Defense Dominates in Monmouth Football's Intrasquad Scrimmage

DEFENSE DOMINATES IN MONMOUTH FOOTBALL INTRASQUAD SCRIMMAGE

WEST LONG BRANCH - It was only a scrimmage. Still, for the beleaguered Monmouth defense, it was a massive step in the right direction under the tutelage of new defensive coordinator Lewis Walker.

Monmouth’s offense, known for its high-octane attack, which consistently tops the conference statistic leaderboard, found itself in an unfamiliar position with the Hawks defense taking centerstage in Saturday’s scrimmage.

“They did a good job for the most part,” said head coach Kevin Callahan of his defense. “I thought they played hard and really hustled. Give them credit; they made some big plays, and those are the things that build confidence and show you’re heading in the right direction.”

Walker is in his first year as Monmouth’s defensive coordinator, and his arrival has been a breath of fresh air for a defense that has struggled in the past to get off the field and has relied on the Hawks prolific offense to bail them out.

The charismatic Walker previously coached five years at Monmouth as the defensive backs coach during the program's most successful era, from 2017-21, before he moved on to national FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, where he coached the Bisons cornerbacks from 2022-23.

“Yeah, we were flying around today,” said Walker of his squad's play. “I think the guys got the message. They came out earlier in the walk-through detailed and tackled well, better than we did in last week’s scrimmage, and that’s something we have to continue to build on. The offense got the best of us in the last scrimmage, but we came out with a focus and intent and prepared the right way today.

“We’re very, very talented, very talented,” Walker said when asked about his defense’s potential. “It’s a new scheme coming in and these guys are starting to grasp it. They’ve done a great job from the winter to the spring, to the summer, and now in the fall camp getting ready for Eastern Washington.”

On the opening series of the day, starting quarterback Derek Robertson, a transfer from the University of Maine and a 2023 All-CAA Honorable Mention selection after passing for 2,933 yards and 25 touchdowns, found speedy wideout Makhi Green for a 23-yard completion and Josh Derry for eight yards and a first down. But defensive end Miles Mitchell’s tackle for a loss and safety Deuce Lee’s pass breakup on third down stalled the drive and Vincenzo Rea’s 45-yard field-goal attempt was no good.

Robertson unofficially completed 17-of-25 passes for 146 yards but failed to get the ball in the end zone and threw a pick-six on a play I’m sure he’d love to have back.

“I think Derek had a good day; he didn’t have an outstanding day,” said Callahan. “But he’s been having outstanding days for 13 days in a row, so I guess he’s bound to have one that wasn’t as good today. But he wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination; it just wasn’t up to his level play.”

Senior quarterback Frankie Savino then drove the offense into the red zone with two completions to Max James and three to freshman tight end Chase Wilkens, who looks to be an immediate contributor. But the drive stalled, and a 25-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Bucknell transfer defensive lineman Tyler Alston.

On Robertson's second series, Temple University transfer safety Alex Odom read Robertson’s sideline pass all the way for the pick and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. Odom showed he has the potential to be one of the leaders on defense and a huge addition to a depleted Monmouth secondary. He has a nose for the football in both the passing and running game, defending several passes and displaying his toughness in the running game, making numerous tackles Saturday.

“He got a nice little pick-six and did his job,” Walker said of Odom’s play. “I tell these guys, defense is a puzzle, and if you do your job, you will get rewarded.”

“I would say so in a sense of experience, this being my fifth year of college football,” said Odom when asked if he felt he could be a leader in the secondary. “I’ve seen it all playing against Power Five schools. But I don’t want to put the leadership role on myself because I’m new to everybody and trying to earn everybody’s respect and relay my experience to them.

“Today, we came out with a high-intensity level,” he added. “Our effort was great to see, and it was good on our end to know we can do it. Everyone believes we can do it, and once you see it happen, it brings a different type of confidence, and you can feel it building.”

The fourth series was a three-and-out spearheaded by sophomore linebacker Ryan Alexander’s TFL and senior inside linebacker Remi Johnson’s stop of running back Rodney Nelson on a swing pass for a 4-yard loss. Johnson had several highlight plays on the day and looks to be on his way to a monster season.

“Remi had a great day,” said Odom.

The highlight of the day for the defense was their goal-line stand. They stopped bruising running back Sone Ntoh on four consecutive runs from inside the three-yard line. Ntoh is a preseason All-CAA selection and was second in the CAA and eighth in the FCS with 14 rushing touchdowns a year ago.

Senior defensive tackle Isaiah Rogers, who was very active Saturday, fifth-year tackle Sheku Tonkara, Johnson, and Israel Clark-White along with Johnson again, had the stops, but it was a collective effort by the entire defense that turned Ntoh away.

Junior defensive linemen Brendan Bigos and Connor Farrell and true freshmen Sebastien Acheampong and Avery Barnes all collected sacks Saturday.

Luke Schabel drilled a late 49-yard field goal.

In the red zone period, freshman running back Elijah Jennings scored the day's only touchdown, Robbie Carcich ran in a two-point conversion, and Michael Calton Jr. booted a 22-yard field goal.

But the day definitely belonged to the defense, and that’s a good thing for Monmouth.

“We’re trying to make a name for this defense here,” said Walker.