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Scots focused on the
present, not the past
Release Date: August 28, 2009
MONMOUTH, Ill. —
“Last year was last
year, and this year is this year.”
That’s the
philosophy the Monmouth College football team is taking heading into
the 2009 season. Head coach Steve Bell won’t let his team
rest on past accomplishments, especially since the Fighting Scots
received plenty of accolades after completing an 11-1 campaign last
season. The Scots, who have received attention in three national
preseason polls, are ranked as high as fifth by Lindy’s Sports
Magazine. Monmouth enters the new campaign on the heels of last
year’s unbeaten regular season which included a conference title and
a two-game run into the NCAA playoffs.
“The preseason
rankings are a tribute to our success last year, but they really
don’t mean anything on the field this year,” said Bell, now in his
10th year guiding the Scots. “It’s more of an indication of what the
players and coaching staff have done over the years. When we got
here 10 years ago, it was our goal to raise Monmouth football to a
national level.”
Mission
accomplished.
The Scots return all
but one offensive lineman from last year’s unit that led Division
III with a 46.75 ppg average. With two seasons yet to play, junior
quarterback Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) – a
preseason All-American – already holds numerous passing records and
is within striking distance of a pair of career marks – TDs and
passing yards. Defenses will have a tough time isolating a main
threat as six different receivers caught 30 or more passes last
season and accounted for 38 of Monmouth’s 78 touchdowns.
“We’ll be experienced
throwing the ball,” said Bell who returns three seniors and two
juniors on the receiving corps, led by Mike Blodgett’s
(Appleton, Wis./North) 13 TDs and 806 yards. “Those guys played a
ton for us last year. We spread the ball around and Alex did a good
job with that. We’re extremely talented at wide receiver and they
all have big-game potential. Of course, we have a lot of talent at
running back, too.”
Bell isn’t kidding,
as the Scots return four of their top five rushers. Senior Clay
Bricker (Avon, Ill./Bushnell-Prairie City) and sophomore
Caleb Pratt (Danville, Ill./Westville) are expected to carry the
bulk of the load. Ready to go at a moment’s notice are sophomore
Noah Roseland (Coal City, Ill./Coal City) and junior Nick Law
(Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth). The foursome combined to gain nearly
1,400 yards last season. Add in junior fullback Mike Ridgway
(Dixon, Ill./Dixon), and the Scots appear to be primed for offense.
“We have a very solid
stable of running backs,” praised Bell. “We’re very happy with our
backs right now. They’re not flashy, but they have a lot of talent.
Caleb is more of a slasher with tremendous feet and vision. Clay is
just a hard-nosed kid. He’ll play his guts out for you.”
The Scots backs will
be running behind four senior starters, including preseason
All-Americans Josh Kotecki (Peru, Ill./LaSalle-Peru) and
Dan Schwindenhammer (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame). They are joined
by classmates Nick Hoffmann (Moline, Ill./Moline) and Seth
Hill (Jacksonville, Ill./Jacksonville), but Bell is looking for
the fifth lineman to add to his group that averages more than 260
pounds per man.
“We feel like we
should be pretty solid on the offensive line,” said Bell. “We’re
fortunate to have those four guys back, but we’re still a bit up in
the air on the fifth spot.”
While most fans are
excited at the prospect or returning nearly everyone from last
year’s high octane no-huddle offense, Bell cautions it’s a new
season.
“We have to remember
to respect the other teams,” said Bell. “I don’t think it’s a good
idea to go into a season with the expectations of what you
accomplished last year. Everyone needs to do the best they can. We
have to do our job – control what we can control and be more
consistent, not just on a game-by-game basis, but snap-by-snap.
Hopefully, we’re talented enough to be somewhat successful on
offense.”
Although the offense
received most of the press last season, Bell is quick to point out
it was the defense that fed the offense.
“People absolutely
overlooked what our defense did for us last year,” reported Bell.
“Our defense gave the offense the ball on a short field a number of
times. We were second nationally in turnover margin and that’s a
credit to the defense.”
Six of last year’s
defensive starters were lost to graduation, and to some, that may
seem like the glass is half-empty, but the Scots aren’t exactly
hurting for talent there, either.
Preseason
All-American senior Anthony Goranson (Bartlett,
Ill./Belvidere) returns at defensive end, where he led the team with
12 sacks last season. He’ll be joined on the line by classmate
Marc Wozniak (Petersburg, Ill./PORTA) and junior Peyton Lumzy
(Dixon, Ill./Dixon). Lumzy – hampered by an injury a year ago –
could be a force, according to Bell.
