​WEST LONG BRANCH — The summer weather has lingered into the heart of September, but Monmouth football will try to bring a frigid forecast to Upstate New York this weekend. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. Going into the final weekend of the 2025 regular season, Monmouth was 9-2 and ranked 12th in the FCS. The Hawks were poised to roll into the FCS playoffs and the only thing standing in the way was a home matchup against 1-10 Albany, the last place team in the CAA. The result was a nightmarish 31-24 loss to the Great Danes that bounced the Hawks from the playoff picture. On Saturday, Monmouth (1-2) will try to avenge that loss on the road against a resurgent Albany (2-1) team. The Great Danes have a new head coach and a retooled roster but the Hawks have the motivation that comes with the memory of a haunting loss. Redshirt junior receiver Tra Neal, fresh off a banner performance with 107 yards and touchdown against Western Michigan, had to pause when reflecting on that feeling.”Albany… they ruined a lot of stuff for us last year,” Neal said. “We had a lot of stuff going, some of my best friends were on that team, man. My dog at quarterback—they ruined a lot of stuff last year and that makes me mad still to this day. I’m ready to go back and take that back. Take what they took from us last year.”That edge should only further augment Neal’s sharp play after he went against one of the best secondaries in the FBS Group of 6 conferences and tallied his best game of the 2026 season. He and quarterback Frankie Weaver seem to have found a rhythm on the crucial intermediate throws that can make or break a passing game. “We were just trusting it,” Neal said.” We were driving the ball good, the quarterback was playing good. We just trusted it. We were playing with confidence. If we could have finished those drives, it would have looked way different. But we were playing confident, playing together, trusting what we’ve been practicing.”Where to watch Monmouth vs. AlbanyGame: Monmouth at AlbanyDate and Time: Saturday Sept. 19, 3:30 p.m.Where: Tom & Mary Casey Stadium – Albany, New YorkWatch: FloSportsAlthough Monmouth is coming off a 49-14 road loss to Western Michigan last week, the true picture of that game is illuminated through deeper context. The Hawks had more total offense with 431 yards (including more passing and rushing yards) with more first downs (24 to 20 not including penalties) and better third down efficiency than the Broncos (11-for-20). But drives derailed by drops or fumbles, and the subsequent short fields they created for the WMU offense, created a lopsided result. For better and for worse, the numbers are the numbers. And Monmouth put up numbers against a reigning FBS conference champion. If that effort can be replicated the rest of the season, it will lead to strong results against CAA opponents. The Hawks have every reason to make sure that trend continues at least for another week.”It’s all those parts, right?