Fighting Scots 2004 Football Game Summaries

Game 10
Nov. 6, 2004
Monmouth vs. Knox College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 45, Knox 0 (9-1, 8-1)
In their bid to secure the first-ever national football playoff berth in school history, the Fighting Scots did their part, leading after every quarter in a convincing victory in the Bronze Turkey Game. But Monmouth received no help from Lake Forest at St. Norbert and will now have to watch scoreboards around the nation to see if it can secure one of three at-large berths when they are handed out next weekend. How convincing was Monmouth's win over Knox? Before the Prairie Fire crossed midfield for the first time in the game in the third quarter, the Scots' Mitch Tanney had thrown a school-record six touchdown passes and Monmouth led by 45 points. Tanney spread the wealth on his scoring tosses, throwing one each to Adam Chorazy, Ed McCracken, T.J. Gordon and Matt Hammer. The wealthiest receiver, though, was Evan Haffner, who caught five passes on the day for 213 yards and two scores. In the process, Haffner set Monmouth single-season records for receiving TDs (11), receiving yards (911) and all-purpose yards (1,523). His 52-yard grab set up Monmouth's first TD, and he and Tanney then hooked up for a great catch-and-run that totaled 75 yards and put the Scots on top 14-0 just 8:01 into the game. Haffner also completed the scoring for the day when he hauled in a 38-yard TD pass with 11:02 remaining in the third quarter. In pitching their fourth shutout of the season, Monmouth did not allow Knox past the Scots' 30-yard line. The last time Monmouth had at least four shutouts in a season was 1947, when the Scots posted five. Tanney finished the day 12-of-17 for 299 yards, and McCracken gained 70 yards on 12 carries. Kevin Megli was the bright spot for Knox, gaining 76 yards on 23 tries. The Fire, who were intercepted twice, were just 5-of-23 through the air for 60 yards.

Game 9
Oct. 30, 2004
Monmouth vs. Carroll College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 39, Carroll 24 (8-1, 7-1)
The Fighting Scots scored four consecutive TDs to snap a 10-10 tie and post a convincing win over the visiting Pioneers. Two Carroll touchdowns in the final 1:03 made the final score deceiving. Monmouth did not come out clicking at the get-go, surrendering a 54-yard drive that ended in a field goal and then fumbling the ensuing kickoff. Evan Haffner dropped the pigskin for the Scots, but he would redeem himself with several fine plays. He caught a 25-yard pass later in the opening quarter to set up Nathan Palkovic's game-tying 27-yard field goal and added a 52-yard grab to pave the way for Ed McCracken's go-ahead TD with 33 seconds left in the first half. That made the score 17-10, and the Scots extended their lead to 39-10 on second-half touchdowns by McCracken, Bobby Gibbs and Haffner, who made several nice moves on a 14-yard wide receiver screen. Haffner also found the end zone on a botched PAT to score a two-point conversion, and he set up Gibbs' TD with a 25-yard punt return. For the game, he finished six catches for 116 yards. Another hero was Ryan Bast, who set up the Scots' first touchdown with a 35-yard punt return and held Carroll's star receiver, Adam Fletcher, to just five catches for 53 yards. He also finished with a team-high 10 tackles. McCracken had 99 yards on the ground, while the Scots' other tailback, Todd Sabean, gained 84 as Monmouth outgained 245-50 on the ground. The Pioneers did manage 322 yards through the air, but 128 of those came on two desperation drives in the final two minutes. Chris Rogers was 29-of-47 for the Pioneers, hitting Brandon Wogomon 10 times for 175 yards. Wogomon caught a deflected pass intended for Fletcher for a 48-yard TD one play after Carroll recovered an onside kick with under a minute to go. 

