November 03 - Monmouth College

In the sixth-longest college football rivalry in the nation, Monmouth kept possession of the Bronze Turkey trophy with a 42-14 win at Knox. The Prairie Fire struggled to stop the Fighting Scots passing attack in the 119th meeting between the two schools. Monmouth quarterback Alex Tanney completed 24-of-29 passes for 309 yards and five touchdowns in the season finale for both teams.

Monmouth (7-3 overall, 7-2 Midwest Conference) took control early, scoring touchdowns on the team's first two possessions. The Scots built a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter before Knox got on the board. Cody Engle scored from a yard out and made the score 21-7 at the half.

Knox (3-7 overall, 2-7 MWC) had opportunities early in the third quarter to get back into the game. The Prairie Fire took the second-half kickoff and marched to the Monmouth 38-yard line before being forced to punt. After a defensive stand, Knox regained possession on the Monmouth 28-yard line but could not capitalize. The Scots scored a touchdown late in the third quarter to take a 28-7 lead.

Monmouth added touchdowns on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter to build a 42-7 edge. Knox College's Kyle Gordon finished the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run late in the fourth.

Knox finished with 199 yards rushing but only picked up 58 yards through the air. Brent Newman led the ground attack with 70 yards on eight carries. Defensively, Tyler Hill finished with 12 total tackles, including one tackle-for-loss, and also forced a fumble.

The Fighting Scots have defeated the Prairie Fire nine straight times and lead the overall series 59-50. There have been 10 ties in the series dating back to 1888.

Before the game, the Prairie Fire recognized its 14 seniors - Brad Becque, Will Becque, Paul Bennett, Tim Beishir, John Boylan, Chris Carpenter, Kevin Corley, Jarrett Corrow, Tyler Hill, Josh Jackson, Zach LoMonaco, Jaran Rutledge, Michael Stockov and Aaron Willits.

October 27 - Lake Forest College

Knox fell behind 20-3 at the half and could never recover in a 34-9 loss at Lake Forest. The Prairie Fire are 3-6 overall and 2-6 in the Midwest Conference.

Lake Forest (4-5 overall, 4-4 MWC) took a 7-0 lead just minutes into the contest. The Prairie Fire responded with a 34-yard field goal from Jack Dippold to cut the deficit to 7-3. The Foresters added a touchdown later in the first quarter and scored again late in the first half for the 20-3 halftime edge.

After a scoreless third quarter, Lake Forest reached the endzone early in the fourth quarter to build a 27-3 lead. Nate Ayers found Derek LaRosa with a 15-yard touchdown pass for the final Prairie Fire points. The Foresters added a final score in the final minute.

Grant Guimond led Knox with 69 yards rushing. Ayers completed 13-of-29 passes for 97 yards and the one touchdown. John Boylan caught seven passes for 34 yards. LaRosa hauled in four passes for 46 yards.

Kevin Corley led the defense with 12 total tackles. Tyler Hill finished with 11. Tighe Burke forced and recovered a fumble while Sam Almohandis intercepted a pass.

Knox will finish the 2007 season at home Saturday, Nov. 3. The Prairie Fire will welcome rival Monmouth College in the battle for the Bronze Turkey. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in the Knox Bowl.

October 20 - Carroll College

Knox College did not have the Homecoming performance it wanted in a 51-21 loss to Carroll College. Carroll (5-3 overall, 5-2 Midwest Conference) finished with 434 yards of total offense, most of that coming in the first half when the Pioneers scored on 7-of-8 possessions to build a 41-6 halftime lead. Knox managed 267 yards of offense for the game.

Carroll scored the first 13 points of the game after a two-yard touchdown run and a pair of 25-yard field goals. Knox (3-5 overall, 2-5 MWC) appeared to gain some momentum after the second field goal when Jarrett Corrow returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a score. The extra point was blocked but the Prairie Fire trailed only 13-6.

The momentum was short lived as Carroll responded with touchdowns on its final four second-quarter possessions. The last one, a 48-yard fumble recovery for a score with only four seconds left on the clock, made the score 41-6 at the half.

The Pioneers tacked on a touchdown in the third quarter and a 40-yard field goal in the fourth for a 51-6 advantage. George Nicholson hit Brent Newman with an 18-yard scoring strike for the Prairie Fire midway through the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Nate Ayers rumbled 54 yards for a touchdown in the final minutes to account for the final score.

Carroll finished with 278 yards passing and 156 yards rushing. Knox finished with 170 yards on the ground, led by Ayers' 62 yards on just two carries. Grant Guimond added 47 yards. Nicholson completed 7-of-14 passes for 72 yards and the one score. Ayers completed a pass for 25 yards. Brent Newman caught four balls for 57 yards and the touchdown.

Kevin Corley led the defense with 15 total tackles, including three tackles-for-loss. He also forced and recovered a fumble. Tyler Hill had 12 total stops. Jordan Raess, Aaron Juarez and Tighe Burke each finished with eight tackles.

