Monmouth vs. Holy Cross

[crusader11]

Looking forward to this one. I think this was probably the best draw HC could have asked for. No disrespect to Monmouth, but would rather be playing them than Villanova or Albany.

I wonder what the spread will be. Guessing Monmouth -10.5. Probably a fairy low O/U as HC’s offense is fairly pedestrian and defense pretty good.

Does Monmouth have an active message board?

HC’s is http://crossports.freeforums.net/ for those interested.

[caribbeanhen]

be careful what you wish for.... I understand your sentiments though, but Monmouth has some playmakers.... RB Gueirriero has close to 500 yards rushing in last 2 games

[crusader11]

I’m looking forward to seeing this Gueirriero kid. Seems like the real deal.

HC’s run defense is fairly stout. Giving up 79.5 rushing yards in PL games and about 140 yards per game overall.

[Blue Waves Crest]

Looking forward to this game. Haven’t seen any of Holy Cross this year, but at a quick glance it looks like you guys scheduled up and are tested with 2 FBS losses, 3 Ivies (1-2) and a CAA (1-0) and battled in a down year for the Patriot League. On the other hand this Monmouth team is the best in school history, not that HC and MU have the same history but the Hawks are feelin it. I would imagine they feel somewhat overlooked after thinking a bye could be in play, and being given a prospective second round matchup against one of the two borderline FBS-talent teams playing in our subdivision. I think Monmouth fans should expect a highly physical game and a team that still has something to prove. The beauty of this time of year is that everyone has something to prove, so I’m looking forward to our school’s first-ever home game in the FCS playoffs


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[caribbeanhen]

I’m looking forward to seeing this Gueirriero kid. Seems like the real deal.

HC’s run defense is fairly stout. Giving up 79.5 rushing yards in PL games and about 140 yards per game overall.

Yes, much more stout than Hampton and Campbell... lets see what Pedro can do against a good run Defense, good playoff match up

[ngineer]

Good match up for the Crusaders. Monmouth certainly favored, but HC very capable of winning this. Monmouth had a tight one early in the season with Lafayette. They have some playmakers, but HC is very capable. Good luck Crusaders!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I have Monmouth by 14-17. The Hawks have been rolling as of late. Their domination of Kennesaw State was extremely impressive. I know AGS loves to have on KSU because of their conference (AGS tradition) but they're a good worthy playoff team in 24 team field. The Hawks definitely have some big time athletes of offense. I have to believe a few key 5th year guys?

Holy Cross is the weakest team in the field and is really only there because someone had to represent the PL. They have some good players on defense but can be had by quality offenses which Monmouth has. Offensively the Crusaders likely will be without Ayeni which is a huge loss. I have little faith in Degenhardt being able to make the needed plays against a good team. If Monmouth controls Cozier HC will be lucky to score 20 points.

I have Monmouth in the 34-20, 31-17 range.

[Blue Waves Crest]

Good match up for the Crusaders. Monmouth certainly favored, but HC very capable of winning this. Monmouth had a tight one early in the season with Lafayette. They have some playmakers, but HC is very capable. Good luck Crusaders!

The Lafayette game was weird, as were a couple of Monmouth’s early season nonconference games, the types of games where you get a good performance from 2/3 phases and one doesn’t show up. Monmouth struggled to move the ball in the second half and let Lafayette hang around. Followed by a blown 21 point lead against Albany, and an offensive sleepwalking against Wagner. They found a way to win those games and have been executing in all three phases for the entire Big South schedule


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[ngineer]

I have Monmouth by 14-17. The Hawks have been rolling as of late. Their domination of Kennesaw State was extremely impressive. I know AGS loves to have on KSU because of their conference (AGS tradition) but they're a good worthy playoff team in 24 team field. The Hawks definitely have some big time athletes of offense. I have to believe a few key 5th year guys?

Holy Cross is the weakest team in the field and is really only there because someone had to represent the PL. They have some good players on defense but can be had by quality offenses which Monmouth has. Offensively the Crusaders likely will be without Ayeni which is a huge loss. I have little faith in Degenhardt being able to make the needed plays against a good team. If Monmouth controls Cozier HC will be lucky to score 20 points.

I have Monmouth in the 34-20, 31-17 range.

Yes, if HC without a key receiver, that will let MU focus on stopping Crozier. Can't argue with a two-score differential.

[grizband]

Monmouth has a legit QB and RB; they are a tough team.

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[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Yes, if HC without a key receiver, that will let MU focus on stopping Crozier. Can't argue with a two-score differential.

I don't think they'll get blown out because their defense is pretty good. But they don't have the horses. Yale and Harvard kept them at arms length for 60 minutes. I expect a similar type game. Chesney has as many wins over teams that finished with a winning record as he does PL Titles, one, in his two season as HC's head coach. Stats like that only exist in the PL...lol

[crusader11]

Well, to provide some context to Owl’s post, HC has had exactly one opportunity for a win against a team with a winning record in the PL over the last two years — that was Colgate last season in the season opener, Chesney’s first game as head coach.

[crusader11]

I don't think they'll get blown out because their defense is pretty good. But they don't have the horses. Yale and Harvard kept them at arms length for 60 minutes. I expect a similar type game.

Agree with this.

HC’s offense just isn’t explosive or consistent enough to put up points to stay with Monmouth. We will need some “college football plays” (special teams TD, turnovers, trick plays etc.) to have a chance.

HC’s offense is very unimaginative and we are limited by our QB’s abilities. Degenhardt is a good game manager, but won’t win a game.

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

I had Monmouth as #7 in my poll, and I would have seeded them as such. I expect them to be playing with a chip on their shoulder. I look forward to watching this one and studying who will be coming to JMU the following week in round 2, which I suspect will be Monmouth. Good luck to both teams!!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I would seriously considering going to the this game if Michigan-Ohio State wasn't at noon. I went to the Colgate-JMU game last year as a loyal supporter of PL football. Monmouth is also a pretty easy drive for me. I'm not a fan of the NYC metro area at all but thankfully MU's campus is pretty easy to get to from I-80.

[Professor Chaos]

Here's how they stack up statistically (national FCS rank in parenthesis):

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49119972962_f11101e24a_o.jpg

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Here's how they stack up statistically (national FCS rank in parenthesis):

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49119972962_f11101e24a_o.jpg

Those are some ugly stats for Holy Cross! Especially when you consider they played 7 games against truly bad teams.

[crusader11]

Defensive stats are good. Offense, not so much.

[Sader87]

Homah...but HC is a fairly decent team. Cozier is a very good FCS RB, the defense is fairly solid, have some receiving playmakers etc....Monmouth would be very derelict (which they won't ) in looking past HC

[grayghost06]

Does anyone know if Holy Cross put in a bid to host? Don't know about this year- but in the previous two years, HC doubled Monmouth's average attendance.

[crusader11]

HC draws fairly well. Average home attendance this year was 8,500, which is tops in the PL.

Not sure if they put in a bid to host.

Just looked it up and Monmouth averages 2,774 / game. Obviously, not great.

HC travels well, so imagine we will have a nice contingent on Saturday.

[MUHAWKS]

Hello All- Not too much to add other than that I know we will not be looking past Holy Cross- Not saying there is any real reason to do so, but on paper we would probably be looked at as a moderate favorite and assuming both teams play their best game I think the common thought would be we would/should be 12-14 pt favorites. But this team has a real chemistry and a lot of leadership so I am in no way worried about not showing up or looking past..

