It might not be long before those successful quarterback-receiver tandems are overshadowed by Alex Tanney and Matt Shepherd. Or maybe it will be Tanney and Mike Blodgett.

Either way, Fighting Scots coach Steve Bell has to like the prospects of his star freshman quarterback having two talented targets from the same recruiting class. All three players shined Saturday as Monmouth avenged one of its losses from last season by knocking off Lake Forest 41-19.

Tanney, Shepherd and Blodgett weren’t around for last season’s 12-8 defensive struggle. They certainly helped change the tone this fall, with Tanney completing 29 of 45 passes for 369 yards and three TDs, including two to Blodgett and one to Shepherd. Tanney is now the passing leader in the Midwest Conference with 2,169 yards. His single-game total vs. the Foresters was the fifth-highest in school history, trailing only marks posted by himself (405), his brother (405) and Purlee (383 and 374).

"Especially in the second half, I thought he really managed the game well," said Bell. "He managed down and distance, which ultimately helped us put points on the board. He’s getting better every game. Sometimes, we have to taper him down a little, but that’s a good attribute to have. We’re very pleased with where he’s at, but this is also very expected."

Blodgett caught four passes for a team-high 102 yards, including a 72-yard fourth-quarter TD that officially sealed the win and a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He now has 24 catches this season for 335 yards.

"He was our leading receiver against Ripon, too," said Bell. "Both times, he listened to what we talked about all week and then took it out to the field. He’s just a good football player, and he’s becoming more confident. He’s only going to get better."

Shepherd, who hauled in a 54-yard TD pass, also made a name for himself in the return game vs. the Foresters. He took the opening kickoff of the second half 86 yards for a score, and he added punt returns of 40, 27 and 16 yards. His 190 return yards for the game is second on Monmouth’s all-time list, and he received the Midwest Conference’s Special Teams Performer of the Week honor. In the receiving category, Shepherd is now up to 17 catches for 294 yards, and his average of 17.3 yards per catch leads the team.

"He’s very explosive," said Bell. "He’s still a bit raw in terms of running routes, but once he gets that down, look out. A switch really went on for him in the last few games. You could see the light click on. He’s beginning to show us what we saw from him on film in high school, which was a lot of big plays."

On the kickoff return, which was the first such TD runback in Bell’s eight years at Monmouth, "He hit the hole very, very fast, made one good move on their kicker, and he was gone."

The big plays in the passing game came when both Shepherd and Blodgett connected mentally with Tanney, realizing they’d been in man-to-man coverage vs. linebackers. Tanney got them their first 20 yards or so through the air, and the rest came on yards after the catch.

It’s certainly much too early for Tanney, Shepherd and Blodgett to be thinking about career records, but they are all ahead of the pace of some of Monmouth’s recent heavy hitters. Purlee threw for 1,034 yards his rookie year, Gaskill had 69 receiving yards as a freshman and Haffner barely saw the field on offense his first season, amassing no receiving statistics. Mitch Tanney didn’t join Monmouth’s program until his junior year.

But make no mistake, Monmouth’s success in the passing game is not limited to freshmen. Sophomore Kyle Wantland caught 10 passes for 95 yards, moving him past junior Bobby Gibbs as the team’s leading receiver with 494 yards on 47 receptions. Gibbs has 42 catches for 381 yards, and sophomore Nick Wright leads the team with four TD grabs. He’s caught 24 passes for 341 yards.

Monmouth’s kicking game was also a component of the victory, as Nate Palkovic’s two field goals were the difference at halftime. He wound up being perfect on the day, as he was 5-for-5 on PATs to finish with 11 points, and he added a 48.8-yard average on five punts, including a 72-yarder that didn’t stop rolling until it hit the end zone.

Lake Forest nearly matched Monmouth through the air, as Jeff Ziemnik was 29-of-44 for 301 yards. Look for another aerial battle this Saturday in the Scots’ Homecoming game at 1:30 p.m. at Bobby Woll Memorial Field, as visiting Illinois College brings in an attack led by quarterback Joe Reed. The former Carthage High School star has taken over for another gunslinger, the injured Pete Jennings, and he threw for 282 yards and four scores last week in the Blueboys’ 49-21 victory over Grinnell. That earned Reed a share of the MWC Offensive Performer of the Week honor.

"Both Jennings and his backup are out, but we’re not fooled," said Bell. "We know that Reed is a very good athlete. He’s extremely capable of playing quarterback at the college level. He’s a tremendous football player, and we know his team will rally around him."

Previously, Reed was an all-conference receiver, and he was leading IC in that department this season with 563 yards. Now that honor goes to Michael Jennings, who has 34 catches for 591 yards and six TDs. Justin Menke (20 catches, 392 yards, six TDs) is also a threat to rip off big yardage in the passing game.

On the ground, the Blueboys have three backs who have between 206 and 255 yards, led by Kyle Leeman.

Defensively, cornerback Jason Murphy, free safety Jake Weller and linebacker Antwan Byrd earned All-MWC honors last season. Linebacker Michael Kilgus figures to be honored this year, as he leads the Blueboys with 77 stops. Defensive end Pete Vaughn has four sacks among his 54 tackles.

"They’re a very good football team defensively," said Bell. "Coach (Aaron) Keen has done a very good job recruiting."

For the Scots, leading rusher Jeff Davis (625 yards) should be back in the lineup. Although Bell anticipates that Monmouth will again throw the football, he said, "I’m not guaranteeing we’ll throw the ball all over the yard. I still believe we’ll be able to run the ball."

If Monmouth (5-3) wins its remaining games against Illinois College and Knox, it will finish second in the MWC.