Monmouth College (4-2, 2-1) is aiming for a repeat of a complete game last week when the Scots host Cornell College (4-1, 2-0) for a 1 p.m. kickoff at April Zorn Memorial Stadium.

      The Fighting Scots are coming off a 31-7 win over Lake Forest, which at the time was tied for first in the Midwest Conference South Division. Monmouth's defense, which held the opposition to less than 200 yards for the second time this season, will be challenged by the Rams, who are tied for the divisional lead. Cornell has used a multitude of weapons to win four straight games – including a 28-27 win over defending MWC champion St. Norbert – after dropping their season opener to in-state rival Coe.

      "They're pretty darn good," reported MC coach Steve Bell. "Obviously, they're very good at setting up the game plan and using multiple backs."

      Cornell has spread the wealth with three backs logging at least 40 carries this season. Running backs Devan Clark and Preston Ritchie and freshman quarterback Daniel Brown have accounted for just over 200 yards apiece. Clark – another freshman – leads the touchdown race with four.

      The Rams aren't as diverse in the air, where junior wide receiver Ben Knake has 51 catches, 40 more than the next receiver. He's been on the receiving end of six of Brown's 10 TD tosses and is averaging well over 100 yards per game, nearly half the Rams' receiving yards.

      "They do a good job of balancing the pass and the run," said Bell. "We want to take away a dimension, but they're so good at both you've got to figure out which one you want to take away. They are tough defend because of their diversity."

      If the Rams have a weakness, it's hard to find, although they have given up nearly as many yards as they've gained (394-388). The Scots have a bit larger spread (383-291), helped by their stellar defense last week.

      "We've got to be good up front again," said Bell. "You see it week in and week out. If you can control the line of scrimmage and make plays with your front four or seven, you stand a better chance of success. We've got to be really, really good up front again."

      Just how good was the Scots' D-line last week? Tackle Tyler Parksey recorded a team-high eight tackles, all solo. End Jack Porter was next with six stops and tackle Preston Butner recorded four solo tackles. But it's not just the defensive trenches Bell is counting on.

      "We've got to control the line on both sides of the ball," claimed Bell. "They're schematically a little different defensively than what we've seen so far. We've got to recognize how they line up, but the key will be the play of our lines, both offensively and defensively."

      Knocking off a team at the top of the division standings for the second week in a row would keep the Scots within striking distance with two weeks to go, but the conference race is the furthest thing from Bell's mind right now.

      "We can't control what the rest of the league does," said Bell. "We can only control what we do."

      Last week the Scots controlled their opponent. Bell would like an encore performance this week.