Media Day 2019: Monmouth Expects To Compete For Big South Title

WEST LONG BRANCH – Maybe the third time will be the charm for the 2019 Monmouth University football squad.

After finishing second behind Kennesaw State in the Big South the last two seasons when they lost both games to the Owls by a combined score of 68 points, the gap between the two schools appears to be narrowing and many feel the Hawks have a legitimate shot at claiming their first-ever Big South championship.

Kennesaw State was still picked to win the Big South again this season receiving 14 first-place votes and 134 overall points, while Monmouth was picked second with five first-place votes and 122 overall points, well ahead of third place Charleston Southern, which picked up 79 overall points.

Even though the Hawks will be without All American wide receiver Reggie White Jr., who is currently fighting for a roster spot with the NFL’s New York Giants along with teammate and 2018 first-team All-Big South tight end Jake Powell, there’s plenty of reason for optimism and that starts with 2019 Big South preseason Offensive Player of the Year Kenji Bahar.

Bahar, a 2018 All-Big South second-team selection when he passed for 2,626 yards while averaging 251 passing yards per game with 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions, is a seasoned veteran that would like nothing more than finishing off his Monmouth playing career by capturing the Big South championship and the automatic berth to the FCS playoffs.

However, that’s for a later date as the red-shirt senior is laser focused on the upcoming season while also dismissing those preseason accolades as just hype.

“I’m not worried about all that preseason stuff,” Bahar said when asked if felt any pressure after being named preseason OPOY. “My main focus is to compete and win as many games as possible. If we can do that we'll have shot at the conference championship. All that other stuff comes later.”

The Hawks also return two All-Big South running backs in first-team selection Juwan Ferri (139-1047- 8) and second-team pick Pete Guerriero (134-930-8) to compliment Bahar. The two underclassmen helped the Hawks average 242.6 rushing yards per game – second in the Big South.

Short-yardage specialist senior Devell Jones, who rushed for eight touchdowns on just 48 touches, is also back and has looked spectacular in preseason camp after shedding some unwanted weight which could lead to an expanded role this year.

“We have the big-play capabilities and explosiveness with the speed guys (Ferri and Gueriero), who can take the ball a long way, and we got a guy that can run with power when we get down in close,” said Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan. “I’m very happy with the camp Devell Jones is having. He’s really trimmed down from where he was a year ago and has show much greater quickness and speed then he’s shown before but he’s still a load to tackle.”

Jones carried the ball 14 times for 95 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's full-squad scrimmage.

After scampering 65 yards for a touchdown Saturday, all-purpose back, sophomore James Fara, will add some depth at running back.

Callahan is confident the Hawks can make up for the lost production of their top receiving threats from a year ago in White Jr. (71-1133-11) and Vinny Grasso (30-360-3).

“There’s four guys who’ve all been on the field for us before and those guys would be: Lonnie Moore (22-292), Brandon Batts (14-202), Joe Alderelli and Terrance Greene Jr. (16-142-1),” Callahan said. “They all played a year ago and some of them with significant play counts. So it’s not like we don’t have guys who haven’t been of the field before.

Callahan also mentioned: junior Zach Treadway (3-79-1), sophomore Tre Tucker, who caught three passes for 65 yards including a 61-yard touchdown on a bubble screen Saturday, sophomore Assanti Kearny, who scored on a four-yard fade in the back corner of the end zone in Saturday’s scrimmage, sophomore T.J. Fosque and tight ends Gene Scott and Shawn Clark.

“We have guys who’ve played a lot and who can make plays,” said Bahar when asked about his receiver corps. “They just have to step up to the plate. It’s just a matter of who is going to step up and be willing to take that next step, but we have playmakers.”

One of the biggest question marks entering the season is the offensive line which must replace three, three-year starters including All-Big South selections Ryan Wetzel and Peter Reghi. However, the Hawks do return two junior starters in Mahmoud Shabana and Manny Christian to anchor the line.

Callahan likes what he’s seen from a group of about six or seven potential starters now its just a matter of sorting out who fits where.

“I have a starting five in my mind but it’s still in a rotation in practice,” said Callahan. “We’re working in about six or seven guys there and it’s all about trying to find the right five and where they’ll lineup. Some of our progress has been slowed by injuries to our starters so it’s just a matter of where the right fit is going to be. The good thing is there is a nucleus of about seven or eight guys who could step in and play in any one of those spots.”

Junior Justin Szuba, Brian Syracuse, Charles James, sophomore Greg Anderson and seniors A.J. Farris, John Gallina and Tyler Williams are all in the mix for the final three spots on the line.

