WHERE: Alfond Stadium, Orono
KICKOFF: 1 p.m. Saturday
TV/STREAMING: WPXT Portland, WVII Bangor
ALL-TIME SERIES: Maine leads, 3-0
KEY STAT: 39.5 – Monmouth’s average points per game, tops in the Colonial Athletic Association.
OUTLOOK: Monmouth lost its first two games of the season but has won four straight since, including conference victories over Villanova and Albany. The Hawks are another high-powered offense that will challenge the Black Bears’ defense. Averaging close to 500 yards per game overall, the Hawks lead the league in rushing with 246 yards per game. Maine has allowed at least 111 yards rushing in each of its five games and has surrendered 191 yards or more three times. The Black Bears will need to contain Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden, who leads the Football Championship Subdivision with 932 rushing yards. He has seven touchdowns and averages close to 10 yards per carry. RB Owen Wright has 12 TDs and averages six yards per carry, giving the Hawks a strong runner between the tackles. Maine’s leading tacklers, linebackers Adrian Otero (33 tackles) and Brian Lee, Jr. (32 tackles), will need to plug running lanes near the line of scrimmage. The Hawks aren’t one-dimensional, either. Tony Muskett has completed 64% of his passes for 1,456 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Black Bears are coming off their best offensive game of the season. Maine gained 449 yards in a 31-24 win at Hampton – the first victory for Coach Jordan Stevens. Maine was balanced last week, with 236 yards on the ground and 213 through the air. RB Freddie Brock had his best game of the season, rushing for a touchdown and catching a touchdown pass. If Brock and Elijah Barnwell can lead Maine’s running game again, the Black Bears can grind out drives and keep Monmouth’s strong offense off the field. LB Da’Quan Grimes leads Monmouth with 43 tackles. Maine QB Joe Fagnano and the offensive line need to keep track of Pat Hayden, Monmouth’s top pass rusher with 2 1/2 sacks.
OF NOTE: The Black Bears had a season-high three takeaways in last week’s win at Hampton. … Monmouth’s Kevin Callahan is the only head coach in the program’s history. The Hawks began play in 1993. … Maine and Monmouth haven’t played since 2010, when they were nonconference opponents. Maine won that game, 31-23, at Monmouth. … This is Monmouth’s first year in the CAA, and the Hawks are visiting Orono for the first time since 2007, when Maine won 21-14. … When Maine beat the Hawks 21-7 in 2008, Stevens was a defensive lineman for the Black Bears and recorded five tackles, including one for a loss.
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