Week three of the college season for the Blue and White offers up a unique challenge in the form of the Monarchs of ODU. This was perhaps the best game of the season a year ago and certainly the best win in a great atmosphere. I can still remember the 31-28 victory for MU behind a monster performance out of RB David Sinisi and the coming out party for QB Kyle Frazier.
The first two weeks of the season have been a challenge for Monmouth with close losses to Colgate and Maine. Both games have been competitive and with three or four plays in each game going the Hawks way rather than the opposition, they could easily be 2-0 rather than 0-2. The only problem with that logic, is so far none of those plays have gone Monmouth's way and at some point a team has to make its own luck.
Two positives thru 2 games:
In both games, there were points that the team could have folded and let the game get out of control but in neither case did that happen so the team has some resiliency even though it has not transferred into wins. Playing teams that have more scholarships in your non-conference schedule might not always result in wins but it should get you ready for the NEC.
Might seem like a stretch to make this a positive but the punting of Jack Daniels has been tremendous. He leads the nation (FCS) in punting heading into the weekend and though it is a part of the game that might get lost to the casual fan, a good punter is a weapon that teams can use to their advantage. Field position is such a big part of the game and punting plays a huge role in that.
Two negatives thru 2 games:
The conversions on third down have been dreadful (2/23) combined for weeks 1 & 2 and if Monmouth has any chance of getting back in the win column this has to get better. The responsibility for this falls on the offense and I am quite sure it has been the focus of meetings and practice for the last two weeks.
Injuries continue be a problem on the defensive side of the ball and with some players that won't be back at all this season, this could be an issue all season long. That being said the players that are on the field have to step up a little more and make plays when called on. It is easy for me to write that but when the team is missing up to 5 players that may have been starters on defense going into the season there are going to be some bumps and bruises along the way.
This games looms large for MU against ODU and it is believe or not a revenge game for the Monarchs. There is talent on both sides of the ball for ODU with speed and good returning QB in Tom DeMarco while the defense will show Monmouth a lot of different looks. A win will do wonders for the Hawks after bye week and before the conference opener. Any team that is 0-2 when it could be 2-0 there might be some confidence problems. There has to be a sense of urgency for MU this week as 0-3 is tough to bounce back from for any team.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Let the Games Begin
One of the hottest weeks of the summer wouldn't make you think about the football season getting started but there a lot of teams hitting the gridiron this weekend to start off the 2010 season. Among those teams are the Monmouth University Hawks under the direction of the only head coach the school has ever known, Kevin Callahan. MU has a repeat season opener as they head back up to Colgate for a 6pm kickoff on Saturday night.
There are many questions that surround this year's edition of the Blue and White. Here are some the big ones that I see;
>>>How does MU survive the first three non-conferernce games?
Colgate, Maine, and Old Dominion .. That is a tough way to start the season as the Raiders are picked to win the Patriot League and start the year in the top 25 while Maine is a usually a very solid playoff type team and one would think ODU is seeking revenge after Monmouth took a 31-28 decision in 2009.
The positives in the schedule for this stretch would be two of these games are at home with a bye week sandwiched in between weeks two and three. So what is an acceptable start to the season? 2-1 would be great I think and part of that is to try to grab the first one against Colgate. 1-2 would be OK as long as the team plays well and stays healthy because it really boils down to the conference slate in the big picture and trying to grab the first ever automatic bid into the FCS playoffs for the Northeast Conference.
>>>Can the defense be better than it was a year ago?
The easiest answer is, let's hope so. At times last year the defense won a game or two for the Hawks but more often than not on that side of the ball gave up too many big plays at bad times. The concern is the front seven with only Dave Ogden back in the front four and the linebacking corps battling thru some injuries. Monmouth will need to mix and match a little bit until everyone is healthy or some other players emerge from a talented group of underclassmen.
The good news is the secondary could be loaded with Jose Gumbs and Kendall Haley both all conference type players and the corners should be solid as well with names like Bynum, Phillips, Amsel, and Avent. This could be the deepest group that MU has had in the back four in a long time.