Game 8
Oct. 23, 2004
Monmouth at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Monmouth 31, Illinois College 17 (7-1, 6-1)
The shutout streak may be over, but the Fighting Scots' win streak is intact at five after Monmouth held the host Blueboys to their second lowest point total of the season. Much like two heavyweight prize fighters, the teams stood toe-to-toe, literally, trading first-quarter field goals. The Scots Nathan Palkovic hit a 20-yarder with 3:14 remaining in the opening period and, less than three minutes later, IC's Jon Reid connected on a 24-yard field goal to tie it at 3-3. It appeared the Scots and Blueboys would enter the locker rooms still tied at the half, but Matt Floming's recovery of a blocked Illinois College punt in the end zone with 2:55 left before intermission put the Scots up 10-3. Mitch Tanney, Evan Haffner and Ed McCracken found paydirt for the Scots in the second half. Tanney and McCracken scored from one yard out, and Haffner caught on a 45-yard TD pass from Tanney, the third time in two weeks the pair has hooked up for a touchdown. The Scots picked up their seventh win of the year despite being outgained by the Blueboys 339-299.

Game 7
Oct. 16, 2004
Monmouth at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis.
Monmouth 60, Lawrence 0 (6-1, 5-1)
Not since 1973 had the Fighting Scots posted three straight shutouts, but Monmouth accomplished the feat at Appleton, blanking the host Vikings. The Scots, who outgained Lawrence 537-195, gave a preview of what was to come in the first quarter when Mitch Tanney  hooked up with Evan Haffner for TD passes of 23 and 95 yards, the latter tying a Monmouth record for the longest touchdown pass in team history. By halftime, the Scots had rolled to a 37-0 lead, and a 20-point outburst in the third period made it 57-0 entering the fourth quarter. For the day, Tanney completed nine passes for 198 yard and three TDs. Reserve quarterback Shane Gordon added a pair of rushing touchdowns and kickers Nathan Palkovic and Casey Evans got into the act with field goals of 22 and 27 yards, respectively. The defensive and special teams units were not to be denied as Tyler Yarde picked off two passes and returned a blocked punt for a score. All told, the Scots picked off Lawrence quarterback Eric Aspenson five times.

Game 6
Oct. 9, 2004
Monmouth vs. Grinnell College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 24, Grinnell 0 (5-1, 4-1)
The Fighting Scots' defense has put the "0" in October, not allowing a point this month as they shut out visiting Grinnell on a gorgeous Homecoming afternoon. In recording their second straight shutout - a feat last accomplished by Monmouth in 1974 - the Scots held Grinnell to just 96 yards rushing, and their pass defense was even more impressive. Pioneer quarterback Sean Pfalzer entered the contest ranked first in the Midwest Conference in passing yards per game, but he was just 5-of-24 for a mere 32 yards and two interceptions. Grinnell's All-MWC signal-caller from a year ago, Trey Raney, tried one pass, and it, too, was intercepted. Meanwhile, Monmouth had little trouble moving the ball, especially on the ground, as the tailback tandem of Ed McCracken and Todd Sabean rushed for 172 and 128 yards, respectively. The duo combined for all of Monmouth's TDs in a 10:47 span of the third quarter. McCracken scored first from six yards out to stretch Monmouth's slim 3-0 halftime lead to 10-0. Sabean then scored on runs of 15 and 3 yards to seal the deal. Quarterback Mitch Tanney was 13-of-23 for 137 yards, and the Scots' defense was led for the second week in a row by linebackers T.J. Scruggs and Justin Zigler, who had 10 total tackles apiece. Ryan Bast recorded two interceptions.

Game 5
Oct. 2, 2004
Monmouth vs. Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill.
Monmouth 14, Lake Forest 0 (4-1, 3-1)
For the second straight season, no points were scored in the second half of the Fighting Scots-Foresters matchup. This year, however, Lake Forest was unable to score in either half, and Monmouth emerged with its first shutout victory since 1992 and its first whitewashing of Lake Forest since 1929. The Scots got all the points they would need on a 21-yard TD pass from Mitch Tanney to Evan Haffner with 2:45 left in the opening frame. The score completed a 74-yard, seven-play drive. With 4:35 left in the first half, the Scots struck again on a 27-yard Tanney pass to Matt Hammer. In the second half, the Scots continued to play a patient ball-control offense and a bend-but-don't-break defense. They held Lake Forest to just 74 yards rushing on 36 carries, and the Forester passing game produced just 19 completions out of 52 attempts. Monmouth's Todd Sabean led all rushers with 104 yards on 33 carries, while Lake Forest's Nick Hildreth topped the receivers with eight catches for 90 yards. MC punter Nathan Palkovic averaged 37 yards per kick and pinned Lake Forest inside its own 20 five times. Linebacker T.J. Scruggs had two of Monmouth's four sacks and led the team with 12 tackles. Cornerback Ryan Bast broke up three passes and the defensive line also swatted down three LFC aerials.

