Fighting Scots 2003 Football Game Summaries

Knox College vs. Monmouth, Galesburg, IL, Nov. 8, 2003
Monmouth 39, Knox 8 (8-2, 8-1)
The only thing missing from the Fighting Scots' convincing victory in their 115th meeting with archrival Knox was a piece of the Midwest Conference title, as St. Norbert pulled out a 20-6 win at Lake Forest to finish undefeated in the league, one game ahead of runner-up Monmouth. But the win in their season finale did give the Scots their seventh consecutive victory and fifth straight Bronze Turkey win. It also meant that, for the second straight year, Monmouth's seniors did not lose in their careers against Knox, and coach Steve Bell improved to a perfect 4-0 in the rivalry. The win was really a microcosm of Monmouth's season, as several offensive players shined, most notably Rob Purlee, who finished with four TD passes and threw for 312 yards, establishing a new season record of 2,561 yards. He threw one TD each to Jason Killion, Tyler Snyder, Nathan Gaskill and Jim Stetson. Gaskill's grab allowed him to tie the career record for TD catches at 19. On the ground, backs Oscar Scott and Todd Sabean each broke loose for scores, with Sabean leading the way with 73 yards. The defense was led by Rob Rogers, who picked off a pass and was in on 10 tackles.

Carroll College vs. Monmouth, Waukesha, WI, Nov. 1, 2003
Monmouth 42, Carroll 35 (7-2, 7-1)
The Fighting Scots narrowly avoided being the most recent team to fall to "giant-killer" Carroll, as Dustin Schaibley's interception at the Monmouth 6-yard line with less than a minute to play prevented the Pioneers from completing an incredible comeback. The Pioneers trailed 42-21 in the fourth quarter, but Marcus Koronkiewicz, who threw for 434 yards, completed a TD pass and added a short scoring run. After the latter TD, Carroll recovered an onside kick to keep their comeback hopes alive. MC's Rob Purlee didn't have a bad day through the air, either, completing a 55-yard TD pass to Ryan Wood as well as a scoring strike to Ed McCracken. He finished 14-of-23 for 253 yards, and Nathan Gaskill had four catches for 86 yards. On the ground, Oscar Scott gained 93 yards and punched in three short scoring runs. Carroll's Adam Fletcher matched Scott with three TDs of his own and finished with 204 receiving yards. With its seventh straight victory, Monmouth clinched no worse than second place in the Midwest Conference, and the Scots could tie for the league title with a win on Nov. 8 vs. Knox and a St. Norbert loss at Lake Forest.

Illinois College vs. Monmouth, Monmouth, IL, Oct. 25, 2003
Monmouth 41, Illinois C. 21 (6-2, 6-1)
Happy Homecoming! On a day when Monmouth College celebrated the return of scores of alumni and dedicated the new $22 million Huff Athletic Center, the football team wasn't about to rain on the parade, cruising to its fifth straight victory. Leading 19-6 at halftime, the Scots put the game away with a pair of scores midway through the third quarter. Oscar Scott capped a six-play, 57-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run with 9:22 to play in the period and, after Rob Rogers recorded one of his two interceptions and returned it to the Blueboys' 18-yard line, Ed McCracken finished off a five-play mini-drive with another short TD run to make the score 34-6. Rob Purlee, who opened the scoring with a 1-yard run, also completed two TD passes and was 26-of-39 through the air for 356 yards. Tyler Snyder caught both TDs and finished with 110 receiving yards, while Nathan Gaskill grabbed five balls for 117 yards, including a 65-yarder to set up the Scots' second score. Scott finished with 115 yards of MC's 199 rushing yards as Monmouth outgained Illinois College 555-198. The offensive output was the fifth-best in MC history and the game in coach Steve Bell's 38-game career at Monmouth. T.J. Grisel had three TD passes for IC, but the Blueboys gained only 49 yards on the ground. Justin Zigler led the Scots with 11 tackles, while Adam Bruns and Brian Short combined for 29 for the Blueboys. 