I know there are/were thoughts of our place not being ideal to play but its a 2 year old facility with decent amenities. New, updated and big heated bathrooms, decent concessions and although the stadium is small, we will have endzone seating as well so should be able to comfortably accommodate 5-6k. Being a holiday weekend there will not be too many students and seeing as how we have dog ***** turnouts most of the time for home games I would think it will be just fine. I also think it will be an intimate and fired up setting. We are extremely excited.

[BurialGround]

Monmouth should be the favorite, but this game is definitely no guarantee either way. This Monmouth team is a step better than the one that made the playoffs two years ago. Their QB is legit, and he's improved a lot over the last few seasons. They have a few other playmakers, including the RB. The defense is also better and much tougher.

However, I'll be the first to tell you that this isn't the same KSU team as the last two years. To most on here, their beatdown of us seems to be proof that we've always been an overrated program, but this just isn't the same team. The offense lost too much (from graduation and injuries), and almost the entire defensive coaching staff evaporated. We're no longer the disciplined, hard-hitting team of the past, and our gameplan for the Monmouth game (mostly a soft zone with the CBs lined up 10 yards off the WRs) was a 180 from the last two years and easy pickings for MU's QB. This is despite returning almost everyone on our defensive 2-deep.

I'll be rooting for the Hawks. I think they'll win, but it'll be interesting to see what happens if they run into a defense that is physical and hits the way KSU used to.

[Fordham]

Let's go HC!!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Does anyone know if Holy Cross put in a bid to host? Don't know about this year- but in the previous two years, HC doubled Monmouth's average attendance.

HC does not have lights. That has been an issue in the past.

[caribbeanhen]

HC does not have lights. That has been an issue in the past.

were they expecting a half time protest.... start the game at noon.... should be over by nautical twiight

[PAllen]

were they expecting a half time protest.... start the game at noon.... should be over by nautical twiight

He's referring to a few years ago when Lehigh played at UNH. The rumor was that all games had to have a 2:30PM start (or something to that effect) and since Goodman didn't have lights, Lehigh was ineligible to host. I'd bet it was more the admin not submitting a hosting packet a la 1998.

[Bisonator]

Add a poll please

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

He's referring to a few years ago when Lehigh played at UNH. The rumor was that all games had to have a 2:30PM start (or something to that effect) and since Goodman didn't have lights, Lehigh was ineligible to host. I'd bet it was more the admin not submitting a hosting packet a la 1998.

There was no bid system in 1998. The teams were seeded 1-16. Richmond was the 3 seed and Lehigh 14.The bid process started in 2001 to limit travel following 9/11. Lehigh outbid Hofstra in 2001 and JMU in 2004. I thought losing a home game to Towson in 2011 and UNH in 2016 were weak sauce. However, after talking to a NH state rep in 2016 Lehigh wasnt going to outbid UNH. They made 100% sure UNH was hosting at their then renovated stadium with lights! The Towson game started at 3 or 4 iirc.

[PAllen]

There was no bid system in 1998. The teams were seeded 1-16. Richmond was the 3 seed and Lehigh 14.The bid process started in 2001 to limit travel following 9/11. Lehigh outbid Hofstra in 2001 and JMU in 2004. I thought losing a home game to Towson in 2011 and UNH in 2016 were weak sauce. However, after talking to a NH state rep in 2016 Lehigh wasnt going to outbid UNH. They made 100% sure UNH was hosting at their then renovated stadium with lights! The Towson game started at 3 or 4 iirc.

Towson game was a 3:30 start.

Prior to the current bid system, which if I remember correctly was invented by Lehigh's AD in the aftermath of Sept. 11, teams were required to submit a host package (admittedly, I don't remember the details of what that entailed) in order to be considered for a seed. Lehigh was in line for a seed, but the admin didn't submit the package, so we got shipped to Richmond. We would have hosted UMass or UConn if we had.

[crusader11]

Add a poll please

How are you able to do that after having already created a thread?

[Blue Waves Crest]

I know there are/were thoughts of our place not being ideal to play but its a 2 year old facility with decent amenities. New, updated and big heated bathrooms, decent concessions and although the stadium is small, we will have endzone seating as well so should be able to comfortably accommodate 5-6k. Being a holiday weekend there will not be too many students and seeing as how we have dog ***** turnouts most of the time for home games I would think it will be just fine. I also think it will be an intimate and fired up setting. We are extremely excited.

I saw the promos that there will be endzone seating, followed the link to check it out and that’s just what they’re calling the pre-existing sections along the goal lines. That’s extremely deceiving, I would’ve gladly sat behind the endzone.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191129/4ec56a1087f49e354c3c1ff8e30a29d2.jpg

That aside, I’m still pretty stoked for this game. This team is the best one we’ve ever had and they deserve a great turnout and a fired-up crowd


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[Schism55]

Excited for this game. I think Monmouth is legit, if so this should be a beatdown.

[Sader87]

Doubt very much this will be a beatdown either way....probably a one score game, possibly the winnah determined by whomevah wins the turnovah battle.

[caribbeanhen]

Excited for this game. I think Monmouth is legit, if so this should be a beatdown.

excited for game? kind of yes

Monmouth is legit? more so than ever, but define legit?

this should be a beatdown? not so fast, Holy Cross Defense could be the great equalizer..... better than most D's Monmouth has seen this year

In the end Monmouth skill players are good enough to make some plays that will get them this game

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The Wedge's take....

http://thefcswedge.com/a-look-at-what-is-happening-around-the-country/patriot-league-first-round-playoff-preview-holy-cross-at-monmouth/

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

excited for game? kind of yes

Monmouth is legit? more so than ever, but define legit?

this should be a beatdown? not so fast, Holy Cross Defense could be the great equalizer..... better than most D's Monmouth has seen this year

In the end Monmouth skill players are good enough to make some plays that will get them this game

The problem with Holy Cross's defense is they mostly feasted on PL defenses. Even then, Lafayette and Lehigh were able to do significant damage through the air. Holy Cross's strength in the secondary is Riley's and Stefanik's size that allow them make plays near the LOS. They really don't have any lock down cover guys.

If Holy Cross had gone 6-0 in the PL and dominated I would feel better about their chances. But they struggled against terrible competition for the most part. Heck, arguably their most impressive league win came on the road against Fordham; a game they trailed 14-0 at half. The Crusaders thankfully won the PL this year with a winning record. Still, they're one of the weakest playoff reps the league has had since 1997; 2006 Lafayette, 2007 Fordham, 2013 Lafayette and 2017 Lehigh being the others.

[Sader87]

The Wedge's take....

http://thefcswedge.com/a-look-at-what-is-happening-around-the-country/patriot-league-first-round-playoff-preview-holy-cross-at-monmouth/

I think it highly unlikely Monmouth scores 41 points tomorrow.

Monmouth has beat up/scored on a lot of bad teams imo...HC is by no means a very strong team this year, but their only real stinkah game this year at the FCS level was the Lafayette game which they lost the turnover battle 0-5 and only lost 20-23. Much the same can be said for the Harvard game.

If we can limit turnovers tomorrow, the Saders should be in decent shape to possibly steal this one on the road.

[Bill]

I would seriously considering going to the this game if Michigan-Ohio State wasn't at noon. I went to the Colgate-JMU game last year as a loyal supporter of PL football. Monmouth is also a pretty easy drive for me. I'm not a fan of the NYC metro area at all but thankfully MU's campus is pretty easy to get to from I-80.

Just busting your chops here...but really? In my parochial view of NJ, I don't consider Monmouth easy to get to from I-80 at all!

[DFW HOYA]

I-80 is nowhere near Monmouth.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I-80 is nowhere near Monmouth.

Relatively speaking it is; take 80 to 280 to the Garden State. 80 will get you within 25-30 miles of campus. It's basically highway the entire way which given New Jersey's awful road network is a win. Try getting to Princeton from Scranton....

