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Monmouth Makes History & More CAA Football Takeaways From Week 4

Monmouth Makes History & More CAA Football Takeaways From Week 4

Monmouth's program-first win over an FBS provided one of the top storylines of Week 4 in CAA football.

Sep 23, 2024 by Kyle Kensing
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The Monmouth Hawks went into FIU's Pitbull Stadium and had the time of their lives. 

It seems only fitting that in the venue named for the king of Miami, Mr. Worldwide himself, Monmouth's 45-42 win went down on a play with Deuce Lee yelling timber. His goal-line tackle of FIU receiver Eric Rivers preserved the first defeat of an FBS opponent in Monmouth football history. 

"I seen the ball coming my way. He got outside of me a little bit, but I started taking an angle to cut him off at the pylon. He cut inside me of, I was able to get him in a bear hug," Lee said after the game per the Monmouth Digital Network. "Throughout the whole drive I was thinking, we always stress this, getting the ball, getting the ball, no matter if it's an interception, fumble, whatever.

"The last drive [before Lee's play], we got a fumble [forced by] Alex Odom," Lee added, pointing to another critical defensive stop by the Hawks. "We just stress that, and [the final play] just happened to fall in my hands." 

Monmouth's defense play down the stretch somewhat ironically overshadows what was a special performance for the Hawks offense. That goes without saying when the Hawks put up 45 points, but how they reached that number is significant. 

Quarterback Derek Robertson went off for 361 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns. He's thrown for at least 355 yards in all four games this season and leads the nation with 1,496. His 13 passing touchdowns also lead FCS. 

Meanwhile, leading target Josh Derry sets the pace nationally with 470 receiving yards — 108 of which came on seven receptions at FIU — and he made his fourth touchdown catch of the campaign on Saturday. 

But the Hawks passing attack has clicked since a Week 1 loss at Eastern Washington. A rejuvenated rushing game helped Monmouth knock off FIU, and it bore some resemblance to the prolific ground offense that defined the team in recent seasons. 

With Rodney Nelson ripping off 8.4 yards per carry en route to 117 in total, the sophomore showed flashes of another No. 20 to don the navy blue and silver: All-American sensation Jaden Shirden. 

Nelson's explosiveness helped set the table for Sone Ntoh to hammer in three rushing touchdowns, giving Monmouth a speed-and-strength combination akin to last year, when Monmouth ranked No. 19 nationally running the ball. 

 Coach Kevin Callahan's postgame statement about the steady progression of the Monmouth resonates in an especially profound way coming off of such a landmark win. 

The Hawks now embark on a four-game homestand, beginning Sept. 28 with their non-conference finale vs. Fordham. Keep an eye on Monmouth over the next month as it looks to turn around an 0-2 start into playoff contention. 

Sep 28, 5:00 PM UTC

2024 Fordham vs Monmouth


Stony Brook is For Real

On the topic of turnarounds, none anywhere in college football may be as impressive as that of Stony Brook. 

Four games into the Billy Cosh era at Stony Brook, the Seawolves have surpassed their win total from the 2022 and 2023 seasons combined. With an impressive showing in Week 4 at Campbell, Stony Brook is above .500 in Costal Athletic Association play for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic and has its first road league win since the COVID-shortened spring 2021 season.

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To say Stony Brook's rebuild is ahead of schedule would be a severe understatement. The Seawolves finished 0-10 in 2023, and with a 39.2-point per game scoring yield, ranked fourth-to-last in the nation defensively. Fast-forward to 2024, and Stony Brook ranks No. 37 in FCS at 23.3 points allowed per game — though that figure's somewhat misleading given 45 of the 93 total points it allowed were in Week 1 vs. FBS opponent Marshall. In holding Campbell to 17 points, the Seawolves defense has held FCS competition to an average of 16 points per game.

Stony Brook's remarkable reversal on that side of the ball is a testament to the playmakers, including Rushawn Lawrence, who has been a presence in opposing backfields; Rudy Silvera, with his lockdown play against the pass; and Anthony Ferrelli, the versatile heart of the Seawolves defense. They have also been put in position to thrive under the direction of coordinator Scott Lewis, whose work at Saint Francis left an impression on Stony Brook head coach Cosh in prior CAA play. 

Cosh said of Lewis' hiring that the defensive coordinator that Cosh was "always impressed by how hard his guys played and how multiple he was on defense." When Cosh was offensive coordinator at Richmond in 2022, the Spiders met the NEC championship-winning Saint Francis team. 

The Red Flash made Cosh's Spiders offense work for everything it got. That same approach is now working for Stony Brook. 

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The Seawolves close non-conference play at home in Week 5 hosting Morgan State. They could very well carry a four-game winning streak into their CAA return when they host Villanova on Oct. 5. 

William & Mary Run Game is A Matchup Nightmare

Anyone who has paid attention to CAA football in the last few years knew that Bronson Yoder's return from injury would make the William & Mary rushing offense formidable. After all, Yoder rushed for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns in the Tribe's 11-win, CAA title-winning 2022 campaign. 

Paired with Malachi Imoh, who went for 722 sharing carries with Yoder in 2022, and 855 last season as the primary rusher, there was little doubt the run game would be the linchpin of William & Mary's 2024 offense. 

But four games into the campaign, the Tribe have arguably exceeded expectations in that regard. Their output against Furman in Week 4 was particularly impressive, with Yoder and quarterback Darius Wilson going for 166 and 155 yards to pace William & Mary to 384 on the ground in total. 

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Yoder and Wilson's combined ball-carrying powered a rally from an early 14-0 deficit, and in the process, the Tribe improved to 3-0 vs. FCS opponents. All represented the SoCon, giving William & Mary an unofficial stake to the conference's title in 2024. 

With the SoCon "crown" en tow, the Tribe roll into CAA competition with a Week 5 regional showdown against Hampton sporting the conference's best rushing production. William & Mary is averaging 243.5 yards per game via the run, fifth-most in FCS. Second among all CAA teams? Hampton at 208 a game, good for 13th nationally. 

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