"We felt as if we needed a big win against Carroll because they were the first step of hard head-to-head competition for us after the first three weeks. We knew it was going to be a close game after last year’s close match-up when we won 6-3," junior Nick Wright said.

     The Scots fell behind early to Carroll in the first quarter, but managed to score a touchdown when sophomore quarterback Alex Tanney found sophomore wide receiver Matt Shepherd on a 25-yard strike.

     The Scots came out powerful in the second quarter when Tanney passed to junior running back Clary Bricker on another 25-yard touchdown pass. The men added to their lead when junior running back Shane LaDew received a four-yard touchdown pass from Tanney.

     After the first half of regulation, the Fighting Scots and Carroll University were at a deadlock 20-20 tie. After the break, the Scots took advantage of back-to-back turnovers to break the tie and hold the Pioneers to zero points in the second half.

     "The defense struggled during the first half, but they would ultimately turn it around as we came out of the locker room with back-to-back turnovers, setting up good field position and taking the momentum away from Carroll," added Wright.

     Sophomore Kramer Matzen recovered a botched punt return to set up the Scots in the red zone for the offense. Tanney hooked up with junior wide receiver Kyle Wantland on a four-yard touchdown pass after the turnover.

     "The defensive backs came out and played an entirely different ball game, along with the good defensive push from the defensive line," reported Wright.

     Senior defensive back Cole Norman picked off a Chris Casper pass during Carroll’s next series and returned it 34 yards to the Pioneer 15-yard line. Two plays later, Tanney found junior wide out Steve Zidow in the end zone to open up a two touchdown cushion.

     Tanney’s sixth and final touchdown pass came during the start of the fourth quarter when he hit sophomore wide receiver Michael Blodgett on a nine-yard strike. Tanney tied his brother, Mitch, on his 2004 record for most touchdown passes in a single-game against archrival Knox College.

     Tanney tied a Monmouth College school record for touchdown passes to earn the Midwest Conference Offensive Performer of the Week honor. He also leads the conference with 16 total touchdown passes in four games this season, as he completed 28 of his 39 attempts for 317 yards, while he hit 10 different receivers.

     Senior Marc Artozqui led the defense with 11 total tackles, and junior Anthony Goranson added two more sacks to his team-leading total. Senior Danny Weiden and junior Sean Wells each recorded seven tackles.

     The Fighting Scots’ overall season record sits at 4-0 with an undefeated 3-0 mark in the Midwest Conference. The men will travel to Grinnell, Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 4 to take on Grinnell College at a 1 p.m. start.

     "This week, the coaches are stressing to have solid practices, because we need all of us to be prepared for Grinnell College. They (Grinnell) throw the ball very well and our practices need to be good so we can come out with a win," Wright added.