[Sader87]

Someone go find Joe Piscopo....he'l know :)

[NY Crusader 2010]

My quick take: A line of -10.5 makes sense. MU beat Lafayette by 4 points. If HC executes the way we should, this should be a competitive game.

The RB Guerriero is good but doesn't scare me against our D. We defend the run and RPO short passing games pretty well. The only opponent that was able to kill us going East/West was Navy. What scares me is that against a legit QB who can throw the ball downfield effectively, our secondary can be had. And Monmouth definitely has that. The Patriot League was a wasteland when it comes to offense across the board this year. Lafayette's frosh QB the only one who was able to torch us for even a stretch. Our defense held up fairly well against our top two FCS opponents Yale (23 points allowed) and UNH (10).

Bahar and Monmouth lit us up two years ago in Worcester to the tune of 48 points. While I don't expect them to approach this total against our improved D, I believe that Holy Cross needs to score more than 30 points to win this game.

Any guesses on attendance? I'm saying 3,800.

[Southsider]

You guys can argue about the dumbest ****! Enjoy the games

[Schism55]

Game time! Let's go!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

About ready to roll at the Jersey Shore!!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC defender lets an easy into go through his hands....but they block a Monmouth punt!

[ElCid]

HC came to play.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

HC QB looks tall.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC QB looks tall.

He's 6'6 with a big arm but overall average at best.

[grayghost06]

Any TV/streaming for this?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Any TV/streaming for this?

all the games are on espn3

[crusader11]

Monmouth hasn’t faced a defense like HC’s in a while, but I don’t have any confidence at all in our offense’s ability to move the ball and put points on the board.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC tackling well. The dinking and dunking passing plays into HC's hands. Monmouth needs to take some shots downfield. They'll be opportunities.

[aceinthehole]

How is the crowd and atmosphere in W. Long Beach?

Stadium only has seating on one side and you can't see it on TV.

[Sader87]

Yeah...that's the gist of this game and season really

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

turnover #1 for HC....

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Poor pass.

[knit35]

turnover #1 for HC....

What a terrible read and throw from the HC QB

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD Monmouth on a nice reverse call!!

Monmouth 7-0 5:43 1Q

[crusader11]

What a terrible read and throw from the HC QB

Telegraphed that pass. A common occurrence this season.

[Blue Waves Crest]

How is the crowd and atmosphere in W. Long Beach?

Stadium only has seating on one side and you can't see it on TV.

Louder than its ever been at new Kessler


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[ElCid]

Poor pass.

HC QB may be tall, but he has no touch. He is all arm. I thought Monmouth by 13, but unless HC can buckle down,.... might be a lot more.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Holy Cross offense needs to at least get a few first downs. They're only hope is to ride Cozier and hit a couple big plays deep. Degenhardt is barely a 50% completion guy.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Chesney with a QB change already...

[crusader11]

Chesney with a QB change already...

Did the same thing against Fordham.

[Professor Chaos]

Boy, that QB swap for HC sure looks like a premature move unless they planned it. Backup looks awful throwing the ball. Starters confidence is shot now if they decide to go back to him.

[knit35]

HC special teams and Defense trying to keep them in it.

[JayJ79]

Monmouth defender tackled both the QB and the RB on that play. guess that's one way to handle that. haha

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth 7-0 End 1Q

Holy Cross defense hanging in. They have Bahar jumpy in the pocket. The Crusader offense is what it is. This how it's been all season.

[ElCid]

Wow, HC offense looks real bad.

[Schism55]

Monmouth got some D line talent, just ask Kennesaw xdrunkyx

[TennBison]

HC just seems to not even be ready on offense. Almost like their QB's are shell shocked and the RB's can't seem to take a handoff with any kind of fluid motion. Lucky for HC that they are only down by 7 at this point.

[crusader11]

If HC had any semblance of a passing game, we’d be a top 25 club. Our QB situation is what it is — not very good.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Gotta make that catch....xsmhx

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Huge sequence in the game coming up with Monmouth starting at the HC 40....

[BisonFan02]

Winner headed to JMU.....good luck.

[BisonFan02]

Monmouth QB is a Payton finalist?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Wow! QB craziness in this one. Bahar looks like he pulled a hammy. He could be done....

[Schism55]

Monmouth QB is a Payton finalist?
RB I believe

[knit35]

Riley is a good player for HC. Surprised Monmouth QB is a Payton finalist.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth settles for a FG. Bahar easily would have gotten the 1st had he not pulled up lame....

Monmouth 10-0 12:18 2Q

[Sader87]

HC have been notoriously slow starters this year...

[aceinthehole]

Monmouth is clearly more talented on both sides of the ball. Looks like they will just keep up the pressure and probably break this open in the 2nd half.

Give HC defense some credit, they are playing well - but without any help on offense, they are going to be on the field too long. Cross special teams is also playing well, keeping them in this game.

But the HC offense is putrid - no real shot to win this game.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Another huge return for Monmouth.

Watching this game reaffirms that JMU has basically a bye next week.

[TennBison]

RB I believe
Both the RB and the QB

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

HC QBs are not good. Very poor decisions.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Turnover #2 for HC

This isn't the Patriot Leage! HC better step up....

[aceinthehole]

Another huge return for Monmouth.

Watching this game reaffirms that JMU has basically a bye next week.

Looks like MU has a bye this week ;)

[knit35]

HC QB no clue

[ElCid]

This painful to watch. Another Int by HC. Wow.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC QBs are not good. Very poor decisions.

They're bad. Poorly coached....

[BisonFan02]

Noon games coming on....haha

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Looks like MU has a bye this week ;)

Likely. Holy Cross is not a true playoff team. They're a playoff team by default.

[UNHWildcat18]

HC stinking it up really badly. Should not have switched QBs

[caribbeanhen]

HC just seems to not even be ready on offense. Almost like their QB's are shell shocked and the RB's can't seem to take a handoff with any kind of fluid motion. Lucky for HC that they are only down by 7 at this point.

did they bring the pitching machine?

[crusader11]

They're bad. Poorly coached....

Offensive coordinator, who was the RB coach at Tufts before HC, is definitely in over his head.

Even if Degenhardt was better coached, it would only go so far as his talent really limits him.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

This game looks over unless HC can get their offense going.

[BisonFan02]

This game is over.

[Schism55]

Monmouth QB throws a very pretty ball

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD Monmouth!! I really don't think is much a surprise. This is why I don't like auto-bids and 24 team playoff. When the PL has a worthy team they'll make it on merit. Like Colgate would have last year.

Monmouth 17-0 9:11 2Q

[crusader11]

Sadly, Dominic Randolph isn’t walking through that door.

[aceinthehole]

Moving on to Albany-CCSU.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Sadly, Dominic Randolph isn’t walking through that door.

I think with a healthy Breneman Colgate enters next year as the favorite.

[Sader87]

We got em right where we want em :)

[TennBison]

Likely. Holy Cross is not a true playoff team. They're a playoff team by default.
​What was the name of that Patriot league team that made the playoffs with a losing record a few years ago, would they be one of those default teams? Oh yeah it was Lehigh. Another joke of a team and a waste of a playoff spot. Not that teams in the last 8 spots really matter anyway.

[Blue Waves Crest]

RB I believe

Both are


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[TennBison]

We got em right where we want em :)


​Yeah, in front of you.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Guerriero just toasted the HC defense! Watching the PL's best against a quality team is fascinating. They're completely outclassed. At what point does Callahan worry about next week?

Monmouth 23-0

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

​What was the name of that Patriot league team that made the playoffs with a losing record a few years ago, would they be one of those default teams? Oh yeah it was Lehigh. Another joke of a team and a waste of a playoff spot. Not that teams in the last 8 spots really matter anyway.

