JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College football team became the first squad to score on Monmouth College in more than a month, but in the end, it was not enough as the Fighting Scots emerged with a 45-13 win in IC's Homecoming game. Monmouth ups its record to 5-1 (2-0 Midwest Conference South Division), while the Blueboys fall to 2-4 (1-1 MWC South).
Despite Monmouth's reputation for defense, Illinois College moved the ball easily downfield on its opening drive before stalling out in the red zone. A chance to take an early lead was lost as a bobbled snap ended
Zack DeWitt's chances of kicking a 34-yard field goal and
Mason Farris was instead taken down for a loss to keep the game scoreless.
Starting on their own 18, the Fighting Scots would score on their opening possession by converting four third downs. The last third down Monmouth faced was on IC's 48 and Hayden Nelson lofted a ball deep downfield for Jacolby Maxwell. The ball seemed underthrown and might have been batted away until the Illinois College defender in the area tripped and Maxwell was left uncovered for the score.
Each team went three-and-out on their next possessions before Illinois College got on the board and ended Monmouth's run of 13 straight scoreless quarters. A drive that began on the 20 got a boost when
Glen Gibbons Jr. caught a ball from
Drew Chance and picked up 37 yards on the first play. From there, the Blueboys were stuffed on a third-and-short, but DeWitt had enough on his 47-yard attempt to get it through the uprights despite the wind in his face.
Early on in the second quarter, Nelson was stripped of the ball by
Jaylin Swan and the fumble was recovered by
Vernell Bentley, giving Illinois College possession at the Monmouth 20-yard line. A score of some kind seemed imminent until Chance was sacked on third down and fumbled. Levi Oliveto picked up the loose ball and ran 74 yards before falling at the 1-yard line of IC. Though an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball back 15 yards, the Fighting Scots soon added onto their lead with a 17-yard strike from Nelson to Nathan Graham.
The Illinois College response to the 14-3 deficit was helped along twice by fourth-down penalties from the Fighting Scots. The Blueboys were back to punt twice on the drive, but each time
Logan Smith was run into by a Monmouth defender and IC was able to pick up a fresh set of downs. Eventually, the Blueboys drove to the Monmouth 30 before being stopped and DeWitt had a much easier time on this particular 47-yard field goal with the wind at his back.
With less than seven minutes until halftime and the score 14-6, Illinois College was still very much in the ballgame. The Fighting Scots were facing a second-and-long play from their own 24 and a long pass down the sideline deflected off of a defender and was hauled in by Maxwell for a 25-yard completion. The Blueboys were then called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play to allow Monmouth into their territory. Two plays later, Nelson ran it into the end zone himself for a 21-6 lead.
The Blueboys took over with just over five minutes on the clock and went on a long, time-consuming drive that went back into the Monmouth red zone. A score might have shifted the tide of the game heading into halftime, but the Fighting Scots came up with the biggest play of the game instead. On a second down from the Monmouth 18, lineman Lamar Watson stuck his arms up on a Chance pass and intercepted the ball before breaking free of the nearby IC players and running it back 80 yards for the score. The play, which ended with less than 20 seconds left in the first half, completely changed the tenor the game as the Fighting Scots went to the break with a 28-6 lead.
On the opening drive of the second half, Nelson ran in from 11 yards out for his second rushing touchdown of the game to give his team a 35-6 lead. Illinois College would answer back on its second drive of the third quarter. A bad snap on a Monmouth punt gave the Blueboys possession at the Fighting Scots' 28-yard line.
Seth Ferguson rushed for a first down to get IC into the red zone before Chance connected with Gibbons Jr. for an 11-yard score, making it 35-13.
That would prove to be as close as the Blueboys would get in the contest as Monmouth tacked on one more touchdown and a field goal prior to the end of the third quarter. The 45-13 scoreline heading into the final 15 minutes held up to the end as the Fighting Scots earned the win.
Chance ended his day going 26-for-46 for 246 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Gibbons Jr. was the leading receiver for the Blueboys with 11 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Austin Patton added three catches for 52 yards and
Allen Smith had five catches for 51 yards.
Jason Barbour was IC's leading rusher with 12 carries for 59 yards.
Carter Hilley paced the IC defense with nine tackles (five solo).
Matt Graef added eight tackles (four solo), including two for a loss.
Mike Koos and
Logan West also had two tackles for a loss in the game.
Illinois College travels up the road to Knox College next weekend, meeting the Prairie Fire at 1 p.m. on Oct. 20.