Game 4
Sept. 25, 2004
Monmouth at Beloit College, Beloit, Wis.
Monmouth 45, Beloit 23 (3-1, 2-1)
Led by a breakout performance by junior quarterback Mitch Tanney, the Fighting Scots got back on the winning track and extended their consecutive road victory streak to seven. Tanney threw for 290 yards and a school-record-tying five TDs as Monmouth pulled away from a scrappy host team. None of Tanney's strikes was bigger than the 60-yard TD he threw to Evan Haffner on the first play of the fourth quarter. It gave the Scots a 31-17 lead and some much-needed breathing room. Six minutes later, Tanney added the first of two short scoring strikes to fullback Adam Chorazy for a 38-17 lead. The second TD came with 58 seconds left and closed the game's scoring. Tanney had first-half TD passes of 15 yards to Aaron Hogan and 24 yards to Haffner. Monmouth never trailed in the contest after taking a 10-0 lead on Todd Sabean's two-yard run with 1:33 left in the first quarter and a second period field goal by Nathan Palkovic. Ed McCracken led the Scots' ground game with 107 yards and Haffner caught six passes for 148 yards. Overall, Monmouth outgained Beloit 468-389.  Linebacker Justin Zigler starred with 17 total tackles and Wes Levy and T.J. Scruggs added 14 and 12, respectively. Brian Krier snagged two of Monmouth's four interceptions.   

Game 3
Sept. 18, 2004
Monmouth vs. St. Norbert College, Monmouth, Ill.
St. Norbert 55, Monmouth 19 (2-1, 1-1)
On paper, this looked like it might be the year that the Fighting Scots could break through against five-time Midwest Conference champion St. Norbert. The Green Knights were having none of that, though, as they rolled to a convincing victory, becoming just the second team in history to gain more than 600 yards against Monmouth. In the process, they also scored the second-most points allowed by a Monmouth team in coach Steve Bell's five seasons, and their 55 points was the most scored at MC's field by a visiting team since the Green Knights' memorable 55-40 win over the Scots in 1975. Monmouth trailed 24-7 at halftime, and the third quarter was an unmitigated disaster. The Scots didn't pick up a first down in the period and committed one turnover, while the Knights scored touchdowns on each of their four possessions on drives of 60, 34, 54 and 73 yards. They outgained Monmouth 226-11 in the quarter, which ended with St. Norbert ahead 52-7. The Scots did manage to score 12 straight points late in the game on a 55-yard TD pass from Mitch Tanney to Matt Hammer, a safety forced by linebacker Jason Goldsworthy and a 29-yard field goal by Nathan Palkovic. The Scots scored in the first half when Tanney hit Danny Morrison with a 15-yard TD strike to cap a 67-yard drive. Big contributors to SNC's 607-203 dominance in yards gained were Casey Meehan, who rushed for 148 yards and two TDS, and Ryan Hartman, who threw for 221 yards and two TDs, including a perfect 74-yard scoring strike to T.J. George.

