"Strength in numbers" is an old sports adage but Monmouth College head coach Kelly Kane is hoping that the saying will bring a new sense of enthusiasm and excitement to his football team this fall. Kane, who enters his 15th year in charge of the Fighting Scot program with a 67-62 career record, will welcome one of his largest recruiting classes (52 freshmen and 15 transfer students) since he came to Monmouth in 1984. The infusion of new talent, combined with the return of 37 letterwinners and a new wrinkle to the schedule, gives the football coaching staff a reason to believe the Scots are ready to overcome the disappointment of back-to-back 2-7 seasons. This fall’s lineup includes 10 regular-season games instead of the traditional nine of recent years and will feature a full nine-game Midwest Conference schedule with each school playing every other league member to determine the conference champion.

OFFENSE

Optimism begins in the offensive backfield, where only fullback Nathan Johnson has graduated. The other two primary starters in Monmouth’s option-oriented wishbone rushing attack are back for 1998 in senior John Turnquist (Monmouth,IL/ Warren) and junior Gentry Tate (Monmouth,IL/HS). Turnquist (291 yards) and Tate (256 yards) combined for over 550 yards and 2 touchdowns last fall and will be pressed for playing time by sophomore lettermen Preston Eiler (Monmouth,IL/HS), Brian Hetrick (Gladstone,IL/Union) and Jon Baikie (Oak Lawn, IL/HS), who has also split time in preseason drills at quarterback this fall. The return of senior tailback Alex Michanicou (Dunlap,IL/HS), who missed all of the 1997 season (knee injury), will help to strengthen Monmouth’s offensive punch on the ground. Nick Martin (Peru,IL/LaSalle-Peru), Randy Williams (Chicago, IL/Lane) and Eric Monroe (LaMoille, IL/HS) appear to be the top freshman running backs in the recruiting class.

Junior Kevin Engledow (Zionsville,IN/HS), who began last fall as the Fighting Scots’ starting quarterback, returns as the number-one signal caller but Kane needs to find a dependable backup. When Engledow suffered a foot injury in the third game of the ‘97 season, junior Josh Boyer (Galesburg,IL/ HS) stepped in admirably but he sustained a badly broken leg against Knox and has not yet been cleared for this year. On a positive note, Engledow completed over 40% of his passes and averaged over 100 yards per game (653 yds, 3 TDs) in his first season at Monmouth and will have his receiving corps back intact this year. Senior Jeff Timmons (Lewistown,IL/ HS), who averaged 44 yards per game (19 catches, 309 yds), and junior Andrew Tyra (Tremont, IL/HS) (18 rec, 257 yds) are the leading candidates to fill the wide receiver positions, along with senior Paul Smith (Westmont,IL/HS). Kane brings in several new quarterbacks to challenge for time on the field, including prep standouts Brad Hulke (Aurora,IL/ Central Catholic) and Luke Jackson (Fairbury,IL/ Prairie Central) and transfer Joe Milliner (Hesperia, CA/HS). Freshmen Tyrone McCline (Carlyle,IL/HS) and Aaron Cole (Gladstone,IL/Union) bring in impressive credentials to challenge the receivers.

One of the only areas hit hard by graduation was the Scots’ offensive line and the staff must find a stable unit to protect the backfield. Even though two four-year lettermen are gone, Kane returns four veteran players on the frontline in seniors Zac Chatterton (Avon,IL/Valley) and Otis Burge (Knoxville,IL/Byron) and juniors Matt Tipton (Peru, IL/LaSalle-Peru) and Jason Wheat (Miami,FL/ South Ridge). Freshman Ryan Pearson (Toulon,IL/ Stark County) was a First Team All-State selection as an offensive lineman and classmates Joseph Hopp (Aurora,IL/Central Catholic), Brian Kienzler (Springfield,IL/Sacred Heart-Griffin) and Josh Weerda (Winnebago,IL/ HS) were selected as All-Conference linemen as high school seniors. Area preps Brian Collier (Oquawka,IL/Union) and Nathan Polich (Moline,IL/Alleman) will also try to earn starting spots on the line.

DEFENSE

The Monmouth defense has been one of the squad’s definite strengths in recent seasons and defensive coordinator Roger Haynes will once again count on veteran leadership to produce similar results. The Scots return 15 lettermen and seven starters on the defensive side of the ball and include several promising players among the new recruiting class.

Senior co-captain Matt Russell (Dunlap,IL/ HS), a three-year starter at defensive tackle who posted 43 tackles and six for losses last fall, should be a force as the anchor of the line. Alongside Russell in the front four will also be senior Robert Cassiday (Smithshire,IL/Southern) (17 tackles) and junior Jon Carruthers (West Burlington,IA/HS), who was second on the team last year with 7 tackles for losses and three quarterback sacks. Dan Taylor (Woodhull,IL/ AlWood) and Drew Anderson (Galesburg,IL/HS) are the most experienced players in the linebacker group and will play both the pass and the run in MC’s flexible defensive scheme. Kane and his staff have brought in several prep players who may make an immediate impact on defense, including linebacker Clinton Terwilliger (Wyoming,IL/Stark County), a First-Team All-Stater who was selected as the Peoria Journal-Star Class A Player of the Year in 1997. Rob Yost (Pekin,IL/HS), Nick Flowers (Carrollton,IL/HS), Justin Kegley (Pekin,IL/HS) and Tramane Jordan (Kewanee,IL/ Wethersfield) will add depth in the linebacker group while newcomers Wes Hedges (El Paso,IL/HS), Jeff Smith (Danville, IL/HS) and Patrick Lynch (Sherrard,IL/HS) will strengthen the defensive line.

The Monmouth secondary returns several experienced players and should be one of the team’s strongest units. Senior All-Conference defensive back Josh Didier (Des Plaines,IL/Maine West) leads a group which also features seniors R.J. Haines (Rushville,IL/HS) and Nate Boekholder (Mt. Morris, IL/Oregon). Didier’s 61 total tackles was tops on the team last year and Boekholder added 59 from his safety position. Senior Bryce Adolphson (Aledo,IL/ HS), who missed the entire 1997 season, returns this fall after a year out to give the Scots’ one of the deepest and most experienced secondaries in the league. In addition to the upperclassmen several freshmen, including speedster Vaughn Gray (Chicago,IL/ Lane) and John Mas (Hialeah,FL/HS), are candidates in the defensive backfield.

The special team squads are a mixed bag, with some positions filled by proven players and others wide open. Despite missing the final two games last fall with a leg injury, Timmons earned his second straight First Team All-Midwest Conference selection as a punter. Timmons averaged over 37 yards per punt and booted a 77-yarder against MacMurray, the third-longest punt in team history. Sophomore Troy Boutin (Milledgeville, IL/HS) was used part-time last year as a kicker but Kane is hoping that area product Jeff Sidell (Morton,IL/HS), an All-Mid Illini Conference selection, will provide the Scots with a dependable placekicker for kickoffs and point attempts.

Monmouth’s kick return positions will likely be handled by a number of different players, including Baikie, who earned Second Team All-Conference honors as a freshman. Tyra, Hetrick, Boutin and Tate all handled punts and kickoffs last season and each will get a shot in the special teams rotation.