Football set for 2019 with eyes on MWC title
As Fighting Scots football is set to kick off this weekend, the Scots have several remarkable storylines heading to the season. Most notably, the Fighting Scots head into the season ranked 1st in the Midwest Conference South Division in the MWC Coaches’ Poll. Monmouth narrowly edged out conference newcomer, the University of Chicago, with 66 points compared to UChicago’s 65. The Scots also received 7 first-place votes, while UChicago received 5.
Another major storyline this offseason is the NFL interest drawn by Monmouth’s senior lineman Joe Krall. Numerous NFL teams, have reached out to Scots’ head coach Chad Braun expressing interest in Krall, who just last spring received All-American honors in the weight throw. The Scots look to build off of last season, when they finished with an 8-2 record overall and a perfect 5-0 in MWC regular season play.
Notable games this season include Monmouth’s opening home matchup against Wheaton College and a home game September 28th against St. Norbert. This Saturday, the Scots will look to beat a historically strong Wheaton team that took the Scots’ opening road matchup last year, 32-7. The home game against St. Norbert will also likely be an electric atmosphere, as the Green Knights won the MWC championship game 10-7 on their home field last year, and come into this season ranked 1st in the MWC North Division.
Looking at the rest of the schedule, the Scots’ annual homecoming game will be on October 19th, against Illinois College. The regular season wraps up with the annual Turkey Bowl game against Knox College Saturday, November 9th. Also, the South Division hosts this year’s MWC Championship Weekend, which means that Monmouth will be hosting a potential MWC Championship Game if the Scots are able to win their division. Monmouth’s first game is this Saturday against Wheaton College, beginning at 12:50.
Riley Dulin - Sports Editor