>>>What does Monmouth do to replace Dave Sinisi?
This is a tough one because he was everything for this team week in and week out. I think gone are the days where anyone carries the ball more then 20 times a game and the passing game is crucial to the Hawks success this year. Replacing Sinisi can't be done but spreading the ball around can be done and you might be surprised by the balance of this unit this season and how it helps out.
Kyle Frazier being back at QB helps a ton and names like Giles & Sloan El will have to carry the workload in backfield because no team can win without at least a presence of a running game. The receiving unit is as loaded as it has been in years with a potential of 7 receivers really making an impact and that doesn't even include TE Tyler George who is a favorite target of Frazier.
>>>How much has Kyle Frazier improved in the offseason?
>>>Can the special teams be an asset this year?
With Jack Daniels booming kicks in preseason it looks like the punting game is in good shape and the kicking game should be better and more consistent with Eric Spillane and Jared Goodarz sharing the load for now. MU has some explosive guys returning kicks as well with names like Romeo, Pollard, & Giles all having the ability to take one back to the house.
There are many questions that surround this year's edition of the Blue and White. Here are some the big ones that I see;
>>>How does MU survive the first three non-conferernce games?
Colgate, Maine, and Old Dominion .. That is a tough way to start the season as the Raiders are picked to win the Patriot League and start the year in the top 25 while Maine is a usually a very solid playoff type team and one would think ODU is seeking revenge after Monmouth took a 31-28 decision in 2009.
The positives in the schedule for this stretch would be two of these games are at home with a bye week sandwiched in between weeks two and three. So what is an acceptable start to the season? 2-1 would be great I think and part of that is to try to grab the first one against Colgate. 1-2 would be OK as long as the team plays well and stays healthy because it really boils down to the conference slate in the big picture and trying to grab the first ever automatic bid into the FCS playoffs for the Northeast Conference.
>>>Can the defense be better than it was a year ago?
The easiest answer is, let's hope so. At times last year the defense won a game or two for the Hawks but more often than not on that side of the ball gave up too many big plays at bad times. The concern is the front seven with only Dave Ogden back in the front four and the linebacking corps battling thru some injuries. Monmouth will need to mix and match a little bit until everyone is healthy or some other players emerge from a talented group of underclassmen.
The good news is the secondary could be loaded with Jose Gumbs and Kendall Haley both all conference type players and the corners should be solid as well with names like Bynum, Phillips, Amsel, and Avent. This could be the deepest group that MU has had in the back four in a long time.
>>>What does Monmouth do to replace Dave Sinisi?
This is a tough one because he was everything for this team week in and week out. I think gone are the days where anyone carries the ball more then 20 times a game and the passing game is crucial to the Hawks success this year. Replacing Sinisi can't be done but spreading the ball around can be done and you might be surprised by the balance of this unit this season and how it helps out.
Kyle Frazier being back at QB helps a ton and names like Giles & Sloan El will have to carry the workload in backfield because no team can win without at least a presence of a running game. The receiving unit is as loaded as it has been in years with a potential of 7 receivers really making an impact and that doesn't even include TE Tyler George who is a favorite target of Frazier.
>>>How much has Kyle Frazier improved in the offseason?
He has looked pretty good in the two scrimmages I saw and you would have to think that with a whole year under his belt that things will be much smoother for Frazier. He has an excellent arm and with the offense having some new weapons for him to throw to, it might make the transition away from Sinisi much easier.
He has the tools and showed flashes of brillance last season and now this is his team for sure. There will be a lot expected from him this season and he really does hold the key for the Hawks to have a successful season. With a very good offensive line in front of him, it should make life better for #10.
>>>Can the special teams be an asset this year?
With Jack Daniels booming kicks in preseason it looks like the punting game is in good shape and the kicking game should be better and more consistent with Eric Spillane and Jared Goodarz sharing the load for now. MU has some explosive guys returning kicks as well with names like Romeo, Pollard, & Giles all having the ability to take one back to the house.
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