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Monmouth Announces 2021 Football Schedule

Home Opener Sep. 11, Homecoming Oct. 23, Turkey Bowl Nov. 13

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. - (06/14/2021) — For the first time in 651 days the Monmouth College football team will take the field on Saturday, September 4 when they play under the lights at Wartburg College. The 7 p.m. contest in Waverly, Iowa will be the first for the Fighting Scots since a 2019 NCAA Division III playoffs loss on November 23, 2019. The Scots lost to Wartburg in 2019 after beating the Knights in 2018 and are 2-7 all-time in the series.

The defending Midwest Conference champions will take the field at April Zorn Stadium for the first time in 665 days on Saturday, September 11 against Grinnell College with a 2 p.m. kickoff. The Pioneers didn't have enough players to contest the 2019 game against Monmouth and the Fighting Scots took the 2018 matchup 55-0. Monmouth has won the last four games via shutout and haven't allowed a touchdown to the Pioneers since a 21-7 loss in 2012. Overall Monmouth leads the series 46-21-3 including a 16-2 mark since 2000.

The Scots travel to Jacksonville on Saturday, September 18 for a 1 p.m. game at Illinois College. The Scots beat the Blue Boys 30-15 in 2019 and have won five straight in the series. Overall Monmouth is 44-13-2 against IC with a 5-0 record under Coach Chad Braun.

After a bye week the Scots travel to Appleton, Wisconsin to face the Lawrence Vikings on Saturday, October 2 with a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Scots and Vikings last met in 2018, a 49-0 Monmouth win. The Scots have won 16 straight in the series dating back to 1999 and both wins under Coach Braun have been shutouts. Overall Monmouth is 32-25 against Lawrence, dating back to 1934.

Monmouth returns home on Saturday, October 9 for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the University of Chicago. The Scots knocked off the Maroons in a thrilling 21-20 overtime win in 2019. That game was the first between the teams since 1987 when the Scots won 43-22. The teams first met in 1896 and Chicago leads the series 9-4 with Monmouth leading 4-1 since 1980.

On Saturday, October 16 the Scots head to Beloit College for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Scots and Buccaneers have not played since a 52-9 Monmouth win in 2016. The Scots are 36-21 all-time against Beloit with a 14-2 mark since 2000. The Scots have won six straight in the series, scoring at least 31 points in each game.

Homecoming is scheduled for the weekend of October 22-24 and the Scots will host Cornell College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 23. The Scots beat the Rams 27-14 in 2019 and have won six straight in the series, five under Coach Braun. Cornell leads the series all-time 39-36-1 but the Scots are 7-1 since 2012 when the series resumed after a 15-year absence.

October ends with a home game against Lake Forest at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 30. The Scots and Foresters last played in 2019, a 30-3 Monmouth win. The Scots have won five straight in the series and are 14-4 since 2000. Monmouth leads the all-time series 31-19-2.

November begins with the final regular-season road game, a trip to Ripon. The Saturday, November 6 game kicks off at 1 p.m. in Wisconsin. Monmouth beat the Red Hawks 20-0 in 2019 and have won three straight in the series over the last eight years. Ripon leads the series all-time 35-26-3 but the Scots are 11-2 against the Red Hawks since 2003.

The Scots will host rivals Knox College in the 2021 Turkey Bowl on Saturday, November 13 with a 12 p.m. kickoff. The Scots captured their 21st straight Turkey Bowl with a 31-3 win in November 2019. The teams first met in 1888 and the Scots lead the all-time series 71-50-10. Monmouth has won by an average of 31.3 points per game over the last 21 years with only one game decided by less than 20 points since 2003.

The Midwest Conference Championship Game will be on Saturday, November 20 with the site and time to be announced. The NCAA Division III Football Playoffs will begin the weekend of November 26-27.

Coach Braun begins his sixth season as the Scots head coach with a record of 42-10. The Scots haven't lost a regular-season MWC game under Coach Braun with the last regular-season conference loss coming against Illinois College in 2014. Monmouth made the NCAA Playoffs in 2016, 2017 and 2019 while falling in the MWC Championship Game in 2015 and 2018.

In 2019 the Scots lost their first two games of the season, non-conference to Wheaton and Wartburg, before going 7-0 against MWC foes. Monmouth rallied for a dramatic 10-7 home win over St. Norbert in the MWC Championship Game before ending the season in the first round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs with a 35-10 loss at UW-Whitewater.

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