Scots Open Gridiron Season with No. 22 Wheaton

by Dan Nolan

Monmouth, IL (09/05/2019) — Monmouth College football coach Chad Braun is making a habit of opening the season with a ranked opponent and 2019 will be no exception when the Scots host Wheaton - ranked 22nd in the preseason - for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday at April Zorn Memorial Stadium.

"We like to play high-quality opponents for our non-conference schedule," said Braun, who enters his fifth season at the helm with a 35-7 record. "You're never going to play your best right out of the gate and a quality opponent will give you a good idea of what you need to work on. A first game generally isn't won by a team, it's lost by a team. It's all about what you learn to get better so you can improve every week and play your best at the end."

That was the case a season ago when the Thunder pulled away in the second half to hang a 32-7 loss on the Scots in Week 1. Monmouth took the lesson to heart, knocking off a ranked opponent the following week on its way to an 8-2 campaign and leading the nation in fewest points allowed.

"The final score last year with Wheaton wasn't indicative of just how close that game was," said Braun after his team trailed by nine at the half. "We played well defensively, but gave up a couple of long pass plays for TDs. We had to punt 14 times. Fortunately, Joey (Biel) had a monster day punting and kept us in the game. I feel better this year going in from an offensive line standpoint."

Braun's O-line optimism is fueled by the return of the entire unit, plus their backups. That will be a critical component given the Scots graduated nearly all their starting skill players.

"The offensive line will have to carry us until we get up to speed with a bunch of new skill position starters," declared Braun. "Wheaton's defense is really good, but that's the case every year. They've got a new defensive coordinator, but I don't expect them to be anything but really good again. They're one of the top defenses year-in and year-out. That's their constant. They're extremely talented and play exceptionally hard every down."

Facing Monmouth's defense won't be an easy task, either. The Scots' secondary went through growing pains with a young group a season ago, but return everyone from that unit which picked off three Wheaton passes a season ago. The Scots lost a majority of starters at linebacker and on the line, but do return plenty of experience at those positions, especially in the trenches.

"I feel really good about our defense," said Braun. "We did lose a lot on the line, but we've got McCauley Johnston back from an injury and he was a big-time player two years ago. Drew Thaxton and Brad Buchner both have a lot of experience. We've got a couple of guys ready to move up. Don't get me wrong, Wheaton is very good on the offensive side of the ball and burned us a few times last year. We've got to eliminate Wheaton's big plays. The big plays killed us last year. We've got to make them earn every yard."

The Scots may have one edge Saturday they didn't have last year - home field advantage.

"Anytime you're at home, it's an advantage," claimed Braun whose teams are 19-1 at Zorn. Central edged Monmouth 23-17 in Braun's first home game in 2015, and his Scots haven't lost at Zorn Stadium since. "We're a really, really good team at home. The home crowd and atmosphere of the home opener really energizes the guys. That helps a ton."

A high energy level, home crowd and familiar surroundings may help, but Braun breaks the game down to the basics when looking for success.

"Our focus has to be on taking care of the ball and creating some turnovers," explained Braun of the keys to the game. "Running the ball is a big factor and last year we didn't run the ball very well."

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Prior to the game at 11 a.m., the first talk in the College's Great Lecture Series will be presented in the Barnes Electronic Classroom on the lower level of the Hewes Library. Communication studies professor Trudi Peterson will speak about "The Complexity of Intimacy: Thinking Dialectically about Interpersonal Relationships."