Lawrence University vs. Monmouth, Monmouth, IL, Oct. 18, 2003
Monmouth 50, Lawrence 14 (5-2, 5-1)
The Fighting Scots responded to head coach Steve Bell's challenge to be ready for a Lawrence team that nearly knocked off league-leading St. Norbert last week with a convincing 36-point win at Bobby Woll Memorial Field. Todd Sabean opened the Monmouth scoring on a five-yard run midway through the first quarter. The Scots then added four more scores before intermission. Oscar Scott's eight-yard touchdown run was sandwiched between two Rob Purlee to Adam Chorazy TD passes. Jason Killion got in the scoring act in the first half when Purlee hit him for a 37-yard touchdown following a Rob Rogers interception. Scott led the Monmouth ground attack with a season-high 144 yards. The Scots' defense limited the Vikings to just four trips inside the red zone and intercepted three Lawrence passes. Matt Floming led a solid defensive effort with a team-high 12 tackles and one interception.

Grinnell College vs. Monmouth, Grinnell, Iowa, Oct. 11, 2003
Monmouth 30, Grinnell 20 (4-2, 4-1)
Tied 13-13 at halftime, the Fighting Scots took advantage of a Pioneer turnover early in the second half as Andy Full nailed a 32-yard field goal that put MC ahead to stay. Monmouth and Grinnell traded TDs in the first half with the Scots' Todd Sabean scoring from one yard out, his first of three scores on the day. Rob Purlee then found Tyler Snyder for a 41-yard TD and the point after knotted the score at intermission. Full's field goal and Sabean's second rushing touchdown of the day just seven minutes later gave Monmouth a 10-point margin. Grinnell made things interesting with a 39-yard scoring strike with 1:25 to play, but Snyder recovered the ensuing on-side kick and Sabean scampered 51 yards on the next play for his trifecta. Sabean and Oscar Scott combined for 260 of the Scots' 300 rushing yards. Justin Zigler's 19 tackles just missed the school record of 20 set by Tim Hinson in 1990.

Lake Forest College vs. Monmouth, Lake Forest, Ill, Oct. 4, 2003
Monmouth 21, Lake Forest 14 (3-2, 3-1)
Monmouth stayed one game back in the hunt for the Midwest Conference crown by defeating the defending co-champion Foresters. Lake Forest could celebrate their Homecoming, but little else, as the Fighting Scots outgained the Foresters 404-211 and nearly doubled their time of possession. The Scots opened the first quarter scoring on a 60-yard TD pass from Rob Purlee to Tyler Snyder. The Foresters' Anthony Gebhart then returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to set up a four-play, 36-yard drive for a 7-6 LFC lead. Monmouth retook the lead for good in the second quarter when Purlee again went to the air and found Nathan Gaskill for a 24-yard scoring strike. The Scots tacked on a two-point conversion to pad the lead to 14-7 and added to that with an Oscar Scott score from nine yards out with 1:21 remaining in the half. Lake Forest found paydirt just before intermission to close the gap to 21-14 at the half. Neither team scored in the second half. Scott led the Monmouth ground game with a season-high 118 yards. Purlee racked up 229 yards passing on a 15-of-25 afternoon, throwing one interception. Rob Rogers led the defense with six solo tackles.

Monmouth vs. Beloit College, Monmouth, Ill, Sept. 27, 2003
Monmouth 41, Beloit 14 (2-2, 2-1)
The Fighting Scots rebounded nicely from last week's road loss to improve their Midwest Conference record to 2-1. Leading 21-7 at the half, Monmouth took the second-half kickoff and drove 66 yards capped by Adam Chorazy's seven-yard TD reception. Jason Killion, who tied the school receiving record with three TDs, collected his third score on a 51-yard reception with 4:44 left in the third period as Rob Purlee riddled the Bucs defense for four touchdowns and 374 yards through the air, just nine yards off the team record. Tailback Oscar Scott added a pair of scores on 82 yards rushing as Monmouth outgained Beloit 482-297. Killion's 129 receiving yards came on three catches while Nathan Gaskill hauled in five Purlee passes for 116 yards and became the school's career receiving yardage leader. Rob Rogers led the stingy Monmouth defense, recording 13 tackles, and Tyler Dihle had a pair of sacks.

