MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Monmouth Announces 2012 Schedule

(This article originally appeared on NewJerseyNewsroom.com)

48 hours before announcing who their star recruits for the 2012 season will be, Monmouth University Football announced the star dates on their 2012 schedule.

The Hawks 2012 quest for the Northeast Conference’s berth for the Football Conference Subdivision’s playoffs will begin on September 1st on the road against Lehigh, who made it to the quarterfinals this year.

Highlights also include the University of Rhode Island coming to West Long Branch, New Jersey for the first time on September 8th and a trip up Ithaca, New York to face Cornell for the first time on Oct. 13.

[Click here to read the rest of the story.]

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Monmouth Beats Central Connecticut 24-12

(From my NewJerseyNewsroom.com article)

Coming off last week’s team effort in defeating Villanova, Monmouth University football felt like they had gained a lot of momentum and confidence. They showed it today.

Using a fast 17-0 start, the Monmouth Hawks (2-1, 1-0) got a big road win against Central Connecticut State University today (2-2, 1-1), beating the Blue Devils 24-12.

The win snapped the longest winning streak in I-AA at 15 games and in the process gave the Hawks a high quality road win, against the team many predicted to win the Northeast Conference. Needless to say, head coach Kevin Callahan was a happy man afterwards.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Monmouth Faces Central Connecticut Saturday

Here’s my preview on Monmouth football’s huge game on Saturday against Central Connecticut State for NewJerseyNewsroom.com:

Monmouth University (1-1, 0-0) at Central Connecticut State University (2-1, 1-0)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Noon – Arute Field, New Britain, Connecticut

Radio: 1160AM, 1310AM, shoresportsnetwork.com

THE LAST WHISTLE: Monmouth is coming one of their biggest wins in program history, a 20-9 victory over Villanova last week that featured stellar play down the stretch from the defense, including linebacker Dan Sullivan’s key touchdown-saving tackle on fourth and goal.

“That was definitely one of the most exciting plays in my entire career.” Sullivan said. “I’ve never been so happy. A play like that really makes all the hours every day working hard pay off.”

[Click here to read more.]

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Monmouth Beats Villanova

(This post originally appeared on NewJerseyNewsroom.com)

Monmouth University football had some work to do after a season-opening loss at home to Lehigh two weeks ago. Evidently, they did a good job fixing the problems in their bye week.

Monmouth (1-1) got possibly the biggest out-of-conference win in program history today, beating Villanova University (0-3), a Colonial Athletic Association team, 20-9 for their first victory of the season.

“I am really happy and excited the way our kids competed and continued to play hard,” said Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan. “There were a number of times in the game that they demonstrated such control and poise and just maintained their concentration on what they had to do. It was a physical game out here I thought our players battled the entire game from start to finish and when things got tight we found ways to come up with big plays. I couldn’t be happier for them.”

[Click here for more.]

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Monmouth Loses to Lehigh

I’m very excited to be back on the Monmouth University football beat for New Jersey Newsroom this year.

Monmouth opened the season on Saturday, losing to Lehigh 49-24. Here was my preview for that game.

Here’s the game story.

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Jose Gumbs is Leader, Teacher of Defense

(This post originally appeared on NJNR Pressbox.)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Monmouth University’s football team will have a young look on defense this year. That means many positions are up for grab on the defensive line, linebacker, and cornerback spots.

But one thing will not change for 2011: senior safety Jose Gumbs. The all-NEC defensive star who led the team in tackling in 2010 has been a constant on an ever-changing Monmouth team. This spring he has taken on another role: teacher.

“It’s more on the field [teaching], because in the classroom everyone understands it,” Gumbs said recently at spring practice. “But when it comes to the field it’s like ‘oh snap, I forgot what we gotta do exactly.’ But most of the time I guess it’s more about communication – I try to be the vocal leader and line everyone up and get everyone on the same page.”

