Scots Face Third Ranked Team This Season in NCAA First Round at Whitewater
Monmouth, IL (11/21/2019) — Monmouth College (7-2) meets Wisconsin-Whitewater (9-1) in the first round of the NCAA football playoffs Saturday at noon at Perkins Stadium on the UW-Whitewater campus, it will be the third ranked team the Fighting Scots have faced this season.
"Yeah, we had the top strength-of-schedule rating before Whitewater, so they're not going to hurt that at all," laughed Monmouth coach Chad Braun of the Warhawks, who are No. 7 in the D3football.com poll and No. 10 in the American Football Coaches' Association poll. "They're a terrific program and it will be a great experience for us to play a national power."
Braun's team opened the season with losses to a pair of ranked teams: Wheaton - No. 3 in both polls - and Wartburg, No. 17 in AFCA and 22 in D3football.com. Since that time, the Scots have reeled off seven straight wins, including a thrilling come-from-behind 10-7 win over St. Norbert in the Midwest Conference Championship game to earn their third NCAA berth in five years under Braun's guidance.
"We found a way to win last week, but we've got to continue to get better," said Braun referring to the team's FindAWay hashtag and last week's winning drive that covered 89 yards in 55 seconds with no timeouts left. "For our seniors, it's their third trip to the postseason and the first two were one-and-outs. We didn't play all that well in the second half at Trine in 2017, so we want to go give it our best shot this time and let the results be what they'll be."
Monmouth will be making their seventh trip to the postseason and Braun has been a part of all seven - four as an assistant. That experience may be beneficial facing the six-time national champion Warhawks, who are entering the postseason for the 16th time and 13th time in the last 15 years. It's also the first meeting between the two programs.
"Our seniors know what to expect," reported Braun of his veterans making their third trip to the NCAA playoffs. "We know it won't be easy."
The Warhawks can put points on the board, averaging 30 per game. Alex Peete, a 5-foot-8, 205-pound junior, has been the running back of choice, rushing for nearly 750 yards on 148 carries with a team-high 11 touchdowns. It's a Warhawk triple-threat in the air where three receivers have combined for over 1,100 yards and eight TDs. One of two juniors will be under center, as Max Meylor and Zach Oles have seen action. Oles has played in all 10 games, amassing more than 1,500 yards in the air with a dozen TDs. Meylor touts a 137.5 pass efficiency rating in seven games with four scores.
"They've got a very deep stable of running backs," said Braun of three backs other than Peete who've combined for more than 1,000 yards. "They're big, physical and athletic on the offensive line. Whitewater does some things we've struggled with this year and we'll have to make those corrections. It's going to be a great challenge."
Led by senior linebacker Clark Gaden, the Scots' defense has answered the call more often than not, giving up an average of just 10 points and 100 yards rushing in the last seven games. They've also recorded 16 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries during that span.
Whitewater's defense has also been effective, allowing just 15 points per game. They've been in the backfield more often than not with 68 tackles-for-loss, which includes 33 sacks.
"They're one of the fastest defenses we'll see all year, and we've seen some great defenses," warned Braun. "These guys take it to a new level and it will be a challenge for our offense."
The Scots have risen to the challenge seven straight times this season and will try to rise at least once more. Out of the backfield, Devin Lawrence and Henderson Francois have combined for 13 rushing TDs and more than 1,000 yards during their seven-game streak while Monmouth's quarterbacks have thrown for nearly 1,000 yards, completing almost 60 percent of their passes for a 115.15 team pass efficiency rating. They've also taken care of the ball and have a +10 in turnover margin during their current win streak, a factor Braun thinks may be one of the keys to the game.
"We've got to force some turnovers," said Braun after the Warhawks turned the ball over five times last week in their only loss this season. "That's something we've been good at this season. We've got to control their run game, too. If they're gashing us with the run it's going to be a long day. Offensively, we've got to put points on the board. We're going to have to find a way to manufacture points."
NOTE TICKET SALES:
Tickets are $13 for adults, $8 for children and senior citizens. Tickets may be purchased at the gate. Advance tickets are available via the "Game Information" link on the Scots Football Schedule/Results page on MonmouthScots.com.
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