Hawks Flying High After Three Straight Wins

Three straight wins for the Hawks has this team riding high going into this week’s game against Albany.

To me, as a somewhat insider, there has been no bigger regular season in the last few years as the Great Danes are battle tested and fresh off a win over CAA opponent Maine. Albany is on their way out of the NEC and I am sure would like nothing more than to make a major step forward to winning another league title before exiting.

One major positive for MU the last three weeks has been the players have acted and said all the right things. There is no sense of satisfaction as with a very experienced and mature group, this batch of Hawks knows their ultimate goal is still months away. We said it after Saturday’s win over Sacred Heart, a game that was much closer than it needed to be or probably should have been, that when you can a win a game when you are not at your best you are a good football team.

Being a good football team, is where I think MU is right now. They have proven themselves since the start of the season, even in a loss to Lehigh, and are a team that is confident but also knows its biggest challenges are still ahead. Kyle Frazier (2-time NEC offensive player of the week) has balanced the offense and looks sharp in his return back from a knee injury in 2011. The assortment of weapons at his disposal are impressive with three RBs, five or six WRs, and two very solid TEs. The offensive line has been better than good as a whole but will be tested this week as Sacred Heart was a team that not only pressured but sacked Frazier multiple times.

So much of the talk leading into the season was about how this team would be on the defensive side of the ball and so thus far, the answer is solid, confident, and surging. There are playmakers in Dan Sullivan, who seems to be coming into his own this season, and guys like Elijah Phillips and Bill Lauch who have a nose for the ball. Lauch’s health is an issue for this week as he missed the second half of the SHU game. This is a more aggressive and attacking defense than the last few years and they will challenged this week by Albany and names like Ryan Kirchner and Drew Smith.

Join us every week at Jack’s Goal Line Stand in the West End for the Kevin Callahan Monmouth Football Show, Tuesdays from 7-8pm.

You can listen to all MU Football games on 1160/1310 AM along with shoresportsnetwork.com or gomuhawks.com. Pregame show starts 10 minutes prior to kickoff.