Looking to Bounce Back

Week two of the season for the Hawks presents a tough challenge in the form of the Black Bears of Maine. Going into the fall, I would have put this game as maybe the most difficult of the three non-conference games that MU has on the schedule. That doesn't change after what happened in week one with a comeback that fell six inches short against Colgate has left Monmouth in that position of avoiding an 0-2 start.

There are certainly positives that the coaches and players can take out of the loss to Raiders which most importantly includes battling back from a 30-13 deficit and have an opportunity to win in the last two minutes when it could've gotten a whole lot worse. The downside for Monmouth is that there are no moral victories in sports and 0-2 can be tough to bounce back from for any team so the pressure is on for this batch of Hawks.

Maine is in a similiar situation as the Black Bears got blanked on the scoreboard by Albany in a 3-0 loss last Thursday. UM plays in arguably the best FCS conference in the country in the Colonial Athletic Association and a look at their schedule would tell you that this game is equally as important to Maine as it is to Monmouth to get an early win. Next up after Monmouth for Maine in order; Syracuse, William and Mary, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Villanova. YIKES.

Keys to this one for the Hawks ..

Get off to a good start on both sides of the ball .. The defense, which has been hampered by injuries, needs to make some first half stops and help get the offense the ball more then four times in the first 30 minutes. Some fault falls to the offense who had three seperate 3 and outs in the first half. It has to be more balanced with both sides of the ball are helping out each other.

Open the field up & get it deep .. There was a lot of talk in the preseason about the receiving core for this team and the great mix of speed and possession that the wideouts had. Several of them got a touch or two against Colgate but missing was freshman Mitchell Pollard who is the speed guy for this offense. An early touch for #88 would only open things up for names like Romeo, George, and Folsom.

Keep kicking game rolling .. Jack Daniels looks like a different punter than the past couple years and is crushing the ball right now. Eric Spillane performed very well in his first collegiate game. Coverage units need some work but Bobby Giles took one back 90 yards for a score.

Kickoff is at 1pm in the home opener at Kessler Field .. Pregame at 12:45pm .. 1160/1310 AM