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History on Scots's side Release Date:
October 30, 2008
MONMOUTH, Ill. – The
last time the Monmouth College football team lost to Illinois
College, Bill Clinton was in his first term in the White House.
The Scots
haven’t lost to the Blueboys since 1996, the longest current winning
streak for Monmouth against any Midwest Conference school. The
streak nearly ended last year before Monmouth emerged with a 26-23
overtime win.
Monmouth,
ranked No. 20 in the American Football Coaches Association poll for
the second straight week, needed just 13 seconds last week against
Lake Forest to be on their way to their eighth win of the season.
The Scots scored twice in the first four minutes en route to a 56-2
victory over the Foresters. After the defense held the Foresters to
a three-and-out on their first possession, the Scots’
lightning-quick offense scored when Alex Tanney hit Nick Wright for
a 45-yard catch-and-run TD on their second offensive play of the
game.
Tanney hit Clay
Bricker with a TD toss on the Scots’ next possession as they took a
14-0 lead. The defensive unit held Lake Forest to 99 yards of
offense and allowed the Foresters into Monmouth territory just
twice, with no trips inside the red zone.
“Our defense
set the tone early,” praised MC coach Steve Bell. “They gave us good
field position and Alex made a nice read on our second offensive
play of the game. I think good teams feed off each other’s offense
and defense.”
Illinois
College is riding a two-game win streak after posting a 41-14 win
over Grinnell last weekend. Junior quarterback Mitch Niekamp threw
for five TDs and 324 yards as the Blueboys produced a whopping 540
yards of offense.
Leading 14-7 at
the start of the second half, the Blueboys exploded for 20
third-quarter points. Niekamp hit Michael Jennings for the wide
receiver’s second TD of the day to begin the second-half onslaught.
The IC defense picked off the Pioneers four times while holding
Grinnell to just 104 yards through the air.
“They’ve got
some good, athletic defensive backs,” reported Bell of the IC
defense, ranked third in pass defense in the MWC. “Offensively,
they’ve got a very good quarterback. This is their ninth game under
a new coach and they’re getting better every week. Our challenge is
to make sure they don’t hit on all cylinders this week.”
If the Blueboys
haven’t hit on all cylinders yet, they’re close, averaging 407 yards
of offense per game, second only to the Fighting Scots’ 442-yard
average. First-year head coach Garrett Campbell has implemented a
potent passing game that leads the conference at nearly 304 yards
per game through the air, five yards better than Monmouth’s air
attack.
IC sports a
potent throw-catch combination in Niekamp and Jennings. The receiver
has more than 1,000 yards on 80 receptions and his 14 touchdowns are
nearly double the next closest receiver’s totals. Freshman back Matt
Williamson has the bulk of the carries, averaging nearly 75 yards
per game and over five yards per carry.
“We’re going to
have to get pressure on their quarterback,” reported Bell of the
Scots’ defensive strategy. “Our front four are going to have to play
exceptional football.”
For the record,
Bell’s front four have been exceptional, recording 16 sacks and 32
tackles for loss through the season’s first eight games. The
defensive unit has also picked off 16 passes.
While Illinois
College’s offense has racked up the yards and points, the defensive
unit is ranked near the bottom of the league, allowing more than 31
points and 367 yards per game. They have intercepted a dozen passes
and recorded 11 sacks. Linebacker Ricky Padilla leads the team with
51 tackles.
“They’ll play a
lot of man-to-man coverage,” said Bell. “We’ll have to run the ball
effectively, but we’ll face some pretty good athletes, so it will be
a challenge.”
The Scots have
been up to the challenge through the first eight games. Their
challenge this weekend is to continue the one-game-at-a-time
mentality that has led to an 8-0 record.
Football
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