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(STATS) - This was always going to be a memorable season for Monmouth - the 25th for coach Kevin Callahan and the program overall, with the Hawks debuting their new Kessler Stadium.
Those highlights have taken secondary roles, however, because the Hawks have enjoyed a season nobody saw coming.
They've enjoyed one of the biggest turnarounds in the FCS, taking a seven-game winning streak and a 9-1 record into perhaps the biggest contest in program history Saturday - a de facto Big South championship game at Kennesaw State.
The No. 22 Owls' third-year program is hotter than Monmouth, also 9-1 with a nine-game winning streak. Both teams enter the STATS FCS Game of the Week with 4-0 marks in conference and seeking to claim their first Big South title and bid to the FCS playoffs.
Monmouth last won a conference title in 2006 as a member of the Northeast Conference. Last year, the Hawks were 4-7 overall and winless in their third season of Big South competition.
In one way, this year's Hawks team is the Kennesaw State of last season, arriving ahead of schedule with young players helping to fuel the way. Quarterback Kenji Bahar is a sophomore and leading rushers Pete Guerriero and Erik Zokouri are freshmen, although there are veteran standouts with junior wide receiver Reggie White Jr. and All-America senior safety Mike Basile.
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FCS GAME OF THE WEEK=
The Matchup: Monmouth (9-1, 4-0 Big South) at No. 22 Kennesaw State (9-1, 4-0)
Kickoff: 2 p.m. ET at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia
Television: ESPN3
Series: Kennesaw State leads 2-0 (last meeting: Kennesaw State won 49-17 at Monmouth on Oct. 29, 2016)
The Skinny: It's a winner-take-all scenario at The Nest. The losing team may still join the Big South champ in the FCS playoffs with an at-large bid, but it will sweat it out until the 24-team field is announced Sunday morning. You think triple option offense with the host Owls, but their defense also has been soaring. It's posted shutouts in two of the last three games and ranks fourth in the FCS in scoring defense (13.8 ppg), second in turnovers gained (27) and turnover margin (plus-18), and eighth in total defense (273.9 ypg). Freshman DE Bryson Armstrong leads the unit in tackles (72), sacks (nine) and takeaways (five). The offense features speed at the skills positions and leads the nation in rushing yards per game (332.4) behind QB Chandler Burks (781 yards, 11 touchdowns) and RBs Jake McKenzie (559, three) and Darnell Holland (502, six). The Owls are the best in the Big South in converting on third and fourth downs, and in defending them. Justin Thompson is 13 of 16 on field goals, with a long of 42 yards. Monmouth features two of the best players in the Big South in White (65 receptions, 786 yards, eight touchdowns) and Basile (conference-high 106 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss). Bajar ranks second in the conference in passing yards (2,015) and touchdown passes (15), but the Hawks seek to control game clock with Guerriero, who has surpassed 100 rushing yards in three of the last four games. Devell Jones (6-foot, 235 pounds) has a nose for the end zone, scoring 11 touchdowns. The coaching staff makes good adjustments at halftime because the Hawks have outscored opponents 126-46 in the third quarter.
Prediction: Kennesaw State's young program has built up to this opportunity. A charged-up home crowd and the deception of the triple option are huge. Kennesaw State, 24-20.
