves to 9-3 overall, 7-1 in CAA play. And while the Great Danes finish in a three-way tie atop the CAA standings, Villanova, which beat Delaware Saturday, has the tiebreakers and earns the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. Albany, however, is well-positioned to get an at-large bid to the postseason.
After finishing 5-6 overall and 3-5 in CAA play last season, placing ninth among 13 teams in its first season in the league, Monmouth ends Year 2 at 4-7 and 3-5, tied for 11th in what is now a 15-team league. The Hawks lost four of five down the stretch for the second straight season.
Monmouth is now 5-21 all-time against ranked teams, and 0-2 this season, having lost to No. 22/24 William & Mary. The Hawks have lost four straight to ranked teams since beating No. 9/10 Villanova early last season.
Although Monmouth junior running back Jaden Shirden ran for just 49 yards against one of the top defenses in the CAA, he finishes the regular season with 1,525 yards, which leads all rushers national. Shirden led the country with 1,722 yards last season.
It was much the same for Monmouth senior receiver Dymere Miller, who established program records in single-season receptions and receiving yards a week earlier. He only finished with 52 receiving yards, as Monmouth, with a top-10 offense nationally, was held to just 176 yards of offense. But Miller’s 1,293 yards is tops in the country.
“It was a difficult day to say goodbye to our seniors,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said. “They have contributed so much to the program over the last four, five and six years. They have really enabled us to get to where we are today and I wish we could have ended on a better note for them, but we can’t forget all the positive things they have done for the program.”
Albany took the opening kickoff and put together a time consuming 65-yard drive that took 9:47 off the clock. Monmouth defensive tackle Logan Barnes jumped offsides on a fourth-and-one from the 15. Then sophomore quarterback Reese Poffenbarger threw a lateral to the right to MarQueese Dietz, who fired a nine-yard TD pass to Julien Hicks.
Then Poffenbarger found Hicks behind the defense up the right sideline on a 30-yard TD pass with 11:20 left in the first half, extending Albany’s advantage to 14-0.
At that point, Monmouth had no first downs and minus-6 yards of offense
The rout was on when Griffin Woodell scored untouched on a six-yard yard run to make it 21-0, with a Mike Reid interception at the Monmouth 25 with a minute left in the first half stopping the Great Danes from scoring again.
Monmouth football vs Albany: Scouting report, prediction as Hawks look to play spoiler
It will be a bittersweet afternoon for Monmouth in Albany, New York, as the Hawks close the season out against No. 12/23 Albany, still in the hunt for a CAA title and an FCS Playoff spot.
The Hawks enter the game with a chance to have the top FCS rusher and receiver in the nation this season, with running back Jaden Shirden, who led in rushing yards a year ago, and receiver Dymere Miller topping the stat sheet nationally.
But a loss would give the Hawks a 1-4 record down the stretch for a second straight season, with another sub.-500 season already assured with a 4-6 record after last Saturday’s 31-24 loss to New Hampshire.
MONMOUTH (4-6, 3-4) AT ALBANY (8-3, 6-1)
WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Casey Stadium, Albany, New York.
TV/RADIO: FloSports.com (streaming)/MonmouthHawks.com
SERIES: Albany leads the series, 12-6, with Monmouth winning last season, 38-31, in West Long Branch.
When Monmouth has the ball
Shirden, with 1,429 rushing yards, and Miller, with 1,241 receiving yards, lead the nation in each category by a significant margin. And padding that cushion individually could go a long way towards Monmouth pulling off a season-ending road upset. Miller comes off a monster 333-yard receiving day, 98-yard better than the previous program record, while QB Marquez McCray threw for 402 yards. But it won’t be easy against an Albany defense giving up just 18.7 points, second-fewest in the CAA, while 79.6 yards-per-game on the ground is the best in the CAA by 28 yards. LB Dylan Kelley leads the CAA with 134 tackles, and getting him blocked is the starting point. But LB Ori Jean-Charles is fourth in the CAA with 92 tackles, with the Great Danes featuring some highly-productive players. DB Amari Hall leads the league with 13 passes broken up, and his four picks is tied for the league lead. Protecting the ball and winning the turnover battle will be critical.
When Albany has the ball
After giving up 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter in last week’s loss to New Hampshire, the Hawks need to play 60 minutes to close out the season. CB Eddie Morales has four interceptions on the season, with three coming near the end zone. The Hawks’ playmakers are going to have to come up big in this game. DE Antonio Colclough has been a force in recent weeks, coming off a two-sack performance against New Hampshire, with five sacks over the past four games. Albany has given up 30 sacks this season. QB Reese Poffenbarger threw for 265 yards and ran for another 70 against Monmouth last season, as the Hawks escaped with a win. He’s averaging 237 yards passing this season, with 27 TDs and 8 interceptions. Brevin Easton and Julian Hicks have combined to catch 16 TD passes, with Easton averaging 18.8 yards on 38 catches. RB Griffin Woodell has four TD catches among his 22 receptions, while leading the team with 622 yards rushing and five TDs.
Prediction
Albany 35, Monmouth 24.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: College football today: Monmouth vs Albany
