Last week, the host Fighting Scots took advantage of a pair of third quarter miscues by the Pioneers to score two quick TDs to break a 20-20 halftime tie. The Scots swarmed on a mishandled punt, giving Alex Tanney the opportunity to hit Kyle Wantland with a four-yard scoring pass. Cole Norman then ran back an interception to the Carroll 15-yard line on the first play after the ensuing kickoff. This time, Tanney found Steve Zidow in the end zone to up the advantage to two scores. A Willy Mason interception near the end of the quarter snuffed out another Pioneer threat, and the Scots converted that turnover into more points to effectively put the game out of reach.

Monmouth's defense – which is ranked No. 1 in the nation for all divisions – redeemed themselves in the second half after giving up a season-high 20 points in the first 30 minutes. The Scots held Carroll to just over 50 yards of offense in the second half.

"We really didn’t yell at them," said coach Steve Bell when asked if the defense got a stern talking to at halftime. "We just made a small adjustment and reminded them to play their responsibility and be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there. Our kids expect a lot out of themselves and we didn’t live up to that expectation in the first half."

The Scots may not have the opportunity to get off to a slow start Saturday when they face another Pioneer team in Grinnell. This set of Pioneers brings a bit of an unknown to the plate in freshman quarterback Mike Bogard.

"He’s a good athlete and very much in the mold of the quarterback they had a couple of years ago," reported Bell. "He’s a freshman and the dangerous thing about freshmen is they get better every game."

Bogard can run and throw. He leads the Pioneers in carries, yards and touchdowns. The 6-2, 182-pounder has been effective when he decides to throw, completing nearly 50 percent of his passes for more than 185 yards per game. The freshman’s favorite targets have been classmate Robert Seer (15 receptions) and junior Joey Snyder (18 receptions). Seer is dangerous after the catch with a touchdown and a 55-yard reception to his credit.

"He’s a good one with some solid receivers," said Bell of Bogard. "We’ll have to get pressure on him. It’s not that much different than any other quarterback. We won’t change too much based on the style of the quarterback, but we will have to be cognizant of his ability to pull the ball down and run."

That philosophy has suited the Scots just fine, thank you. Nine interceptions and 13 sacks though the season’s first four games are evidence they’ve been doing something right. Marc Artozqui is the ring-leader of the Scots’ iron-clad defense. The senior linebacker’s 31 tackles is nearly double that of his nearest competitor, T.C. Olsen (19). Two picks apiece by Sean Wells and Kyle Harmon account for nearly half the Scots interceptions. Anthony Goranson leads the Monmouth sack attack, and his 1.88 sack per game average ranks him third in the nation in Division III.

Grinnell’s defense won’t get much of a break. The Monmouth offense leads the Midwest Conference, averaging more than 400 yards per game. They’re second in scoring at more than 40 points per game. On the ground, the Scots have used 10 different players to carry the ball. The Scots are even more diversified up top, where Tanney has connected with 12 different receivers.

Still, Bell warns it won’t be a walk in the park.

"They did to Lawrence what we did in the second half to Carroll," reported Bell of Grinnell’s ability to capitalize on the Vikings’ mistakes. "The defense was sound last week and they’ve bought into what Coach (Max) Hawsey is trying to do. The defense got the ball and the offense took advantage of the turnovers."

The Pioneers picked off six Lawrence passes and sacked quarterback Nick Maxam three times. Those turnovers resulted in two scores and kept the Vikings out of the red zone. While both Pioneer wins this season have come on the road, Bell hasn’t forgotten the fact that the Pioneers have played the Scots well at home.

"It’s always a tough place to play," said Bell. "We’ve got to be mentally prepared. It’s a long drive to a hostile environment, but we’ve experienced that on our trips to Loras and Beloit. We know we’ll have to be ready to play."