Wait. Check that. Let’s try again.

Kicker Nate Palkovic booted two field goals, including a 25-yarder with 4:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, to lift the Fighting Scots to a 6-3 victory over the host Pioneers Saturday in Waukesha, Wis.

Although the first scenario is fictitious, it’s certainly plausible. Palkovic, after all, did belt two homers in a Monmouth baseball game earlier this year. The April contest with Knox ended with the Scots winning by the football score of 16-12.

So why, exactly, did Saturday’s football action produce a baseball score, especially when Monmouth’s last two trips to Carroll have resulted in 42-35 and 35-27 victories?

"The norm up there is that our offense puts up a lot of points, but our defense struggles," said Monmouth head coach Steve Bell. "This game, it was flipped, and it was like there was a lid on the end zone."

More specifically, said Bell, "We didn’t run the ball well, and that does not bode well for the future. We can’t be inconsistent like that, having one game on and one game off. It’s not one thing or one player or one position. We’ve got to come together on offense and develop consistency."

Where the offense’s problems were magnified were on Carroll’s end of the field. Five times, the Scots put together drives of 42 yards or more. However, only one ended with points, when Palkovic kicked his first field goal, a 36-yarder, with 2:49 left in the first half. In all, Monmouth ran 13 plays from Carroll’s 30-yardline or closer, but those plays produced just 28 yards.

Defensively, the picture is much brighter for Monmouth, which has now held three straight opponents to seven points or less. If not for a fourth-quarter TD drive surrendered by second-teamers vs. Lawrence, the Scots would have held three straight opponents out of the end zone. In holding Carroll to just three points, Monmouth allowed only 15 yards on 10 plays inside its own 30.

"I’m extremely pleased with the way our defense played," said Bell. "When Carroll got inside our 30, we really tightened up. We had multiple guys make big plays."

There were big plays throughout the contest, but the game’s final nine minutes provided several huge moments. The first came with a 3-3 score at the 8:32 mark, when Palkovic’s 44-yard punt was downed at the Carroll 2-yard-line. The Pioneers couldn’t move from the shadow of their goal posts, and their ensuing 24-yard punt was downed at the Carroll 29. Monmouth moved the chains once, but on fourth-and-two from the Carroll 8, Palkovic was called on to boot his go-ahead field goal.

Isaac Hamilton broke a 55-yard return on the kickoff to set the Pioneers up at the Monmouth 44, but T.C. Olsen’s big sack forced a Carroll punt with 2:56 to play. Monmouth figured to need one first down to run out the clock, but a holding penalty stalled the offense, leading to a Palkovic punt with 1:53 left. Once again, Hamilton had a nice return, and Carroll set up shop at the Monmouth 41. A big pass play moved the Pioneers to the Scots’ 25, but Nick Leffler broke through to force an intentional grounding that left Carroll at the Monmouth 38. After an 11-yard pass sparked hope among the Pioneers faithful, Aaron Payette nearly picked off a third-down pass and Sean Wells broke up Carroll’s game-winning attempt in the end zone.

"A win’s a win," said Bell, whose team improved to 3-0 in the Midwest Conference and remained in first place. "We’ll take them anyway we can get them."

Besides its defense, which is ranked 27th nationally in points allowed, one way Monmouth is winning is by taking care of the football. Quarterback Alex Tanney has thrown just one interception through four games, making Monmouth 12th in the nation in that statistic. The Scots are also 35th in turnover margin and 17th in turnovers lost. Palkovic, who earned his second MWC Performer of the Week honor and is receiving Aztec Bowl consideration, is also a factor, as he is 17th in the nation in both field goals per game and punting average. Figuring in punt returns, the Scots are 45th nationally in net punting.

By comparison, Monmouth’s Family Weekend opponent, Grinnell, is not a national power in many departments. What the Pioneers do offer is a hard-playing team with a solid scheme on offense. All-MWC players returning for Grinnell include offensive linemen Andrew LaRue and Jon Antrim and quarterback Ben Remington, who was an all-league tight end last fall.

"Our focus has to be on Monmouth," said Bell of the matchup. "We need to focus on what we need to do and control what we can control."

If they do that, the Scots shouldn’t need any late-inning, er, fourth-quarter heroics to stay on top of the Midwest Conference.