On the defensive side of the ball, to put it bluntly, the Hawks have to get better. The defense has been a thorn in their side. It has consistently given up huge chunks of yardage and allowed teams to light up the scoreboard leaving it up to the offense to outscore its opposition to give them a chance to win.

For the past three years, the defense has allowed over 30 points per game and over 400 yards of total offense per game. If that trend continues this season, the Hawks will have no shot at winning the Big South.

“We’ve got to be able keep teams from scoring lots of points in order to be successful,” said Callahan when asked about the defense. “We’re very confident our defensive numbers are going to improve this season.”

Four-year starting cornerback Tymere Berry, a 2018 first-team All-Big South selection, heads up a veteran retuning secondary that he feels will spearhead an improved defensive unit capable of being one of the top defenses in the Big South.

“I just believe we’re all anxious to compete for a championship and actually win one,” Berry said. “To do that, the defense has to step up. We’ve all been more proactive in getting into our playbook and being where we need to be on any given play. I’m excited for our secondary – we’ve all been there before. It’s just a matter of getting the details intact and we’ve been doing that the whole camp. I feel the rest of the defense will feed off of us and I’m excited about that.”

Junior cornerback Justin Terry took second-team All-Big South honors a year ago and together with Berry make up the top cornerback tandem in the Big South.

Junior strong safety, Anthony Budd, returns to his starting position after a solid sophomore season in which he posted 45 tackles – fourth on the team. With a year of starting experience under his belt, look for Budd to distinguish himself as one of the top safeties in the Big South.

After seeing action in 11 games last season and posting 21 tackles, junior Hasan Chambers appears to have the inside track on the starting free safety spot.

“The secondary is a wiser group and an experienced group,” said Callahan. “I very happy with what they’re doing.”

Monmouth returns a trio of linebackers that ranked in the top eight in team tackles last year including: senior Evan Powell (32 T, 4 TFL 2 INT), senior Da’Quan Grimes (45 T, 3.5 TFL) and junior DeJaun Cooper (32 T, 3 TFL). Redshirt junior Solomon Manning (10 T, 2 TFL) came on strong last season and will part of the linebacker rotation as well.

“That’s a group of guys that played a lot as young kids last year and they’re all returning,” Callahan said. “And I really like what they’re doing.”

The defensive line is an area of concern for the Hawks after losing three of four starters to graduation.

Junior Eric Massey (20 T, 4 TFL) is the lone returning starter and will anchor the line after recording 2.5 sacks a year ago which was second on the team.

“On and off the field I’ve tried to be the leader coach wants me to be,” said Massey. “I’m just trying to be the best version of myself that I can be. Just trying to be that leader and role model.”

Monmouth recorded just 11 sacks last season as a team and that number needs to rise exponentially if the defense expects to be the vastly improved unit that Callahan expects it to be.

Returning senior defensive end Kahari Scarlett (26 T) should help those sack numbers rise after leading the team with three sacks a year ago and finishing second on the team with seven tackles for loss. Scarlett missed most of the 2017 season with an injury and got stronger and stronger as last season progressed. In the second to last game of the season against Kennesaw State he led the team with eight tackles and was also credited with a quarterback hit.

Junior Kurt Aumer (21 T, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 SKS) and senior Adam Kakar (9T, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 SKS) are prepared to take on bigger roles this season after seeing extensive time on the field last season and will be counted on sure up the play in the trenches.

A name to keep an eye on and a player that Callahan is high on is true freshman defensive lineman DeAndre Clifton. Clifton has worked his way up the depth charts with a phenomenal preseason camp and in Saturday’s scrimmage he recorded a sack and blocked a punt. If Clifton can parlay his breakout fall camp into the regular season that would be a huge boost to the defense.

First-team All-Big South place kicker, senior Matt Mosquera, is back and better than ever. Mosquera was a perfect 41-of-41 on extra points and 10-of-12 on field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. He also averaged 51.5 on kickoffs with 11 touchbacks.

Monmouth wraps up preseason camp on Wednesday and will then begin preparing for its opening day opponent, Western Michigan. The Hawks will travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a Saturday, August 31 game with the kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The Hawks will have their hands full. Western Michigan is an FBS team and is a member of the Mid America Conference (MAC). Last season the Broncos finished 7-6 tied for second in the MAC Western Division and they’re projected to finish second again this season.

“I’m very happy with the way camp has gone so far,” Callahan said. “The one thing about this team that really stands out is the energy and work ethic they’ve brought to the field every single day. They’ve played hard throughout camp and as long as they continue to prepare that way we’re going to be excited about where we go this season.

“I’m not concerned about who we’ve lost,” added Callahan. “What I’m concerned about is what we have and who we have coming back and I’m excited about the talent level, athletic ability and the skill level of all those players coming back.”

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