NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., August 31, 2018 – Coming off one of the best seasons in the program's short history, the Monroe College football team enters 2018 looking to take things up a notch and create history. The Mustangs are challenged by one of its toughest schedules to date, but recent success and a strong group of returning student-athletes has set up Monroe to be a standout program in the NJCAA.
 
Monroe enters the season receiving votes in the NJCAA Football Coaches Preseason Poll. The Mustangs join their Northeast Football Conference (NEFC) counterparts, as ASA College comes in at No. 12, and Lackawanna College finds itself ranked as the No. 17 team in the nation. Monroe spent time in the NJCAA Football Coaches Poll a year ago, ranking as high as No. 15 on the Oct. 10, 2017 rankings.
 
The Mustangs won a program-best eight games in 2017, finishing 8-2 on the season. Monroe turned in an impressive 6-0 start to the season, including four straight wins on the road to open the year.
 
Monroe is led by head coach Terry Karg, who has been at the helm of the program since its inception in 2012 and enters his seventh season with the Mustangs. He has accumulated a 31-22 overall record over his first six seasons with the Royal and Gold.
 
The defense caused all sorts of problems for opposing offenses last year. The Mustangs ranked at the top of the nation in points allowed per game (10.8), total yards allowed per game (176.1) and rush yards allowed per game (43.1), while coming in sixth in pass yards allowed per game (133.0). The team's 14 interceptions tied them for 16th in the entire NJCAA.
 
The offense also set new standards for the program in 2017. Starting quarterback Sean Kelly set new individual records with 158 pass attempts, 83 pass completions, 1,104 passing yards, and tied for the program record with 12 passing touchdowns, all while missing some games due to injury. He also tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns in a single season with seven, setting a new record with 19 total touchdowns. As a team, the Mustangs set new passing marks with 18 touchdowns, 1,565 yards, 125 completions and a 124.7 pass efficiency rating.
 
Having a number of talented running backs on the roster, the Mustangs also set a new program record with 1,799 total rushing yards a year ago, as well as a record 25 rushing touchdowns. The teams' 4.94 yards per rush were also a new record and ranked 16th in the country, while their 179.9 rushing yards per game edged out the previous record from 2016 by one-tenth of a yard.

Special teams played a big role in the Mustangs' success a year ago. The team set a new record with 405 punt return yards and scored only the program's second punt return touchdown. The Mustangs' 15.0 yards per punt return easily set a new standard. Monroe also had a kick return touchdown last year. Outgoing sophomore Dejohn Rogers contributed big time to the Mustangs' special teams success, picking up 255 punt return yards, 342 kick return yards, and scoring both of the return touchdowns.
 
The Mustangs return 38 student-athletes from last year's roster, while introducing 41 newcomers to the squad. A high-quality group, the Mustangs will look to improve upon all the new standards set by the 2017 team. The Mustangs have a challenging schedule for this task, as they take on a trio of nationally ranked programs. The first of those contests takes place on the road at No. 19 Louisburg College on Saturday, Sept. 15. Later, Monroe takes on NEFC foe No. 17 Lackawanna in Scranton, Pa. on Saturday, Oct. 13. The Mustangs will then host No. 12 ASA two weeks later at Joseph F. Fosina Field on Saturday, Oct. 27. ASA lost its season opener, 14-12, to Nassau Community College, who the Mustangs will play on the road on Sept. 8.
 
Monroe opens the 2018 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 1, against a familiar opponent in the New Jersey Warriors. The Mustangs defeated the Warriors at home last year by a score of 33-3, in what was also Monroe's home opener in 2017. The Mustangs will kick off their season in front of their fans under the Fosina Field lights at 7 p.m. Saturday evening.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, will have six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level beginning in the fall of 2017.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).