For head coach Kevin Callahan, Gumbs’ expertise is invaluable.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Defense Shines in Monmouth Spring Scrimmage

(This article originally appeared on NJNR Pressbox.)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — To the naked eye, it was clear that the defense reigned supreme over the offense and special teams yesterday at Monmouth’s spring scrimmage, a precursor to next Saturday’s spring game.

In a game that was offense against defense, the defensive line was off the ball faster, making multiple “sacks” (the quarterbacks wore red jerseys), forcing an interception, and returning a fumble recovery for a touchdown. They also blocked numerous field goals.

But sometimes what seems obvious to one person is not so obvious to the head coach. And for Monmouth’s head coach Kevin Callahan, he was extremely pleased overall.

“I thought we had some really good work today,” Callahan said. “We did have a lot of young guys who were able to get a lot of reps. I think that’s a good thing. Spring football is all about development. I think that anytime you can get people a lot of reps on the field it can aid your development. We had a great effort from our team throughout spring practice, and with one week to go I kind of like where we’re at.”

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: Spring Practice Commences, Offense Looks to Strive

(This article originally appeared on NJNR Pressbox.)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Part of the reason for Monmouth University football’s 3-8 record last year can be attributed to lack of fundamentals at key times in close games. They lost four one-point games in 2010, and for coach Kevin Callahan’s team, the focus of spring practice has been on getting stronger and getting back to the basics.

“I thought the [offseason workouts] went really well,” Callahan said recently outside the team equipment room. “We had 24 running sessions, we had approximately 40 lifting sessions since January. I thought we made significant gains in the weight room and our strength levels are much higher than they were going in.

“The biggest thing about spring practice is fundamentals. We’re doing a lot of installation and a lot of teaching right now. We’re trying to some new things on both sides of the ball and trying to install those schemes and work on them. I’ve seen that our guys are hungry are happy and are happy to get back onto the field.”

The offense will be very young going into next year, especially on the offensive line and at some outside playmaking positions. For starting quarterback Kyle Frazier, spring practice is very important to laying the groundwork for a successful final season in a Hawks uniform.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

Read Full Post »

PRESS BOX: Monmouth Football: Monmouth Announces 2011 Recruiting Class

(This post originally appeared on NJNR Pressbox.)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Monmouth University announced their 2011 football recruiting class Thursday, a class that focuses heavily on the defensive side of the ball.

The class includes two defensive lineman, two linebackers and two defensive backs along with two “athletes” who may spend time on that side of the ball.

Head Coach Kevin Callahan was pleased with the additions

“I am very happy and excited about this year’s class,” said Callahan. “It is a very talented group of players that not only satisfies our positional needs but at the same time, I really believe it makes us a better team. Top to bottom it’s an extremely talented group.”

[Click here for the rest of the story.]

Read Full Post »

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL: 2010 Season Review Article

(This post originally appeared on NewJerseyNewsroom’s Press Box.)

Monmouth Head Coach Kevin Callahan will be the first to admit his team’s 3-8 season was frustrating. Callahan’s 18th season in charge was a turbulent one for the Hawks.

“I think from a won-loss record standpoint it was disappointing. We went into the season with much higher aspirations than 3-8,” Callahan said. “We thought we were going to be in a position to compete for the league championship and to compete for the automatic bid that goes along with it, and unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I will say that I am still very happy with the way our players continued to prepare and how hard they played despite the last couple of games we knew we weren’t going to be playing for a championship or anything like that.”

Monmouth was plagued by close losses all season long. Four of the team’s defeats came by one-point in 2010. Callahan looks to use the past season as a learning experience going forward for everyone involved.

“I think what we can do is to continue to coach to put yourself in a better position to win those tight games. And I think a lot of that comes from confidence, a lot of it comes from being in tight games and winning them. What I think you can try to develop is the mentality of mental toughness, and [when] we can get into those tight situations, you’re very confident that you’re going to win. We think that those things you can start to develop throughout the winter and the spring.”

[Click here to read the rest of the story.]

Read Full Post »