Thursday's Monmouth U. football story

By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER

There could be more to celebrate than its 2006 Northeast Conference championship and
berth in the Dec. 2 Gridiron Classic when the Monmouth University football team holds an
open house Sunday at the school's student center.

Monmouth (10-1, 6-1) will also be gathering in hopes of learning it has gained one of
eight at-large bids to the 16-team NCAA 1-AA playoffs whose field will be announced 1
p.m. Sunday on ESPNews. The playoffs begin Nov. 25.

The Gridiron Classic is a scheduled matchup between the NEC (Monmouth) and Pioneer
League champions (San Diego), but if a league champion receives a 1-AA at-large bid the
second place team in the league will play in the Classic which will be hosted by the NEC
representative.

According to Ron Ratner, Associate Commissioner of the NEC, ""Monmouth will certainly
be under consideration for an at large bid'' which he said would ""realistically'' be a
first for an NEC team.

"I think the success the league (NEC) has had as a whole has made our teams more
viable (for the 1-AA playoffs),'' said Ratner referring to 2006 wins by Monmouth and
other NEC schools over established Division 1-AA programs.

""I think Monmouth's body of work this year lends itself to that consideration,''
he said.

While Monmouth was running the table against 1-AA non-conference foes Fordham,
Colgate, Morgan State, and St. Peter's, NEC members Albany and Central Connecticut State
produced non-conference wins of note.

San Diego (10-0), also believed to be in the 1-AA at-large playoff mix, rolled to
the Pioneer League title with Drake (9-2) finishing second. Stony Brook (5-6, 5-2) wins
NEC second place tie-breakers.

""All the information that has been passed on to me is that we are one of a handful of
teams that are bubble teams at this point,'' said Kevin Callahan, Monmouth coach. ""A
lot will be determined by games yet to be played this weekend, who wins, who loses.''

Callahan said Monmouth, which claimed the NEC crown in last Saturday's showdown at
Albany, is the only team in 1-AA football to have 10 wins against 1-AA opponents.

San Diego is ranked No. 14 in the Sports Network Top 25 poll while Monmouth was
listed as ""also receiving votes,'' the 29th highest vote total nationally.

However Matt Dougherty, TSN 1-AA football editor, wrote two weeks ago, ""The Toreros
(San Diego) finish the regular season with a 10-0 record, though a pair of games against
non-Division I competition figure to send them to the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 2.''

This week Dougherty said of Monmouth in reference to its all 1-AA schedule, ""the
Hawks can at least sit back next week and root against New Hampshire, Towson, Eastern
Illinois, and Montana State in hopes of obtaining a playoff bid that would have been
unfathomable when the year began.''

Ratner said poll rankings are never discussed at the 1-AA selection level. ""We just
assess the teams by what goes down on the field,'' he said.

Erik Yngstrom, Monmouth senior defensive end, said Wednesday the Hawks are thrilled
to still be playing.

""Just going into the Albany game I wasn't ready for it to be the last game of my
career,'' said the Freehold Township High School graduate.

""Just having another game, whether it's the 1-AA playoffs or the Gridiron Classic,
is just a special opportunity for everyone on the team,'' he said.

NOTES...Monmouth No. 1 receiver Adam San Miguel (sprained ankle) will be ready for the
Hawks' next game, trainer Doug Padron said Wednesday.

e-mail tonygsports@aol.com