Contact: Lou Groce, Director of Media and Information, 920-229-8157

GRINNELL, Iowa – The St. Norbert College football team will make the trip to Monmouth College on Saturday for the Midwest Conference (MWC) Football Championship Game.  The Green Knights are seeking their 17^th MWC Championship, while the Scots are searching for their 13^th. 

Both teams finished division play a dominant 5-0.  The Green Knights scored 159 points and yielded just 20 in the North Division, while the Fighting Scots racked up 263 points and surrendered just 41. 

The Fighting Scots sport the top scoring offense and top scoring defense in all of the MWC.  Monmouth’s offense ranks 19^th in Division III at 40.3 points per game, while its defense ranks eighth at 10.8 points per game.  Monmouth allows just 208.1 yards per game, good for fourth in the country, and its defense is especially adept against the pass, leading the country in passing yards allowed (109.8).  Opposing quarterbacks are also producing just an 85.8 efficiency rating against them.   

Defensive lineman Lamar Watson and Thomas Lesniewski are terrors up front.  Watson is third in the MWC in the conference with 6.5 sacks, despite playing in just seven games.  Lesniewski was the Defensive Lineman of the Year last season and has battled injuries most of the season.  Finally healthy, the junior was named the MWC Defensive Performer of the Week and to D3football.com’s Team of the Week after he recorded eight tackles, two sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss and batted down three pass attempts.  Linebacker Kyle Schultz is the Scots’ top tackler at 9.7 per game, good for third in the conference.  Micam Smith anchors the secondary with four interceptions on the season. 

Smith and the rest of the Monmouth secondary will have their hands full containing St. Norbert wide receiver Samuel Staehling.  The sophomore already owns the Green Knight record for touchdown catches in a season and is tied for the most nationally with 16.  He is also second in the country with an average of 22.7 yards per catch.  St. Norbert quarterback Jack Becker throws for just 177.4 yards per game, but his 171.5 efficiency rating is 15^th in the country and his 24 passing touchdowns rank 20^th.  On the ground, Elijah Fort averages 4.8 yards per carry and has hit pay dirt six times.  Fort is St. Norbert’s leading rusher at 588 yards. 

Both teams feature impressive kicking games.  St. Norbert’s Spenser Thompson-Meyers is 39-of-42 on extra points, and 11-of-14 on field goals with a long of 55.  The junior also has 21 touchbacks in 58 kickoffs.  Monmouth’s Joey Biel is 7-of-15 on field goals this fall with a long of 49 and is 40-43 on extra points.  Biel also has 21 touchbacks on the year and has booted five of his 23 punts inside the 20-yard line. 

The St. Norbert defense is no slouch as they have one of the top rushing defenses in all of Division III.  The Green Knights allow just 52.4 yards per game on the ground, which is ranked fourth in the country.  As a unit, the Green Knights rank 18^th in the nation in yards allowed per game (261.0), sacks per game (3.22) and points per game (12.6).  St. Norbert has been living in the opponents’ backfield and average 10 tackles for loss per contest.  Matt Gurgone leads the way with 16 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks, while Kordell Draves has six sacks on the year and 8.5 tackles for loss.  Matt Barrett leads the squad with 52 tackles, while Hunter Prokash has three interceptions. 

Offensively, the Scots haven’t missed a beat with first-year starting quarterback Hayden Nelson.  Nelson has thrown for 1,583 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for an additional 319 yards and two scores.  The junior has benefited from being surrounded by some explosive skill players.  Yansay Williams, Jacolby Maxwell and Austin Hite all have over 20 catches and average at least 13.7 yards per catch.  Williams leads the group with 31 catches for 465 yards and nine touchdowns.  In the backfield, Deandre Wright has totaled 941 yards and 12 touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry.  Nelson averages 5.3 yards per rush, while Joshua McKenzie has five touchdowns and 257 yards on just 41 totes. 

Last season, Monmouth blew past St. Norbert 38-14 in Monmouth and went on to win the MWC title.  In 2015, the last MWC Championship game, the Green Knights won a defensive battle 16-9 in De Pere.  St. Norbert leads the overall series between the two programs 22-8, but Monmouth holds a slight 6-5 edge in the last 11 meetings. 

Kickoff on Saturday is slated for 1:00 p.m.