Lafayette did it too! Holy Cross only had a winning record because they were able to win 5 PL games. The PL is a joke!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC has to get a TD here

[DFW HOYA]

Lafayette did it too! Holy Cross only had a winning record because they were able to win 5 PL games. The PL is a joke!

And if Georgetown was healthy last week, imagine if the Leopards were on the field today.

I'd say this is a wake-up call to the PL, but you have to be alive to be awake.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD HC! They found Mountain! He's so underutilized.....

Monmouth 23-7 4:26 2Q

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC with an onside kick recovery! They got to take advantage of this. This is the game imo. A TD here and there's legit pressure on Monmouth....

[Franks Tanks]

And if Georgetown was healthy last week, imagine if the Leopards were on the field today.

I'd say this is a wake-up call to the PL, but you have to be alive to be awake.
Lafayette played Monmouth much closer than this.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth stuffs HC offense on 4th and 1!!

[Blue Waves Crest]

Lafayette played Monmouth much closer than this.

There’s still time lol


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[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Turnover #3! Asante let the ball go right through his hands....

[Sader87]

Monmouth is decent but we're basically beating ourselves today...yet again

[crusader11]

Turnover #3! Asante let the ball go right through his hands....

He has a terrible case of alligator arms. Looks scared going across the middle, which has been a pattern all year. He is definitely more comfortable operating in the flat and on the outside.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Callahan leaving Bahar in is HC's best hope.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth adds a FG before half...

Monmouth 26-7 Half

The Hawks dominated on offense and defense. Bahar is nearly useless at this point so I'm not sure if the Hawks will be able to move the ball in the second half.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth 262 total yards
Holy Cross 110 Total Yards

Guerriero already has 152 yards rushing

[ElCid]

Monmouth has a bad coverage on kickoff coverage. Short kicks as well.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Considine is far more accurate than Degenhardt...

[crusader11]

That’s a great pass and catch for HC. Glad they got it right on the review.

We have a ballgame.

Considine has reinvigorated the offense.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD HC! Asante makes up for the drop with a great TD catch! But the xp is blocked...

Monmouth 26-13 11:04 3Q

[Sader87]

TD HC...how do you not call that right away?

Missed XP ugh

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Interested to see who comes out at QB for Monmounth. Bahar would be to HC's advantage....

[Sader87]

Monmouth getting chippy

[crusader11]

What a bailout call for Monmouth. No way was that DPI. Absolutely atrocious.

[Sader87]

Awful PI call...home cooking there

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

What a bailout call for Monmouth. No way was that DPI. Absolutely atrocious.

Looked like Stefanik's left arm hooked him. Blatant PI on the next play to save a Td...

[Blue Waves Crest]

What a bailout call for Monmouth. No way was that DPI. Absolutely atrocious.

Lol


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[Blue Waves Crest]

Interested to see who comes out at QB for Monmounth. Bahar would be to HC's advantage....

Harris has played like 10 snaps all season. Kenji or bust


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[Sader87]

HC has been a 2nd H team all year...

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Bahar definitely seems like a one read QB. Monmouth runs a very simple offense for the most part.

[Sader87]

That PI call was effectively the game....too big a hole now

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Guerriero just clowned the HC defense! TD Hawks. HC defense can't stop him. The defense in general is getting shredded. This isn't a PL offense they're facing. Monmouth converts a 2 pt conversion.

34-13 7:48 3Q

[BisonFan02]

That PI call was effectively the game....too big a hole now

The PI call was the game? I'd put it on HC just not being competitive.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

That PI call was effectively the game....too big a hole now

HC defense was benefited from a dicey hold call. Next play TD....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Mountain has NFL talent. The fact he hasn't been used more is mindboggling....

[crusader11]

HC defense was benefited from a dicey hold call. Next play TD....

Bad DPI call extended the Monmouth drive. Would have been HC’s ball in decent field position down 13. Instead, drive is extended and Monmouth scores. Credit to them for taking advantage of it.

Hold call wasn’t nearly as significant as the DPI.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth OL gets pushed back and over the pile by Dobbs and he's called for a penalty. Interesting. Doesn't matter as Monmouth converts another long pass...

[Sader87]

The plethora of PI calls is killing football

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Hawks add another long FG

Monmouth 37-13 3:18 3Q

Holy Cross needs to open up the offense. No more punting on 4th and short around midfield....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Holy Cross with a 3 and out. Monmouth can really start trying to burn clock and get ready for JMU....

[Sader87]

The PI call was the game? I'd put it on HC just not being competitive.

Not that it decided the game...it put it out of reach.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth 37 Holy Cross 13 End 3Q

Monmouth has over 400 total yards with hobbled QB. Hopefully Monmouth doesn't suffer any attrition having to play this game. Teams like Holy Cross have no business being the playoffs imo. I'm not sure of they're a Top 50/60 team (top 50% of FCS). I hate to see a legit playoff team suffer injuries in a meaningless game.

[Professor Chaos]

What conference is the officiating crew from in this one? Just curious given all the PI calls.

[TennBison]

Monmouth 37 Holy Cross 13 End 3Q

Monmouth has over 400 total yards with hobbled QB. Hopefully Monmouth doesn't suffer any attrition having to play this game. Teams like Holy Cross have no business being the playoffs imo. I'm not sure of they're a Top 50/60 team (top 50% of FCS). I hate to see a legit playoff team suffer injuries in a meaningless game.
Did you say the same thing when Lehigh was in the playoffs with a 5-6 record two years ago?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Did you say the same thing when Lehigh was in the playoffs with a 5-6 record two years ago?

Absolutely! I've been steadfast on my position!! I'm in favor of eliminating the AQ and going to a 16 team playoff.

[DFW HOYA]

Absolutely! I've been steadfast on my position!! I'm in favor of eliminating the AQ and going to a 16 team playoff.

With that approach, the PL will never go to the playoff again.

[Southsider]

Absolutely! I've been steadfast on my position!! I'm in favor of eliminating the AQ and going to a 16 team playoff.

PL brass would be just as happy to drop football altogether.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

With that approach, the PL will never go to the playoff again.

100% disagree! Colgate would have safely made it last year! That's the type of team that should be in the playoffs, and would be on merit....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC losing Cozier next year is like Colgate losing Holland this season. He's everything on offense. TD Cross after Monmouth forgets about the QB. HC fails on the 2 pt conversion

37-19 Hawks 10:23 4Q

[Sader87]

This HC team isn't bad....ahead of schedule to make the playoffs this year.

No PL team is going to be Top 10 etc without institutional changes

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

This HC team isn't bad....ahead of schedule to make the playoffs this year.

No PL team is going to be Top 10 etc without institutional changes

HC isn't "bad" but they're not good either. They're an average Top 60/50 type FCS team.

HC won the PL by default. Colgate was a preseason Top 20 team and they imploded and the rest of the league was awful. I figured when HC made the playoffs with Chesney it would be with a team capable of winning a game. I think Colgate might enter next year as the favorite.

I'm not hating on HC but this has been another ugly year for the PL. I just with the PL had something more to offer. At least Colgate was able to give the league some level of respect last season.

[crusader11]

I don’t think HC embarrasses themselves today. If they didn’t shoot themselves in the foot with some bad interceptions, the scoreboard looks a little different.

Monmouth is obviously the better football team, but HC isn’t that far away.

I think HC is probably in the 35-45 range in the FCS.

[Sader87]

Every FCS team from like 20-60 is basically the same

HC is going to be good in the PL (such as it is) moving forward under Chesney...baby step this year.

[crusader11]

Where else was Guerriero recruited?