Knox will visit Lake Forest College Saturday, Oct. 27. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

October 13 - Lawrence University

Knox was looking to climb to .500 in conference play for the first time this season, but Lawrence dashed the Prairie Fire hopes by racing to a 30-0 halftime lead en route to a 51-20 win. Knox is 3-4 overall and 2-4 in Midwest Conference play.

The Vikings scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and added 10 more points in the second quarter in gaining control of the game. Knox finally got on the board early in the third quarter. Grant Guimond scored on a 31-yard run to cut the deficit to 30-7. Lawrence ended any comeback hopes by scoring 21 straight points to build a 51-7 lead.

Nate Ayers connected with Derek LaRosa on a five-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter. Mike Kizior ended the scoring with a 49-yard scoring run later in the fourth.

Lawrence (2-4 overall and in MWC play) finished with 594 yards of total offense. Knox finished with 337 yards, including 226 rushing yards.

Guimond led the Prairie Fire with 55 yards rushing on just eight carries. Kizior added 45 yards, Aaron Willits rushed for 41 yards and Kyle Gordon had 40 yards. George Nicholson completed 8-of-17 passes for 104 yards. Ayers completed 2-of-3 attempts for seven yards and the one score. Defensively, Jarrett Corrow and Kevin Corley paced the team with six total tackles each.

Knox will look to get back on track Saturday, Oct. 20, in its Homecoming game against Carroll College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

October 06 - Grinnell College

Knox rolled for 449 yards of total offense, including 363 yards on the ground, in running past Grinnell 38-7. The Prairie Fire evened their overall record at 3-3 and improved to 2-3 in Midwest Conference play.

Aaron Willits (151 yards) and George Nicholson (102) each finished with more than 100 yards rushing. Willits rushed for two touchdowns and Nicholson rushed for another. Nicholson also completed 6-of-7 passes for 86 yards and two scores, one to John Boylan, the other to Brent Newman.

The Prairie Fire defense was as impressive as the offense. Knox limited Grinnell (1-5 overall, 1-4 MWC) to only 163 yards of total offense, 71 of those yards coming on the lone Pioneer scoring drive midway through the third quarter.

And it was the Knox defense that set the tone early. Grinnell was forced to punt on the game's opening possession, but the Pioneers got the ball back on the Knox 30-yard line after a fumble on the punt return. The Prairie Fire defense was up to the challenge and stopped the Pioneers on downs.

The Knox offense immediately took advantage with a 10-play, 85-yard drive capped by Nicholson's 16-yard scoring strike to Newman. After getting the ball back, the Knox ground game took control. The Prairie Fire marched 76 yards on 15 rushing attempts and took a 14-0 lead on a seven-yard Willits' run. Late in the half, Nicholson hit Boylan on a six-yard pass for a 21-0 advantage.

On the opening drive of the second half, Willits rumbled for a 42-yard touchdown run which seemingly put the game out of reach. But Grinnell responded with its long scoring drive and got the ball back just seconds later after another Knox fumble on the Prairie Fire 39-yard line. Once again, the Prairie Fire defense forced a turnover on downs to end any Pioneer comeback hopes. Nicholson scored from a yard out early in the fourth quarter and Jack Dippold tacked on a 28-yard field goal to account for the final score.

Knox dominated time of possession, hanging on to the ball for nearly 36 minutes. Of the Prairie Fire's 72 offensive plays, 65 were runs. Nine different Prairie Fire players had at least one rushing attempt in the win. Behind Willits and Nicholson, Grant Guimond finished with 49 yards on nine carries. Knox also rolled for 22 first downs while holding Grinnell to 11.

Tyler Hill led the defense with 12 total tackles. Paul Bennett finished with five tackles, including two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble. Jarrett Corrow blocked a punt late in the contest.

Knox will visit Lawrence University Saturday, Oct. 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

September 29 - St. Norbert College

St. Norbert finished with 446 yards of total offense and returned two interceptions for touchdowns in defeating Knox 49-14. Knox dropped to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the Midwest Conference.

St. Norbert (5-0 overall, 4-0 MWC) took control of the game early, racing to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. On their first possession, the Green Knights marched 64 yards in just six plays to grab a 7-0 lead. Just five plays later, St. Norbert returned an interception 35 yards for a 14-0 lead.

Trailing 21-0, Knox got on the board early in the second quarter. The Prairie Fire pieced together a 12-play, 80-yard drive. George Nicholson capped things off with a six-yard scoring run, his first of two rushing touchdown runs, to cut the deficit to 21-7.

The Green Knights immediately answered with two touchdowns of their own to build a 35-7 advantage. Knox scored again late in the half. Grant Guimond had runs of 28 and 16 yards during the drive before Nicholson scored from a yard out to leave St. Norbert with a 35-14 halftime edge.

St. Norbert ended any Prairie Fire comeback hopes by scoring on their first possession of the second half. The Green Knights added another touchdown later in the third quarter to account for the final score.

Knox finished with 237 rushing yards but St. Norbert accounted for 291 yards through the air. Nicholson led the offense with 87 yards on the ground. Guimond finished with 69 yards rushing and Aaron Willits added 52 yards. Kevin Corley finished with 10 total tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and one sack. Tyler Hill and Jordan Raess each added nine total tackles. Raess also picked off a pass.

