Homecoming Would be Perfect Time for Scots to get Untracked
Release Date: October 10, 2002
 MONMOUTH,
Ill. — Monmouth College
football coach Steve Bell wasted no time in addressing any questions
about the Fighting Scots’ 27-3 loss last weekend to Lake Forest and
about the Homecoming game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Bobby Woll
Memorial Field against Grinnell.
“I’ve just got two words,” he said. “Seven
turnovers.”
Sure enough,
Bell’s short answer applies to nearly
every question about Monmouth football, as it’s the appropriate
response to all these queries: What was the story of last week’s
game? How was Lake Forest able to outscore Monmouth by 24 points
despite being outgained 300-297? What will have to change for the
Scots to be able to defeat Grinnell?
Bell had another two-word answer
when asked to explain those seven turnovers.
“Bad decisions,” he said. “(Quarterback) Rob
(Purlee) did not play a good game, and he knows it. I’m confident
he’ll respond favorably, though.”
Purlee was guilty of more than half of the
turnovers, throwing four interceptions, including one that led to a
Lake Forest field goal
and another that stopped a drive that had reached the Foresters’
22-yard line.
Another turnover occurred when returner
Nathan Gaskill appeared to make a heads-up play, going after a
rolling punt he believed may have grazed a Monmouth player.
“He thought it might have it touched one of
our guys, but in that situation, just fall on it, don’t try to pick
it up,” said Bell.
Gaskill immediately realized his mistake,
hanging his head just a few feet away from the spot where the
Foresters pounced on the ball. Collectively, hanging their heads is
something the Scots will have to avoid as they head into the softer
part of their schedule. Monmouth’s first four foes in the Midwest
Conference are a combined 16-4 – including the undefeated tandem of
St. Norbert and Lake Forest, who could be headed for a final week
showdown – while the five remaining teams are just 9-16.
Of course, for the 0-5 Scots, no opponent
can be overlooked, and that certainly includes the Pioneers.
“They’re good,” said
Bell. “They have a very good running
back, Adam Wallace, who didn’t play in our game last year (a 36-14
Monmouth win). Their quarterback (Shawn Sigler) is a good athlete,
and he’s got a very talented receiver (Jacob Peterson).”
Last week against Knox, Wallace ran for 78
yards and a game-tying touchdown, and Peterson caught the go-ahead
score, a 16-yarder from Sigler in the third quarter. Grinnell then
won the game 21-20 when Jim Shueller blocked the PAT attempt after
Knox scored with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
“Defensively, they’re going to attack you,”
Bell said. “We’ve got to be able to run the ball a little bit
better. It’s not so much total rushing yards as it is getting decent
yardage on first down. We can’t be hucking it 45 times a game.
Anytime we’ve done that, you’ve seen what happens.”
Bell has a point. Teams he’s coached at
Monmouth have four of the top eight entries on the MC honor roll of
most pass attempts in a game. They include 45 throws in the loss to
Lake Forest; 46 in a 30-13 defeat vs. the Foresters two years ago;
43 in this year’s season-opening 40-23 loss at Loras; and 41 in the
first game Bell coached with the Scots, a 26-20 defeat at Eureka.
The Scots did set a record for completions
against Lake Forest, as Purlee (23-of-38) and reserve Matt Clair
(3-of-7) combined to hit on 26 passes. But, for the most part, those
passes didn’t go anywhere. Only two went for more than 20 yards, and
the Scots also had no big play success on the ground, breaking off a
long gain of just eight yards.
“(Wide receiver) Jason Killion really played
well (six catches for 76 yards), but as a unit, we didn’t look good
offensively,” said Bell.
“Defensively, I thought we played very, very well. Sure, they
completed a lot of passes, but that’s what they do instead of using
a running game. We made them punt nine times, and I thought we got a
solid effort from a lot of players, including (sophomore linebacker)
Greg Monn and (freshman defensive back) Albert Greene.”
Monn created the only turnover that Monmouth
able to cause, picking off a pass and returning it 14 yards. The
Scots’ 7-1 turnover deficit sank them to a minus 12 on the year in
that category, which, along with a tough schedule, is as good a
reason as any why they are now 0-5.
This question wasn’t asked of
Bell, but we believe we know what his
two-word answer would be.
What would make you forget about last week’s
seven turnovers?
Beat Grinnell.
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