He’d make for a great 3rd down / change of pace back at just about any FBS school.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD Monmouth! Guerierro (220 ayrds) and the Monmouth OL has destroyed the HC front.

44-19 5:37 4Q

[Professor Chaos]

Where else was Guerriero recruited?

He’d make for a great 3rd down / change of pace back at just about any FBS school.
I wonder if he even had plans to play football in college out of high school??? They mentioned earlier that he ran track his first year at Monmouth before bulking up.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC also adds on a late TD. The fact that Chesney waited until the 1st quarter of the playoffs to finally pull the plug on Degenhardt is bizarre. Considine is MUCH better....

Monmouth 44 Holy Cross 27 3:08 4Q

[crusader11]

HC also adds on a late TD. The fact that Chesney waited until the 1st quarter of the playoffs to finally pull the plug on Degenhardt is bizarre. Considine is MUCH better....

Monmouth 44 Holy Cross 27 3:08 4Q

Thinking the same thing.

Don’t think the result changes, but it sure would be interesting to see what would have happened if Considine played every series today.

Degenhardt gift wrapped Monmouth two possessions.

[Sader87]

If nothing else, we are the best onside kick team in the country :)

[bulldog10jw]

If nothing else, we are the best onside kick team in the country :)

Yale won two games by recovering onsides kicks in the last minute

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth 44 Holy Cross 27 Final

Monmouth was the much better team. Their offense, with a hobbled Bahar, did what they've done the last two months, light up the scoreboard. Holy Cross might have found their QB for next year but they have A LOT of work to do in order to repeat next season. Their defense struggled outside of PL competition this year and losing Cozier is a monster loss.

Albany is hammering CCSU 42-7. The PL and NEC are killing themselves on a national level with self impose restrictions. The lack of depth and overall skill is apparent relative to full fledged FCS programs. Colgate really benefited last year with 5th year guys. The stars really need to align to make noise in the playoffs against legit Top 20 teams.

[DFW HOYA]

The PL and NEC are killing themselves on a national level with self impose restrictions. The lack of depth and overall skill is apparent relative to full fledged FCS programs.

Self-imposed restrictions? Hold my beer...

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I have to think JMU beats Monmouth by 3-4 TDs. Monmouth is a good, nationally viable team but JMU is on another level.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Self-imposed restrictions? Hold my beer...

Proves just how dumb Georgetown is to limit themselves even more. Although a competent non-schollie program like USD would have won the PL this year. Georgetown makes their own bed.

[Professor Chaos]

I have to think JMU beats Monmouth by 3-4 TDs. Monmouth is a good, nationally viable team but JMU is on another level.
Especially if Bahar is limited. Monmouth needs to score 30+ to have any shot next week.

[aceinthehole]

Disagree about NEC and CCSU. We got beat bad (42 unanswered points) but it wasn’t because of lack of talent. In fact, I think we matched up great with Albany.

We got beat because we had just 2/3 of a team (worst special team in FCS) and we didn’t play disciplined. Sure blame some of that on the talent we had on the field, but we lost the game between the ears. We had the size and speed to go head to head with a CAA playoff team - we just didn’t execute.

[Sader87]

The HC D did fairly well against Yale, UNH and Harvard....not the problem this year in general.

HC is only going to get better....completely out recruiting the rest of the PL, have another year of this system undah their belts, despite the loss of DC some very good backs backing him up etc etc

They will be PL favorites next year by a wide margin imo.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The HC D did fairly well against Yale, UNH and Harvard....not the problem this year in general.

HC is only going to get better....completely out recruiting the rest of the PL, have another year of this system undah their belts, despite the loss of DC some very good backs backing him up etc etc

They will be PL favorites next year by a wide margin imo.

I'm not sure if HC out recruiting the PL by a wide margin. Had a really good class last year that came in. Dobbs and Asante have stepped up, not sure if anyone else has at least yet. There's likely going to another "system" on offense because the current one under Murphy clearly wasn't up to snuff. The offense will also have to account for the loss of easily their best player, Cozier.

No way in hell does enter HC next year as the favorite by a wide margin. Colgate was a Top 20 team heading into this year and they weren't the favorite by a "wide margin". They dominated the league last year, won a playoff game and finished #8 in the final poll. Holy Cross lost to a bad Lafayette team and struggled against poor Lehigh and Bucknell squads. They didn't even have control of the league race with 2 weeks to go.

I think a case could be made for Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette as the "favorite". I still kind of like Colgate assuming Breneman is healthy. Plus, they've only had one back-2-back losing seasons since '94/'95. That was Biddle's last season, '13 and Hunt's first, '14. The one thing about Colgate is they're like to get destroyed in the OOC again so they could be beat up by the time PL play starts.

[The Boogie Down]

Self-imposed restrictions? Hold my beer...

No matter what happens on the field, PL threads are always good for a few ha-ha's.

[Sader87]

HC will be the unanimous PL favorite next year...guaranteed.

And Lehigh has Tom Gilmore as head coach. :)

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC will be the unanimous PL favorite next year...guaranteed.

And Lehigh has Tom Gilmore as head coach. :)

As likely as Monmouth scoring less than 41 against HC's defense? xsmiley_wix

Gilmore is awful I'm not denying that. Thankfully in the PL that might be good enough for .500.

[DFW HOYA]

Proves just how dumb Georgetown is to limit themselves even more. Although a competent non-schollie program like USD would have won the PL this year. Georgetown makes their own bed.

I've been barking about this for 20 years, but look at the numbers:

Georgetown can spend $2 million a year on a team that won't go anywhere in a bad league, or...
Georgetown can spend $4 million a year on a team that won't go anywhere in a bad league, or...
Georgetown can spend $6 million a year on a team that won't go anywhere in a bad league.

Which one do you pick?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I've been barking about this for 20 years, but look at the numbers:

Georgetown can spend $2 million a year on a team that won't go anywhere in a bad league, or...
Georgetown can spend $4 million a year on a team that won't go anywhere in a bad league, or...
Georgetown can spend $6 million a year on a team that won't go anywhere in a bad league.

Which one do you pick?

I wouldn't accept failure.

[DFW HOYA]

I wouldn't accept failure.

But you play in the Patriot League!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

But you play in the Patriot League!

Still doesn't excuse 1 winning season in 2 decades. Or in Lafayette's case, zero in the last 10 years.....

When Georgetown can't get to 6-5 with their schedule this year the reality is it might never happen. Going 1-5 in league play drives that point home even further.....

[Sader87]

Moving forward, it's hard not to see HC and Colgate as the 2 teams atop the PL ovah the next few years. All the other schools in the PL have some form of coaching, institutional support (lack thereof) etc issues with their football programs.

Disappointing loss for HC today...but this season was a step forward and a learning experience that was probably 2 years ahead of schedule.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Just of note, that was Monmouth's 10th straight win over the PL. They've clearly distanced themselves from the PL over the last 5-6 years.

Villanova's and now Monmouth's ownership of the PL is ugly.....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Moving forward, it's hard not to see HC and Colgate as the 2 teams atop the PL ovah the next few years. All the other schools in the PL have a some form of coaching, institutional support (lack thereof) etc issues with their football programs.

Disappointing loss for HC today...but this season was a step forward and a learning experience that was probably 2 years ahead of schedule.

It will be interesting to see how high Chesney can elevate HC's program before he bolts. There's no question he's the best coach in the league. His resume vs everyone else's is comical. 9 winning seasons in 10 years as a HC is awesome! As is 4 playoff appearances in the last 5 years dating back to Assumption. But he's not going to be there "long". That's why this year was a missed opportunity. There's no certainty he gets back before be bolts. Colgate is going to be tough next year if they survive the OOC.