Game 2
Sept. 11, 2004
Monmouth at Ripon College, Ripon, Wis.
Monmouth 45, Ripon 21 (2-0, 1-0)
The Scots posted three touchdowns in the opening quarter and added three more in the third to emerge with their largest victory over perennial league power Ripon since a 35-7 victory over the Red Hawks in 1988. Ed McCracken, Todd Sabean and Mitch Tanney accounted for two TDs apiece as the Scots set up next week's showdown with five-time defending league champion St. Norbert. For the second straight week, Monmouth was outgained (416-400), but the Scots stayed unbeaten thanks in part to great field position, which allowed three of their scoring drives to cover 14 yards or less. The short drives were set up by, respectively, a blocked punt, a botched punt and a 54-yard interception return by Tyler Yarde. Another scoring drive was a one-play affair, as Tanney hit Evan Haffner for a 66-yard score, and the Scots also had a 98-yard drive, with the majority being covered on a 73-yard pass from Tanney to Aaron Hogan. Tanney finished 8-of-14 for 232 yards, while Sabean gained 120 yards on 19 carries. Hogan caught three balls for 101 yards and the defense was led by Greg Monn, who had nine solo tackles, including two for loss. Nathan Palkovic completed the game's scoring with a 20-yard fourth-quarter field goal.

Game 1
Sept. 4, 2004
Monmouth at Concordia (Wis.) University, Mequon, Wis.
Monmouth 52, Concordia 39 (1-0)
The Fighting Scots have stretched their winning streak dating back to last September to eight with a win in their 2004 season opener. Concordia actually outgained the Scots 517-311, but visiting MC took advantage of several miscues by the hosts to score the most points in a season-opener since 1926 when Monmouth defeated Wheaton 55-0. Ed McCracken scored a pair of TDs on 27- and 43-yard runs while Adam Troll and Zach Kirchner returned interceptions for scores. The Scots led 21-18 at intermission, but Concordia scored early in the third quarter to regain the lead 25-21. A Concordia fumble, a bad snap and a short kick after Monmouth scored a safety spelled the end of the afternoon for the hosts. Quarterback Mitch Tanney threw two scoring strikes in his Fighting Scots debut, hitting Evan Haffner and Adam Chorazy.

---------------------------------------------

More from D3football.com:

MEQUON, Wis.—Concordia dominated statistically, outgaining Monmouth 517 yards to 311, but the latter controlled the scoreboard as the Fighting Scots made great use of Falcon turnovers to score a 52-39 win in the non conference opener for both schools.

It took CUW only two minutes to get on the scoreboard with Manny Mills driving in from a yard out. The extra point was wide, symbolic of kicking woes that were to haunt the Falcons game-long.

Monmouth came back with an impressive drive highlighted by Ed McCracken’s 27 yard run to paydirt. Nathan Palkovic’s kick made it 7-6 Fighting Scots.After an exchange of punts, Adam Chorazy hauled in a short TD toss from Mitch Tanney before the first quarter ended to make it 14-6 Scots.

The Falcons came back with a score of their own early in the second canto as Brad Sonneborn hit Jon Collier with a 24 yard TD strike. Once again the conversion attempt failed. The first of two Scot daggers occurred minutes later when Sonneborn’s pass was picked off by huge Adam Troll who rumbled 15 yards for the score to make it 21-12 Monmouth.

CUW got back in the game quickly when Brandon Parker raced 55 yards to make it 21-18. A Falcon two point conversion attempt failed so it stood 21-18 Monmouth at the break.

Concordia appeared ready to take control early in the third quarter, taking the lead when Sonneborn found Mark Wandrey behind the defense for an easy score. The successful extra point gave Concordia a 25-21 lead and the Falcons quickly got the ball back when Monmouth went three and out. A powerful CUW ground game chewed up yardage into Scot territory but a Concordia fumble inside the Monmouth 30 turned the tide for the remainder of the afternoon.

Mounting a sustained march, Monmouth took the lead when Todd Sabean barreled in from a yard out and Palkovec’s kick made it 28-25 Monmouth. The wheels quickly fell off for Concordia as a snap sailed over the Concordia punter’s head and the Scots scored a safety to make to 30-25. Then after the ensuing Falcon kickoff sailed only 10 yards, Monmouth struck quickly as Evan Haffner hauled in a scoring strike from Tanney to up the cushion to 37-25.

Only 14 seconds later Zach Kirchner, another defensive lineman, picked off a tipped ball and rambled 20 yards for another Monmouth score. (44-25 Scots)

After CUW came back via a Mills run to make it 44-31, McCracken’s 43 yard TD romp was icing. Brandon Parker, who romped for 182 yards on only 9 carries, scored the final Concordia TD but it was too little too late.