Monmouth College’s
second-ever foray into the NCAA’s football playoffs was a great time for
the first 119 minutes and change. However, a Wartburg touchdown with
seven seconds remaining in the Fighting Scots’ second round game brought
a sudden end to Monmouth’s best-ever season.
The Scots, who concluded
the regular season with a 56-10 Bronze Turkey victory over Knox,
qualified for the playoffs by winning the Midwest Conference title with
the same 10-0 overall record that earned them their 2005 crown. Unlike
that season, when Monmouth had to travel eight hours to play regional
powerhouse St. John’s, the Scots were awarded a home game, and they made
the best of it.
Sophomore quarterback Alex Tanney threw for 366 yards and four
touchdowns as Monmouth won its first-ever playoff game by a 42-13 score.
The victory earned the Scots another home game on Nov. 29, and Tanney
and Co. looked solid through the first half, scoring with 28 seconds
left in the second quarter to take a 28-14 lead into the locker room.
But the Scots would not score again, and the visiting Knights kept
chipping away.
One of their bids to take
the lead was emphatically denied as Peyton Lumzy recorded
back-to-back sacks after Wartburg had reached Monmouth’s 31-yard line.
But on their do-or-die drive in the final 1:34, the Knights drove 79
yards with no time-outs and scored the winning TD on a 23-yard pass with
seven seconds to play. The 30-28 loss ended Monmouth’s season at 11-1.