“Peyton, when he was
healthy, was one of our best defensive linemen last year,” praised
Bell. “Marc does a good job of anchoring the middle. The front three
or four guys, depending on what we run, will have to be good.”
The linebacking corps
took the biggest hit from graduation, losing all four starters. The
cupboard is hardly bare, though, as the Scots have no fewer than
five players in the running to fill the vacated spots. Sophomore
Adam Hoste (Colona, Ill./Geneseo) and junior Marcus Ruff
(Avon, Ill./Bushnell-Prairie City) had the most stops of the
candidates in 2008. Sophomores David Milroy (Toulon,
Ill./Stark County), Cory Bishop (Bryant, Ill./Lewistown) and
Josh Frahm (Mackinaw, Ill./ Deer Creek-Mackinaw) have impressed
in practice to join the list of contenders.
“We’ll have a lot of
experience to replace,” said Bell. “We’ve got kids that are capable,
but they’ve got some big shoes to fill.”
Sean Wells
(Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth) fills a defensive back’s shoes for his
final year in the secondary where he accounted for 78 tackles last
season – second on the team. Called the “centerfielder” by Bell,
Wells will be counted on to provide leadership – and tackles.
“We’re counting on
Sean to be the leader out there,” said Bell. “He’s got to be ready
to play all the time.”
Joining Wells will be
two new cornerbacks and a safety. Junior Joe Daly (Chicago,
Ill./St. Patrick) – who saw game action last season – has the early
inside track for one spot. A pair of sophomores – Andre Taylor
(Rantoul, Ill./Rantoul) and Shane Reschke (Geneseo,
Ill./Geneseo) are in the mix. Track standout Luke Reschke
(Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) makes his inaugural trip to the gridiron in
his senior year and is among those in the running for time in the
defensive backfield.
With so many options
in so many places defensively, Bell has simplified the process.
“It’s simply a case
of starting up front,” reported Bell. “We’ve got good experience up
front and that makes it a bit easier on the back side of the
defense. We’ll need to figure out who our playmakers are going to
be. It’s a different group than we had last year. It will be a
process, but I’m confident we’ll come together.”
The Scots got the
special teams units together last season. Senior kicker Kyle Tuor
(Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) scored 72 points last season, second only to
Blodgett’s 80. On kickoffs, Tuor averaged just over 55 yards. Shane
Reschke made the transition from high school kicker to college
punter, averaging 37 yards per boot, including a career-best
62-yarder. Seventeen of his punts landed inside the 20. While the
kicking game was good, Bell says it could be better.
“We need to be much
more consistent in our kicking game,” said Bell. “Kickoffs, extra
points, field goals – we need to improve our consistency there.
There is going to be a high expectation at that position. It’s all
about consistency, just like the offense.”
One consistent this
season will be the field conditions. Synthetic FieldTurf was
installed on Bobby Woll Memorial Field this summer, giving not only
the kickers, but everyone, consistent footing.
“The biggest impact
the new turf will have has been in practice,” reported Bell. “We’re
able to practice regardless of the weather. We have a consistent
surface. Once the season begins, we won’t have to worry about our
field conditions – that’s the biggest advantage. For the fans, it
will be nice to add to the atmosphere, but for the team it still
comes down to playing the game regardless of the field you’re on.”
While field
conditions were a concern after last year’s rain-soaked home opener,
replacing the leadership roles was a concern for Bell heading into
the 2009 season. He’s counting on the program itself to nurture that
quality.
“Success breeds
success,” said Bell. “I believe our leadership from past seasons has
bred another good group of leaders for this year. We’ll find out if
we have those kids in place once we play. It’s something we talk
about every day.”
The Scots use more
than physical drills to prepare for the season. Bell’s practice plan
incorporates mental training as well, inviting motivational speakers
and former players to address the team.
“We preach having a
contender mentality,” reported Bell. “We don’t want to have a
‘repeat’ mentality. We don’t have the same team back, so there is
no ‘repeat’ to it. We want to play well enough to contend again, but
it’s a very, very tough road. We know the teams will be amped up to
play us since we won the conference last year. Hopefully, the stars
align, we stay healthy, the young guys come around and we’ll be in
position to contend.”
One thing the Scots
would like to repeat – a trip to the postseason.
Football
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