[Sader87]

Chesney isn't going anywhere in the short term (next 2-3 years). Seems very happy in Wisstahh.

It is what it is, FCS football....playoffs are fun but ultimately a joke in many ways....hopefully Chez can keep winning at the FCS-level against the Ivies and CAA and put some scares into the FBS teams once in awhile. Anything above and beyond that is gravy to use a T-Day metaphor.

[DFW HOYA]

It will be interesting to see how high Chesney can elevate HC's program before he bolts. There's no question he's the best coach in the league.

This same post could have been applied to Dan Hunt at the end of last season. Things can always change. Any...(Ok, almost any) PL team can win it all next season.

[Bisonator]

Congrats to the Hawks!

[knit35]

Congrats Monmouth. See you at Bridgeforth next week!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

This same post could have been applied to Dan Hunt at the end of last season. Things can always change. Any...(Ok, almost any) PL team can win it all next season.

Chesney's track record of consistent success is MUCH better than Hunt's. Hunt is good by PL standards. But not someone that's going to go on a run of 7-9 win seasons.

[BurialGround]

Congrats Monmouth!!!!

[caribbeanhen]

My quick take: A line of -10.5 makes sense. MU beat Lafayette by 4 points. If HC executes the way we should, this should be a competitive game.

The RB Guerriero is good but doesn't scare me against our D. We defend the run and RPO short passing games pretty well. The only opponent that was able to kill us going East/West was Navy. What scares me is that against a legit QB who can throw the ball downfield effectively, our secondary can be had. And Monmouth definitely has that. The Patriot League was a wasteland when it comes to offense across the board this year. Lafayette's frosh QB the only one who was able to torch us for even a stretch. Our defense held up fairly well against our top two FCS opponents Yale (23 points allowed) and UNH (10).

Bahar and Monmouth lit us up two years ago in Worcester to the tune of 48 points. While I don't expect them to approach this total against our improved D, I believe that Holy Cross needs to score more than 30 points to win this game.

Any guesses on attendance? I'm saying 3,800.

don't sleep on Pedro

[Blue Waves Crest]

Just of note, that was Monmouth's 10th straight win over the PL. They've clearly distanced themselves from the PL over the last 5-6 years.

Villanova's and now Monmouth's ownership of the PL is ugly.....

Glad you pointed that out because I’ve seen a ton of stuff on AGS saying that Monmouth should look to join the Patriot League, but that the PL shouldn’t invite them lol


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[Blue Waves Crest]

I wonder if he even had plans to play football in college out of high school??? They mentioned earlier that he ran track his first year at Monmouth before bulking up.

I think he had D2/D3 offers for football but chose D1 track instead. He was actually considering transferring down to take up those offers after his freshman year of track but Callahan worked with the track coach to have him walk on at MU. The rest is history


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[Blue Waves Crest]

Especially if Bahar is limited. Monmouth needs to score 30+ to have any shot next week.

Kenji said postgame he’s 100% and that he cramped up, for what it’s worth. It’s interesting because after he came up lame he looked calmer and hung in the pocket longer and made some great throws. You’re probably right that Monmouth’s offense will need to have a banner day to compete against JMU, much respect to them they’re the gold standard at this level along with the Bison, but sometimes in football there’s nothing more dangerous than a really talented team playing with nothing to lose


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[Sader87]

Congrats to Monmouth....good luck at JMU.

Funny game, as many HC games are, MU has a nice team but HC sort of helped them along with turnovers...which MU created/forced admittedly.

See you guys again in 2021 if we don't meet again next year in the playoffs.

[Blue Waves Crest]

Congrats to Monmouth....good luck at JMU.

Funny game, as many HC games are, MU has a nice team but HC sort of helped them along with turnovers...which MU created/forced admittedly.

See you guys again in 2021 if we don't meet again next year in the playoffs.

Appreciated, HC fought hard and didn’t quit in this game, respect earned. Best of luck to you guys


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[Professor Chaos]

Kenji said postgame he’s 100% and that he cramped up, for what it’s worth. It’s interesting because after he came up lame he looked calmer and hung in the pocket longer and made some great throws. You’re probably right that Monmouth’s offense will need to have a banner day to compete against JMU, much respect to them they’re the gold standard at this level along with the Bison, but sometimes in football there’s nothing more dangerous than a really talented team playing with nothing to lose


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Yep, so many teams try to play the "us against the world"/"no one but us believes in us" card when it's really not all that true but for teams like Monmouth and Nicholls next weekend that's a realistic play. The Hawks are playing with house money next Saturday... all the pressure is on the other sideline and hopefully they embrace that role and use it to their full advantage since there's disadvantages across the board elsewhere.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Copying and pasting from our board:

Story of the game yesterday - scoring a total of zero points off of four phenomenal special teams plays. Blocked punt, 2 KO returns to midfield + an onside kick recovery. Monmouth is a very good team and we have nothing to be ashamed of walking out of yesterday's loss. The pieces are in place to build upon our success this year and contend for another title in 2020. The league as a whole was very young this year and I think we see several of our league rivals improve by leaps and bounds between now and Labor Day.

Monmouth offense had the most diverse set of weapons as we saw all year. First time we were consistently beat East-West by a running back since Navy. I also liked our fight to the finish yesterday, including Jon Jon Roberts two catches on our final TD drive.

Overall, I had a great time traveling down to the shore for the game with three '09 guys. One highlight of the afternoon for me was sitting a row in front of and having the pleasure to meet the parents of the late Brian Keller, the Lafayette tight end who passed away tragically in 2015 before his senior season when he would have been a Leopard captain. Some of you probably remember the story. His family is very close to the Bucceroni family, who are from the same town. They attended yesterday to cheer on Kevin. Keller was a captain on the Triton (NJ) HS football team when Kevin was a freshman. He still wears an armband honoring Keller. Mr. Keller had very kind words to say about Tom Gilmore. The day that Gilmore's mother was hit by a car and killed, he still took the time to meet with the Keller family in the midst of recruiting Brian. I am very grateful I had the chance to meet this family and look forward to seeing Brian's jersey and plaque next time I travel to Lafayette for a game.

[NY Crusader 2010]

don't sleep on Pedro

Well, I was dead wrong on that one hen! His first cut was lethal out there.

MU definitely had the most diverse set of offensive weapons we saw this year.

[NY Crusader 2010]

It will be interesting to see how high Chesney can elevate HC's program before he bolts. There's no question he's the best coach in the league. His resume vs everyone else's is comical. 9 winning seasons in 10 years as a HC is awesome! As is 4 playoff appearances in the last 5 years dating back to Assumption. But he's not going to be there "long". That's why this year was a missed opportunity. There's no certainty he gets back before be bolts. Colgate is going to be tough next year if they survive the OOC.

Missed opportunity? Last time I checked 85 guys will be wearing rings. Looking at this year's schedule, even with the Chesney optimism factor, very few would have predicted more than 5 wins.

We got a reasonably favorable playoff match-up but let's be real. Monmouth (and anyone in the playoff field for that matter) is head and shoulders better than anyone in the PL this year. Also, this was not a team with the overall talent level of the 2007-2009 Holy Cross squads.

So no, a winning record, a nice win against UNH and a conference championship do not equate to a missed opportunity in my book.

[MUHAWKS]

Hello everyone- After seeing us play all year I would say yesterday was def not our best showing but we played well. Kenji (QB) being hobbled actually did not seem to really hurt us. I thought it was about an overall B maybe B+ performance. The offense did what it does- Go out and find their rhythm and just go from there utilizing our balanced attack to score. 44 points no matter how you slice it is a very good job and against a defense that we were told was going to be good, it matters even more.

