Scots Host Knox in Battle for the Bronze Turkey

Release Date: November 7, 2000

The last time Monmouth’s Jon Baikie faced the Knox College Prairie Fire, he shredded the Scots’ archrival’s defense for 196 rushing yards and threw for 55 more in a dramatic 27-26 triumph at The Knox Bowl that tied the all-time series at 50-50-10.

The last time Baikie, now a senior, faced the Prairie Fire at Bobby Woll Memorial Field was … well, never, as the field was unfit for play when Knox came to town in 1998. The teams met at Sunnylane Field, and Knox won the contest 28-20,

"Our seniors have never had a chance to play Knox on our regular game field," said first-year Monmouth coach Steve Bell, who has never had a chance to coach a Bronze Turkey game on any type of field.

Besides Baikie, the Scots’ other seniors include fullback Preston Eiler and special teamers Brian Hetrick and Pat DuMais. Two other seniors on the opening roster, quarterback Josh Boyer and lineman Pat Lynch, are no longer playing due to injuries. Lynch has stayed busy by providing the color analysis on Monmouth’s live webcasts, available at www.monm.edu/sportsinfo.

Of the seniors, Baikie has had the most storied career in crimson and white, and he hopes to write a fitting closing chapter to a career that has seen him land in the top five in various honor rolls in the Fighting Scots’ record book. For example, the former starting quarterback is fourth all-time in total offense with 3,336 yards, and he’s also fourth on the career all-purpose yardage list at 2,531.

That all-purpose tag is especially appropriate this season for Baikie, as he’s thrown for 188 yards, ran for 129, caught passes for 228 yards and returned a total of 32 punts and kicks for 429 yards, giving him a team-high season total of 786 all-purpose yards. For good measure, Baikie has a solid 35.8-yard average on 51 punts, including two punts for a 47.5-yard average in a 35-18 loss to Grinnell last week.

Eiler and Hetrick have also seen their roles change this season under a new coach. Eiler has gained 1,102 yards rushing in his career, but only 68 of those yards have come this season. Instead, the fullback is counted on more for his blocking and, occasionally, pass catching. The former Monmouth High School standout has 10 receptions for 82 yards this season, including two TDs, after catching only two passes in his entire career coming into the season.

Hetrick saw some mop-up duty at running back against Lawrence two games ago, and his 73-yard day gave him 560 yards rushing in his career. The former Union Yankee also has 21 catches through the years for 170 yards.

"Our seniors are progressively getting better in our system," said Bell. "This game is their chance to show what they can do against Knox in front of their own fans.

"It’s a great rivalry," he continued. "It’s great for the game. Obviously, both teams are going to come ready to play no matter what the records are (identical marks of 2-7 overall, 2-6 in the Midwest Conference). There are huge momentum swings in games like this. Whoever can limit the turnovers and take advantage of big-play opportunities is going to come out on top. That’s what killed us against Grinnell. We didn’t get any turnovers."

Ah, yes, the Grinnell game. For well over half of the contest, Monmouth was very impressive, using a balanced attack to take an 18-17 third-quarter lead, a lead which stood up until one of two key turning points in the game.

The first key play was symbolic of the game’s outcome, as Monmouth let something in its grasp slip away. In this case, it was the football. Grinnell quarterback Jeff Pedersen was nearly sacked as he rolled out on a third-and-5 from the Monmouth 30. Pedersen was able to get free and threw a deep pass inside the 10 which was dropped by a Monmouth defender into the hands of Pioneer receiver Ryan Brown, who danced into the end zone for a 25-18 Grinnell lead.

"When you have the opportunity to make plays, you’ve got to make them," said Bell. "When you’ve got a ball in your hands, you’ve got to make the play."

The Grinnell score came with 8:51 left in the contest. There was still plenty of time for Monmouth to rally for a game-tying touchdown, but the second turning point proved too much for the Scots to overcome.

On a first-and-10 play from the Grinnell 41, Monmouth quarterback Rob Purlee lofted a deep ball for Randy Williams down the right sideline. Williams was called for interference on the incomplete aerial, and the 15-yard penalty moved the Scots back across midfield. On the next play, Ryan Wood fumbled after a 10-yard gain.

"That was a key, because we were moving downfield to tie it up," said Bell, who did not see Williams touch anybody when he reviewed the game film. "We had a lot of inopportune penalties during the game that put us in first-and-15 situations or longer, and we had too many

times when we let them convert on third down. It was a tough one to lose. Very frustrating."

Grinnell cashed in on eight of its 14 third-down chances, and the Pioneers were also a perfect 1-for-1 on fourth down. To its credit, Monmouth was also efficient on third down, converting on 8-of-15 chances. As a result, the teams combined for only four punts.

Purlee had the hot hand early, completing 10 of his first 12 passes for 143 yards and a TD.

"I knew we’d be able to move the ball on them," said Bell. "I knew if we gave our quarterback time, we’d move the ball." The line did just that, limiting the Pioneers to one sack.

As the second half opened, Bell called a running play for Randy Terrell, and he liked the result so well – a quick-hitting 12-yard gain – that he called Terrell’s numbers on the next two plays. The junior burst 13 yards on the next tote and then raced 46 yards for a touchdown and an 18-17 lead.

"At the start of the third quarter, we executed very well," said Bell. "I liked the way our line fired off the ball on that first play, so I just stayed with it. The touchdown on the third carry was the same play as the first one, only to the other side."

Terrell used that 71-yard, three-carry surge to finish with 141 yards on 31 tries. He’s picked up 288 yards in his last two games and has 616 yards on 143 carries this season. Another stellar day would give him the highest rushing total for an MC running back since Kevin Matarelli gained 993 yards in 1994.

Bell knows the Knox defense will have something to say about that, and he called their defensive unit the strength of their team, along with the fact that they are very well coached. That defense looked very strong in Knox’s 10-6 victory over Lake Forest Saturday. Cornerback Brandon Orr was one of the heroes, making seven tackles and knocking away three passes. Linebackers Anthony Balthazor and Stephen Hawf were all around the football, combining to make 26 stops as the Fire held Lake Forest to just 276 yards on 70 plays.

In a game that featured 18 punts, special teams were certainly important, and Knox won that battle thanks to the foot of Mason Winebarger, who kicked a PAT and then provided some key insurance points with a 41-yard fourth-quarter field goal. Meanwhile, Lake Forest missed its lone PAT attempt of the game.

Adam Wherley was the offensive star, catching 10 passes for 106 yards. In eight MWC contests, Wherley has caught 59 passes for 733 yards to rank second in both categories. The Fire will be missing the services of injured running back Ryan Williams, who had 540 MWC yards.

Neither team features many players in the top 10 in offensive categories, but the squads do boast some fine defenders, including Monmouth linebacker Jason Robinson, who is second in the MWC in total tackles. His 106 stops this season are an MC record, edging the 105 recorded by Dan Taylor last year. Balthazor leads the MWC with 94 tackles and Robinson has 90.