St. Norbert College vs. Monmouth, DePere, Wis., Sept. 20, 2003
St. Norbert 38, Monmouth 15 (1-2, 1-1)
Aljay Wren carried the ball for touchdowns on the Green Knights' first two offensive plays of the game to key the hosts' victory in this MWC showdown. Wren scampered 39 yards to give SNC a 7-0 lead and, after Monmouth had closed within a point on a touchdown pass from Rob Purlee to Jason Killion, he scored again from 62 yards out. While Wren was the style, finishing with 108 yards on six carries, backfield mate Casey Meehan was the substance, toting the ball 23 times for 117 yards. Overall, the Knights outgained Monmouth 285-46 on the ground. Purlee did have some success, throwing for 241 yards, but St. Norbert kept the Scots from scoring again offensively until reserve T.J. Gordon hit Adam Chorazy with a 10-yard TD pass midway through the final period. Knights' quarterback Ryan Hartman ran for one score and passed for another, and St. Norbert also scored on special teams, recovering a fumbled punt snap by the Scots and returning it 25 yards to paydirt.

Monmouth vs. Ripon College, Monmouth, Ill, Sept. 13, 2003
Monmouth 24, Ripon 12 (1-1, 1-0)
As expected, the rain that was forecast for Saturday fell throughout Monmouth's Midwest Conference opener. However, the expected Ripon answer to the Fighting Scots' great start never came, as Monmouth posted its first win over the Red Hawks since 1989. The Scots marched 65 yards on their opening drive, capped by a 25-yard TD strike from Rob Purlee to Nathan Gaskill. Following a Ryan Bast interception, the Scots went 62 yards on their next series, with Purlee hitting Ryan Wood for a 31-yard score. Matt Floming picked off Ripon's Matt Trickey deep in MC territory to end the next possession and, three plays later, Todd Sabean dashed 35 yards to set up a 35-yard Andy Full field goal. Ripon would not cross midfield again until the Scots had gone up on 24-0 in the third quarter on a 23-yard strike from Purlee to Gaskill. The Red Hawks scored with 11:21 left in the game and again at the 3:16 mark on a 77-yard punt return by Tim Roehrig, but it was too little, too late. Purlee attempted just 11 passes, but nearly half of his seven completions went for touchdowns. A solid running game took the burden off of Purlee, as Sabean gained 123 yards on 18 carries and Oscar Scott added 82 more on 19 tries. Trickey was 19-of-35 for Ripon for 162 yards, but overall the Red Hawks were outgained 339-221.

Monmouth vs. Loras College, Monmouth, Ill., Sept. 6, 2003
Loras 38, Monmouth 21 (0-1)
Like two prize fighters, Loras and Monmouth stood toe-to-toe in the first quarter before Loras took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter and was never headed. After the Duhawks Dee Hill scored from one yard out, kicker Tony Foxen tacked on a 24-yard field goal to put Loras up 10-0. The Scots' Rob Purlee then found Nathan Gaskill for a 54-yard TD pass that trimmed the deficit to 10-7 with 6:11 left to play in the first half. Loras then padded their lead with two scores to hold a 24-7 half-time advantage. Both teams would add a pair of TDs in the second half as Loras outgained the Scots 508-300. Purlee accounted for 260 yards through the air, connecting on 20-of-31 attempts. Gaskill led the team in receiving with 74 yards and Jason Killion teamed up with Purlee for a pair of touchdown catches. Defensively, Ryan Bast and Justin Zigler collected 11 tackles each. The Scots open their Midwest Conference schedule next Saturday hosting Ripon in a 1:30 game at Bobby Woll Memorial Field.