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Scots battling consistency issues
as they prepare for Blueboys
Release Date: October 24, 2006
MONMOUTH, Ill. — The Monmouth
football team is currently on the consistency bubble. The Fighting
Scots have struggled with consistency so much that it has almost
become a constant.
“We’ve been very inconsistent offensively,” said Monmouth coach
Steve Bell following Saturday’s disappointing 12-8 loss to Lake
Forest. “We’re not putting drives together and we’re turning the
ball over. Our three losses have all been the same formula.”
Saturday’s ledger included three turnovers, a trio of three-and-outs
and one four-play drive – the Scots’ final possession – that did not
produce a first down. Of Monmouth’s 11 offensive series, only one
went further than 30 yards.
“When we don’t turn the ball over, it’s not like we’re going to put
a tremendous amount of points on the board, but we’ll play good
enough to win combined with the play we get from our defense,” said
Bell. “Defensively, other than a handful of plays – and
specifically, the two touchdown passes – we played well enough to
win that game.”
The first TD pass came in the first quarter after an interception
set the Foresters up at the Monmouth 23.
“It hurt because of where it was on the field,” said Bell of the
turnover, “but you can’t put that interception on (quarterback Jared
Mundt). It was just a deflected ball. He actually made the right
decision on the throw.”
After Kevin Carter made the interception, Dan Carter caught a
19-yard TD pass. The PAT was blocked, but the Foresters led 6-0 with
four minutes left in the opening period.
Quarterback Jeff Ziemnik and Carter hooked up again nine minutes
later on a 46-yard scoring strike that would be the end of the
Foresters’ point production. But neither Mundt nor another freshman
signal-caller, Keegan Jones, could lead the Scots on an extended
drive.
Aided by a blocked punt by sophomore Jeff Davis, Jones finally got
Monmouth into the end zone in the third quarter, scoring on a
two-yard run to cap a 41-yard drive. On a broken play, holder Evan
Haffner carried the ball over the line for a two-point conversion to
make the score 12-8.
Monmouth had the ball two more times but never got into Forester
territory. Senior running back Dante Daniels was stuffed twice for
short gains and finished with a season-low 67 yards on 20 carries.
“We didn’t do, at times, what we were supposed to do schematically,”
said Bell of the Scots’ running game. “We didn’t block who we were
supposed to block. We were very inconsistent in regard to
assignments and technique.”
The only good news for Daniels was that he broke the MC
single-season record for rushing yards, which now stands at 1,254
yards with two games to go. He eclipsed the mark of Hall of Famer
Ron Baker, who was in attendance.
The road ahead does not get any easier for the Scots, who are now
5-3 on the year and 5-2 in the MWC. Up next is an Illinois College
team that still has title hopes with a 6-1 league mark.
“They definitely will be high, and we understand that and we’ll
preach that,” said Bell. “They’re a very good football team with a
very good quarterback. If that position is playing well, it’s like a
hot goalie in hockey. You can make a good run with a hot
quarterback. They also have some good receivers, so they’re very
dangerous in that respect.”
Quarterback Pete Jennings, who also plays basketball for the
Blueboys, leads the Midwest Conference in passing efficiency
(154.3). He has thrown for 1,634 yards and 23 TDs this fall. His top
receivers have been former Carthage quarterback Joe Reed (42
catches, 562 yards) and Jon Howard (34 catches, 453 yards).
Meanwhile, the Scots’ quarterback situation is up in the air.
Opening Day starter Steve Zidow is out for the season with a stress
fracture in his lower leg, leaving Mundt and Jones as the options.
“The reason you saw both of them play (vs. Lake Forest) is that
we’re trying to find some consistency there,” said Bell. “They’re
going to compete for the position in practice this week. We’ll make
our decision after Thursday’s practice, and we’ll stick with it.
It’s very tough for a freshman to play quarterback at the college
level, but that’s the hand we’re dealt. And really, they’re not
freshmen anymore. Maybe they were those first few weeks, but they
should both know what we do offensively by now.”
Concluded Bell, “Our focus is to play the best possible football
that Monmouth can play. We still have the athletes that if we play
the best we can at every position and as a football team, we can
compete very favorably. I’m still very confident in this football
team.”
Fighting Scots fans are asked to take note of a special start time
Saturday at Illinois College. The game will be played at 1 p.m.
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