Monmouth University kicks off the 2010 football season Saturday night at Colgate University. Kickoff in Hamilton, N.Y., is 6 p.m. This will be the only night game on the Hawks’ schedule this fall.

Kevin Callahan, the only head coach in MU history, begins his 14th season with a team that was picked to finish fifth in the Northeast East Conference (NEC) in the NEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Callahan’s Hawks will play their home opener a week later on Sept. 11 when Maine makes a call to West Long Branch. This is one of six home games for Monmouth.

Defending NEC champion Central Connecticut State was the coaches’ favorite to repeat, while Robert Morris was second, University at Albany third, and Wagner College fourth just ahead of the Hawks. Bryant, Duquesne, Sacred Heart and St. Francis (Pa.) rounded out the poll. The poll is voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.

This year the NEC teams are playing for more than a conference championship. On the line will be an automatic berth in the NCAA Football Championship Sub- Division (FCS) playoffs. They were formerly the I-AA playoffs.

“Having an opportunity to play for a postseason berth is something that players in our program have looked forward to for a long time,” said Callahan in a press release. “Having it become a reality excites everyone involved in our program, past and present. It also plays an important part in recruiting: for years, schools were able to hold against us the fact that we couldn’t advance to postseason play. This evens the playing field in that aspect of recruiting.”

The FCS playoffs were expanded from 16 to 20 teams starting in 2010, and the NEC champion was granted one of those four automatic berths. This will make the NEC season an historic one, with all nine member teams vying to be the first to go to the FCS playoffs.

Being picked fifth in the preseason could be a good omen for the Hawks. The last time they were ranked this low was before the 2003 season, when the coaches chose Monmouth seventh. That year MU finished with a 10-1 record and won a share of the Northeast Conference Championship.

The Hawks had four players named to the preseason All-NEC Team. On offense, Monmouth was represented by fifth-year senior Shawn Wright (Fort Washington, Md./DeMatha Catholic High School). The Hawks had three defensive players on the team: seniors Dave Ogden (Wayne Hills High School) and Kendall Haley (Olney, Md./Good Council High School) and junior Jose Gumbs (Queens, N.Y./Hebron Academy).

Wright made his third straight appearance on the NEC preseason team. He has been an All-League selection at right guard each of his first three seasons. Wright was named a team captain for the second straight year.

Ogden, a senior defensive end, is coming off his best season in 2009. He led the Hawks in tackles for a loss (10) and sacks (four). Ogden was also fifth on the team in tackles (47).

The defensive backfield is one of the strengths of Monmouth’s defense, and both safeties were represented on the team, with Gumbs most likely moving back to safety next to Haley after playing linebacker for a number of games last season. The duo finished the year one-two in tackles for the Hawks. Haley, a First Team All-NEC selection a year ago, was second on the Hawks with three interceptions and four pass breakups. Gumbs, the reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Year, has led Monmouth in tackles in each of the last two seasons. He averaged 10.6 tackles per game last year. He brings a physical presence to the defense. Gumbs was also chosen as a captain by his teammates after spring practice concluded.

The Hawks are deep at quarterback with Kyle Frazier (Gaithersburg, Md./Damascus High School), Andrew Mandeville (Raritan) and Craig Peterson (Manalapan). All played well during the team’s spring practices and scrimmages.

Jeremey Dinkins (Colts Neck), who played defensive back last fall, has moved to wide receiver. The Hawks graduated their top two receivers from 2009 and are looking for depth there.

Chris Luma (Bishop Ahr High School) is another player changing positions to the other side of the ball. He’s moving from tight end to defensive end.

Callahan has a 101-72 overall record. He has won five conference titles, and in 2004 Monmouth won the I-AA Mid- Major National Championship following a 10-1 campaign. They were awarded the Sports Network Cup.

The Hawks’ home opener is Sept. 11, when they host Maine at 1 p.m. Old Dominion makes a call to West Long Branch on Sept. 18, also for a 1 p.m. kick-off. The Hawks play six home games this year.