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Scots count on maturity Release Date:
Nov. 25, 2008
MONMOUTH, Ill. —
Monmouth College football coach Steve Bell isn’t concerned that his
Fighting Scots are 0-2 against their second round opponent in the
Division III playoffs.
“We’re both in the same stage of playoff experience,” said Bell of
9-2 Wartburg, which boasts seven playoff appearances, but none since
2004. “We’re a much different team now than we were in the first
game of 2007. I don’t put any credence in that game other than they
are a very good team. Last year was last year and this year is this
year.”
The Scots host the Knights for a noon kickoff Saturday at April Zorn
Memorial Stadium and enter the contest with a 14-game winning streak
– believed to be the longest streak in Division III. The 11-0 Scots
also have the No. 1 scoring offense in Division III and lead the
division in turnover margin – nearly +2 per game. The swarming
defense has recorded 21 interceptions and recovered 15 fumbles.
Defensive coordinator Chad Braun has a veteran defensive unit that’s
ranked sixth in total defense. The squad starts eight seniors – half
of them linebackers. They’ve held opponents to less than 100 yards
rushing per game and allowed less than 13 points per game. Marc
Artozqui’s 110 tackles are just five shy of the Scots’ season record
and cornerback Willy Mason’s seven interceptions are just two shy of
Al Hatfield’s season record set in 1967.
Wartburg’s defense is no screen door, either. The Knights are ranked
11th in pass efficiency defense and will give the Scots’ offense a
“stiff” challenge. The unit has picked off 17 passes, led by senior
corner Josh Faaborg’s five. Opposing quarterbacks have been sacked
24 times and Wartburg has only allowed 10 passing touchdowns. That’s
in direct conflict with the Monmouth offense, which has aired out
more than 300 yards per game passing to go with 47 aerial TDs.
“Wartburg’s defense is fast,” claimed Bell. “You can tell they’re
well-coached. They’re a lot like us in that they try to get 11 guys
to the ball on every play.”
At times, it seems like the Scots’ offense tries to get the ball to
11 guys – 19 players have offensive stats of some kind. The leader
of the pack – sophomore quarterback Alex Tanney – has already moved
to No. 1 on the school’s single-season list for passing yards
(3,311) and TD’s (47). In last weekend’s first round win over
Aurora, Tanney set the career record for completions (519), breaking
Rob Purlee’s record set from 2000-04.
Wartburg has its share of offensive threats, too. Junior quarterback
Nick Yordi enters Saturday’s game just 130 yards shy of passing
former standout and current quarterback coach Reed Hoskins’ single
season record of 2,685 yards set in 2003. He has an efficiency
rating of 143.84 and has thrown 11 interceptions.
Yordi’s favorite target has been Justin Vetter. The “talented”
senior is the Knight’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 1999. He has
nearly twice as many receptions as the next closest receiver and
leads the team with 11 TDs.
On the ground, Wartburg has at least two able backs – freshman Lamar
Harvey and appropriately-named junior Alex Boom. The tandem is just
20 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark. Boom leads the backs with five
scores, and Yordi has four.
“They are very good,” said Bell of the Knights’ offense. “They are
well-coached and pretty balanced. They can throw and have a physical
running game. They’ll spread the ball around.”
While the skill positions get the glory, the coaches will tell you
the game is won in the trenches. That could be interesting Saturday
afternoon when the Scots’ large, agile defensive line battles the
“big” Knights’ offensive line for territory. The Knights have a
10-pound per man advantage, as left guard Scott Crawford’s 290-pound
frame tips the scales in Wartburg’s favor.
“They have a big, physical offensive line,” warned Bell. “We’re big
on the defensive line, too. That should be interesting to watch.”
Unlike last week when the Scots met an Aurora team they hadn’t seen
in more than 20 years, this weekend both teams will have recent
history to pull from.
“They do some of the same things,” reported Bell. “Coach (Rick)
Willis wasn’t coaching them when we played last, but the style
hasn’t changed. Defensively, we’ll need to create some turnovers and
prevent them from getting big plays and picking up big chunks of
yardage. Offensively, we’ll need to sustain some drives.”
It might be tough for the Scots to win the time of possession
battle. Their quick-score offense has resulted in nearly half of
their 80 scores coming in two minutes or less, resulting in a
five-minute deficit in time of possession.
The ability to score quickly came with the maturing of the no-huddle
offense that Bell installed last season and debuted against the
Knights in Waverly, Iowa.
“We’re vastly different than we were last year,” claimed Bell in
referring to last year’s loss. “We were very young when we played
them last year. It was the first game of our no-huddle offense.
Defensively, we were different up front in terms of experience. This
game will be played Saturday and that’s all that matters.”
Football
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