Our defense bent a little too much for my liking and even though the last TD was "garbage time" we still had our 1st unit out there trying to stop HC and we did not. Our defense will need to step up BIG TIME next week to allow our offense to try and stay in it and I saw way too many holes and big plays for my liking.

I will say the HC fans traveled well, were good, nice and respectful fans and their team gave a great effort the whole game. They are coached with intensity and it shows with the effort.

Truth be told I knew we were on a higher level but I have learned that ***** talking does not put positive energy and karma into the universe so I steered clear and just took advantage of the absurd point spread!

Holy Cross has some capable athletes and kudos to them for playing hard the whole game.
.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Missed opportunity? Last time I checked 85 guys will be wearing rings. Looking at this year's schedule, even with the Chesney optimism factor, very few would have predicted more than 5 wins.

We got a reasonably favorable playoff match-up but let's be real. Monmouth (and anyone in the playoff field for that matter) is head and shoulders better than anyone in the PL this year. Also, this was not a team with the overall talent level of the 2007-2009 Holy Cross squads.

So no, a winning record, a nice win against UNH and a conference championship do not equate to a missed opportunity in my book.

This was only the 3rd playoff game in Holy Cross football history. It took ten years to get back. I know Chesney is the best coach in the league and the track record in recent years says playoffs but given the PL limitations the margin for error is razor thin. Colgate went from Top 10, to Top 20 to the outhouse in 9 months. To go into the playoffs with no real chance to win sucks imo especially when the opportunities have been so few historically. When Chesney got them back to the playoffs I would have thought it would have been with a legitimately good team who had to fight off at least one or two other competent PL foes and spent time in the Top 25. This year they needed a little help from Colgate just to make it in an atrocious conference. I honestly don't consider winning the PL with a 5-1 record much of an accomplishment. To me the league is just that bad. However, Colgate last year kicked everyone's ass and by doing so clearly demonstrated they were a viable team worthy of respect.

I have to think if Chesney gets back it will be with a more formidable team. Colgate will be tough next year. HC has the coaching advantage but the Raider culture is still strong and they get quite a few pieces back. Granted, the loss of Wheeler and a couple of key OL could pose some issues.

[DFW HOYA]

This was only the 3rd playoff game in Holy Cross football history. It took ten years to get back. I know Chesney is the best coach in the league and the track record in recent years says playoffs but given the PL limitations means the margin for error is razor thin.

Agree to disagree. One year in the PL does not make the "best coach" tag stick--you undersell Dan Hunt, and frankly if Rob Sgarlata had 60 scholarships he'd absolutely clean up in this league. That's not to say Chesney isn't a great pick up for Holy Cross, without veering into the ongoing Tom Gilmore discussion.

As I was discussing in a recent post elsewhere, there are three ways to win: talent, preparation, and coaching. The PL does not lack the preparation or the coaching, but talent is a problem and must be addressed one way or the other. Six years after the panacea that scholarship football would bring, the PL is arguably as noncompetitive as it has ever been.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Agree to disagree. One year in the PL does not make the "best coach" tag stick--you undersell Dan Hunt, and frankly if Rob Sgarlata had 60 scholarships he'd absolutely clean up in this league. That's not to say Chesney isn't a great pick up for Holy Cross, without veering into the ongoing Tom Gilmore discussion.

As I was discussing in a recent post elsewhere, there are three ways to win: talent, preparation, and coaching. The PL does not lack the preparation or the coaching, but talent is a problem and must be addressed one way or the other. Six years after the panacea that scholarship football would bring, the PL is arguably as noncompetitive as it has ever been.

Chensey has been a head coach for 10 years and has produced 9 winning seasons. He's taken his team to the NCAA Playoffs 4 out of the last 5 years ('15, '16, '17 at Assumption and '19 at Holy Cross). Those two factoids are damn impressive and would stack up well with a lot of coaches at any level over the last decade. His career record is 79-37.

Hunt is a solid coach but his teams are extremely inconsistent. This year's and 2016's flops were program momentum killers. He has a 40-31 career record which is greatly propped up against middling to poor PL competition. His OOC record is horrific, 13-31. His strength is having a system he trusts and good football culture. The out of nowhere playoff wins in 2015 were impressive and last year's team was legit. He's a poor man's Biddle.

I wouldn't let Sgarlata clean up my bathroom. He has no clue how to run an offense or hire a coach who can run an offense. His program is a cellar-dwellar in one of the worst conferences in the country. He's 7-23 against PL competition!! Scholarship, no scholarship, paying players i don't care, the PL is filled with bad teams and Georgetown is at the bottom of the heap. I think it's clear at this point he's not the guy that can get Georgetown to actually overachieve.

PL Coaching Records
Bob Chesney 79-37
Dan Hunt 40-31
Dave Cecchini 20-46
Tom Gilmore 76-88
Rom Sgarlata 20-40
John Garrett 10-24
Joe Conlin 6-17

Edit: After doing a little research I want to give a major shoutout to former Bucknell coach Tom Gadd. He was in Lewisburg for 7 years and never had a losing record. He was forced to resign due to his declining health with a 48-28 career record. That's damn impressive at place like Bucknell!!

[Blue Waves Crest]

Yep, so many teams try to play the "us against the world"/"no one but us believes in us" card when it's really not all that true but for teams like Monmouth and Nicholls next weekend that's a realistic play. The Hawks are playing with house money next Saturday... all the pressure is on the other sideline and hopefully they embrace that role and use it to their full advantage since there's disadvantages across the board elsewhere.

Totally. Aside from the obvious that they and NDSU are on another level above the rest of the FCS, how is 2019 JMU compared to their most recent teams? I know they are in their first year under the current HC since Mike Houston is now at ECU and they have a journeyman QB, someone enlighten me lol.

Are they more or less talented, more or less veteran than in years past? I ask because Monmouth was able to take advantage of a green Kennesaw team this year, not comparing KSU and JMU at all talent-wise, just making the observation that young teams in proud programs sometimes don’t understand what it takes to be elite and take care of business. But judging by 11-1 with one loss by 7 points to a Big 12 team I would venture to guess they are very businesslike


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[Sader87]

W-L records can be deceiving, especially with what Sgarlata and Ceechini had to deal with at GU and Valpo respectively.

That being said, I think Chesney is the only head coach in the PL that has the dynamism on top of the institutional and non-institutional (strong alumni support etc), better facilities (HC's practice facilities make a mockery of other PL's)....this has directly led to HC out recruiting the rest of the PL lately.

All this being said, games are still won on the gridiron itself. HC has to improve offensively if they are going to move to the next level, I'll call that beating Harvard, Yale, CAA teams at about a 50-50 clip.

[Big Duke]

Totally. Aside from the obvious that they and NDSU are on another level above the rest of the FCS, how is 2019 JMU compared to their most recent teams? I know they are in their first year under the current HC since Mike Houston is now at ECU and they have a journeyman QB, someone enlighten me lol.

Are they more or less talented, more or less veteran than in years past? I ask because Monmouth was able to take advantage of a green Kennesaw team this year, not comparing KSU and JMU at all talent-wise, just making the observation that young teams in proud programs sometimes don’t understand what it takes to be elite and take care of business. But judging by 11-1 with one loss by 7 points to a Big 12 team I would venture to guess they are very businesslike


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We have a very experienced team and returned 19 starters from last years team. We tend to be a physical team on both sides of the ball and love the run game. Here is a link to our message board with the comparison between our teams. Hope you can make it down to Harrisonburg and enjoy the playoff experience at JMU.

