Monmouth is hosting Lehigh, who will travel to West Long Branch, New Jersey, in Week 5 for the final nonconference game of the 2023 season for both teams. The matchup will take place at Monmouth’s 4,200-seat Kessler Stadium. 

Lehigh (1-3) opened the season with five consecutive nonconference games, and Saturday’s meeting with Monmouth is the Mountain Hawks’ final opportunity to get moving in the right direction before closing the campaign with its six Patriot League games.

The Mountain Hawks’ lone win of the year came against Merrimack on Sept. 9 (14-12), and they’re now looking to rebound from back-to-back losses to Cornell and Dartmouth. Lehigh started the season with a loss to Villanova. 

Monmouth’s season mirrors that of its opponent for Week 5 – loss, win, loss, loss.

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Monmouth Football In 2023: What To Know About The Hawks

Jaden Shirden, Dylan Laube Lead Running Backs To Watch In 2023 CAA Football

The Hawks (1-3) are coming off a 28-20 loss to Lafayette last week. Their two other losses were to Florida Atlantic (42-20) and Campbell (45-31), but their one victory in 2023 was a big one – a 42-23 performance against Townson in their first Coastal Athletic Association action of the year. 

Monmouth also has six conference contests on the horizon, so whichever team can snap its two-game skid Saturday will have the momentum heading into the most important part of the season. 

Lehigh and Monmouth are meeting for the 10th time, with Lehigh owning a 5-4 advantage in the series. The Mountain Hawks won the first five times they met, and Monmouth has won each of the last four, including a 35-7 rout in 2022.

The last time Lehigh defeated a CAA opponent was in 2013. 

How To Watch The Lehigh Vs. Monmouth Football Game

Football action is streaming live on FloFootball and the FloSports app, including the Lehigh and Monmouth football game during Week 5.

Replays and postgame highlights also will be available on both platforms. 

What To Know About Lehigh Football

Lehigh is coming off a 2-9 season in 2022 (2-4 in Patriot League), but head coach Kevin Cahill was brought on in December 2022 with the hope he would turn things around for the Mountain Hawks. 

Despite some struggles, Lehigh leads the Patriot League and is eighth in the nation in third-down defense, allowing opponents in 2023 to convert on just 13-of-54 opportunities. 

Leading the Mountain Hawks defense is senior linebacker Mike DeNucci, who is ninth in the FCS with 6.5 solo tackles per game in 2023. He has 35 total tackles for the season and has recorded one sack. 

Senior defensive back Donovan Lassiter and his two interceptions make him the first Lehigh player since 2019 with multiple picks in a season.

Offensively, junior running back Gaige Garcia is the only Lehigh rusher with more than 100 yards this year. He has netted 110 yards on 28 attempts, but he has not been able to find the end zone. Sophomore Geoffrey Jamiel is the top receiver with 175 yards and a touchdown on 22 catches. 

Sophomore quarterback Brayten Silbor has handled the majority of the snaps for the Mountain Hawks, connecting on 75-of-138 passes for 746 yards. He has tossed for four touchdown passes and five interceptions. 

Lehigh’s offense is ‌out-averaged in total yards this year by more than 100 yards per game.

What To Know About Monmouth Football

Monmouth was 5-6 overall in 2022 and 3-5 in conference play. 

This week’s meeting with Lehigh isn’t just about turning things around before CAA play ramps up, it’s also Monmouth’s homecoming game. 

That will be extra motivation for the Hawks, whose 2022 homecoming was spoiled by Rhode Island in a seven-overtime thriller – a 48-46 Rhode Island win – that set the record for the most overtimes in FCS history, surpassing three six-overtime games. 

As expected, junior running back Jaden Shirden has rolled up the bulk of the rushing yards for Monmouth this season, colleting 417 yards and two touchdowns on 104 attempts. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in 11 of his last 14 games.

Shirden finished his sophomore campaign as the nation’s leading rusher (1,722 yards) and earned All-America honors from six publications. He was named 2022 CAA Offensive Player of the Year. Heading into the 2023 season, he received five national preseason All-America nods. 

If Lehigh can somehow slow down Shirden, graduate quarterback Marquez McCray, who transferred from Sacred Heart, will be called upon to get things done through the air. He is 87-for-144 on the year for 931 yards and seven touchdowns. He also has thrown three interceptions. 

When Is Lehigh Vs. Monmouth?

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks will take on the Monmouth Hawks at Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch, New Jersey, on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

What’s The Weather Forecast?

Tailgaters at the Lehigh-Monmouth game Saturday in West Long Branch, New Jersey, likely will get wet, as there’s a 47 percent chance of rain in the morning. Things should clear up in the afternoon, but the chance of more rain will loom over Kessler Stadium.

The high temperature for the day will be 68 degrees, and it will be windy (10-20 mph). 

Archived Footage On FloFootball

Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloFootball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

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