2nd Rd playoffs: Monmouth (11-2/6-0) @ #2 JMU (11-1/8-0), Saturday, 12/7, 1 PM
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=26818&share_tid=889133&share_pid=16504034&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcsnbbs%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp% 3Ftid%3D889133%26pid%3D16504034%23pid16504034&share_type=t&link_source=app

[DFW HOYA]

I wouldn't let Sgarlata clean up my bathroom. He has no clue how to run an offense or hire a coach who can run an offense. His program is a cellar-dwellar in one of the worst conferences in the country. He's 7-23 against PL competition!! Scholarship, no scholarship, paying players i don't care, the PL is filled with bad teams and Georgetown is at the bottom of the heap. I think it's clear at this point he's not the guy that can get Georgetown to actually overachieve.

I would expect a more reasoned answer from you than this.

While he was a RB when he played, Sgarlata has been a defense-first coach since he joined the staff in 1995. Georgetown's defenses are always solid, #11 nationally in total defense and #2 in pass efficiency this season. But he's not an offensive coordinator. Georgetown has had one solid OC in the last 20 years, namely current Georgia Tech OC Dave Patenaude. Many of the others were on the tail end of their coaching tenures and didn't have much to work with with Georgetown's systemic inability to recruit impact players within its AI numbers. But as the only head coach of a non-scholarship program in a scholarship conference in the nation, he's more than holding his own.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I would expect a more reasoned answer from you than this.

While he was a RB when he played, Sgarlata has been a defense-first coach since he joined the staff in 1995. Georgetown's defenses are always solid, #11 nationally in total defense and #2 in pass efficiency this season. But he's not an offensive coordinator. Georgetown has had one solid OC in the last 20 years, namely current Georgia Tech OC Dave Patenaude. Many of the others were on the tail end of their coaching tenures and didn't have much to work with with Georgetown's systemic inability to recruit impact players within its AI numbers. But as the only head coach of a non-scholarship program in a scholarship conference in the nation, he's more than holding his own.

Based on what metric? How is 7-23 holding his own? I'm not trying to be a smartass but it simply doesn't add up. You keep using the non-scholarship excuse as a crutch. A 90th ranked team is a 90th ranked team no matter if they're scholarship, grant in aid, limited scholarship, pay to play whatever, they're a 90th ranked team! Non-schollie San Diego would beat-up on tons of scholarship teams. Why? Because they're better! The PL is filled with a whole bunch of 80th, 90th and 100th ranked of teams that just so happen to give out scholarships. When you have teams ranked that bad it's pretty tough to produce winning records playing an all D1 schedule.

The reality is Georgetown football sucks because Georgetown does not care about football. That's the blunt reality. To be in the basement of the PL you're one of the worst programs in all of FCS. There's a 100 different reasons why Georgetown is where it is. In a way they've done an impressive job working towards sucking this bad. To go 1-5 in the PL this year is an impressive feat. Especially considering there was real hope of a 8 maybe 9 wins with a cupcake schedule. Given the current working conditions they'll have to find a magician/head coach to pull a miracle i.e. a winning season.

There are just so many loser excuses it's frustrating. Special coaches do special things under tough circumstances. The PL currently has 1 of those. Just look like Biddle and Clawson/Moorhead did at Colgate and Fordham respectively. I saw Al Golden resurrect and ultimately build a Temple program that was one vote away from extinction into a legitimately good FBS football program. Bill Snyder took over a K-State program offering 20-30 scholarships and terrible facilities and funding (while Nebraska and Oklahoma were dishing out 95 *wink* schollies) yet turned them into a national power.

Kevin Callahan has built something out of nothing at Monmouth and now he's kicking the PL's ass. I applaud ambition, execution and success! Having followed the PL closely since basically the conference's inception its current state bugs me.

[Professor Chaos]

Totally. Aside from the obvious that they and NDSU are on another level above the rest of the FCS, how is 2019 JMU compared to their most recent teams? I know they are in their first year under the current HC since Mike Houston is now at ECU and they have a journeyman QB, someone enlighten me lol.

Are they more or less talented, more or less veteran than in years past? I ask because Monmouth was able to take advantage of a green Kennesaw team this year, not comparing KSU and JMU at all talent-wise, just making the observation that young teams in proud programs sometimes don’t understand what it takes to be elite and take care of business. But judging by 11-1 with one loss by 7 points to a Big 12 team I would venture to guess they are very businesslike


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I haven't watched them much this year but the thing that stands out to me is their defense. However, unlike in previous years when it was a shut down pass defense this year it's their run defense that's been unbelievable giving up an absurdly low 62.8 yards rushing per game at 2.11 yards allowed per carry. They've been susceptible to the deep ball in the pass game from what I've heard but they also have a pair of All-American caliber DEs in Rondell Carter and John Daka. Each has 12+ sacks and 20+ TFLs so pass at your own risk as well.

Offensively their QB Ben Dinucci has had a stellar year... he's been the biggest difference between this year and last year for them. He's fixed the turnover issues that plagued him last year and he's been much more efficient this year. It helps that he has a bona fide stud to throw to in WR Riley Stapleton. This guy was the best WR on the field 2 years ago when NDSU and JMU met in the championship game and he's probably even better now.

JMU/CAA fans could probably give you a more detailed scouting report on them but that's my view of them from afar.

[Blue Waves Crest]

We have a very experienced team and returned 19 starters from last years team. We tend to be a physical team on both sides of the ball and love the run game. Here is a link to our message board with the comparison between our teams. Hope you can make it down to Harrisonburg and enjoy the playoff experience at JMU.

2nd Rd playoffs: Monmouth (11-2/6-0) @ #2 JMU (11-1/8-0), Saturday, 12/7, 1 PM
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=26818&share_tid=889133&share_pid=16504034&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcsnbbs%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp% 3Ftid%3D889133%26pid%3D16504034%23pid16504034&share_type=t&link_source=app

I know our fans are excited to get down to Bridgeforth for the experience, can’t promise there will be a lot of us just because our fan base is very small, but the fans we have are very good to the program. From afar it looks like one of the nicest stadiums and atmospheres at this level and by far the best in this part of the country. I probably speak for most of our fans in saying that we hope it eventually becomes a road destination for a conference game in the future, but that’s a topic of conversation for another day.

Do you guys have a thread for this game on AGS?


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[Blue Waves Crest]

We have a very experienced team and returned 19 starters from last years team. We tend to be a physical team on both sides of the ball and love the run game. Here is a link to our message board with the comparison between our teams. Hope you can make it down to Harrisonburg and enjoy the playoff experience at JMU.

2nd Rd playoffs: Monmouth (11-2/6-0) @ #2 JMU (11-1/8-0), Saturday, 12/7, 1 PM
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=26818&share_tid=889133&share_pid=16504034&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcsnbbs%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp% 3Ftid%3D889133%26pid%3D16504034%23pid16504034&share_type=t&link_source=app

Also just saw JMU and Monmouth announced a home and home for 2024-2025


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[DFW HOYA]

From afar it looks like one of the nicest stadiums and atmospheres at this level and by far the best in this part of the country.


One of the best stadiums in the East.

http://jmusports.com/images/2014/12/19/092714_01_FB_Delaware_13.JPG

[PAllen]

One of the best stadiums in the East.

http://jmusports.com/images/2014/12/19/092714_01_FB_Delaware_13.JPG

Let's not get carried away. Half of one of the best stadiums in the East.

[DFW HOYA]

Let's not get carried away. Half of one of the best stadiums in the East.

Still my favorite, even if it's from a different era.

https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/default/poster/10/8/break/images-medium-5/franklin-field-university-city-pennsylvania-bill-cobb.jpg


And my least favorite....

http://www.hoyasaxa.com/sports/images/stadia-msf.jpg