Knox returns home when Grinnell College visits the Knox Bowl Saturday, Oct. 6. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. The game will be available on 1590 WAIK Radio and on MWCTV. Visit www.midwestconference.tv for more information.

September 22 - Beloit College

With its most balanced offensive attack of the season, Knox College was able to even its record at 2-2 with a 24-17 win over Beloit College at the Knox Bowl. The Prairie Fire are 1-2 in Midwest Conference play.

After a slow start, Knox finished with 482 yards of total offense in the win. Aaron Willits led the ground attack with 169 yards on 22 carries. George Nicholson made the most of just six completions, throwing for 175 yards and two scores.

Knox managed a total of only 12 yards on its first four possessions through the opening minutes of the second quarter. Beloit (0-4 overall, 0-3 MWC) wasn't much better but managed a 39-yard, first-quarter field goal for a 3-0 lead. Knox finally got things moving and knotted the score at 3-3 on Jack Dippold's 26-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining in the half.

The Prairie Fire opened things up in the second half. On the first possession of the third quarter, Nicholson hit Brent Newman on a 75-yard touchdown pass to give Knox a 10-3 lead. The next time Knox touched the ball, Nicholson and Newman connected again, this time the 61-yard scoring toss extended the lead to 17-3.

Late in the third quarter, the Buccaneers got back on the board to pull to within 17-10. Beloit threatened to tie the game, but Zack LoMonaco intercepted a pass at the Knox 25-yard line and returned it to the Knox 48. The Prairie Fire capitalized with a six-play, 52-yard drive, keyed by a 22-yard run from Willits. Cody Engle closed the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run for a 24-10 Knox lead.

The Buccaneers got back within a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but their ensuing on-side kick was recovered by Knox and the Prairie Fire were able to run out the clock.

Behind Willits, Knox finished with 307 yards on the ground. Grant Guimond finished with 69 yards on 15 carries, Newman added 33 yards on six carries and Cody Engle chipped in with 31 yards and a score on four carries. Nicholson completed 6-of-11 passes for the 175 yards and the two touchdowns. Newman caught five passes for 171 yards.

The Knox defensive finished with five sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery in the win. Tyler Hill led the way with 10 total tackles. Jaran Rutledge finished with eight tackles, including three tackles for losses and 2.5 sacks, and recovered a fumble. Tighe Burke recorded a pair of sacks and forced the fumble. Kevin Corley was in on seven tackles and picked off two passes.

Knox will visit St. Norbert College Saturday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. The game will be available on MWCTV. Visit www.midwestconference.tv for more information.

September 15 - Ripon College

Knox rushed for 147 yards but was plagued by three turnovers in a 28-10 loss at Ripon College. Aaron Willits led the ground attack with 87 yards but the Prairie Fire were undone by three interceptions in falling to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the Midwest Conference.

One interception came in the first quarter as Ripon raced to an early 22-0 lead. The Prairie Fire twice turned the ball over on downs, including once on the Red Hawk one-yard line, before getting on the scoreboard. George Nicholson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Grant Guimond to pull the Prairie Fire to within 22-7 late in the first half.

Jack Dippold trimmed the lead to 22-10 with a 28-yard field goal early in the third quarter. The Knox defense came through with a stop as Kevin Corley recovered a fumble forced by Zack LoMonaco. But the ensuing Prairie Fire possession ended with an interception and the Red Hawks capitalized. A Ripon touchdown upped the score to 28-10. Neither team scored in the final frame.

The Knox defense forced six Ripon fumbles and recovered three. Corley led the defensive effort with 12 total tackles, including three for losses. Tyler Hill added 10 stops.

September 08 - Illinois College

Illinois College finished with 500 yards of total offense in shutting out Knox 41-0. The game was the Midwest Conference opener for both teams.

The Prairie Fire struggled offensively, finishing with 131 total yards, while Illinois College scored touchdowns on three of its first five possessions. The Blueboys did most of their damage through the air, as two IC quarterbacks combined to complete 25-of-34 passes for 352 yards and four scores. Illinois College (1-1 overall, 1-0 MWC) also finished with 148 yards on the ground.

The Knox running attack was held in check. Dan Kizior led the way with 35 yards on five carries. George Nicholson added 30 yards and Aaron Willits finished with 27. A pair of Prairie Fire quarterbacks combined to complete one pass for nine yards. The Knox offense was also hurt by four turnovers, including one interception returned for a touchdown.

Illinois College led 20-0 at the half and broke things open with a 14-point third quarter.

Jordan Raess, Kevin Corley, Derek Knobeloch and Tyler Hill each finished with nine total tackles for the Prairie Fire. Tighe Burke added four tackles, including two tackles-for-loss, while also forcing and recovering a fumble.

Knox is now 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the Midwest Conference. The Prairie Fire will visit Ripon College next Saturday at 1 p.m.

September 01 - Eureka College

Knox rushed for 207 yards in opening the 2007 season with a 33-14 win at Eureka College Saturday afternoon. Aaron Willits ran for 113 of those yards and scored three total touchdowns. The Prairie Fire also found some success through the air as sophomore quarterback Jake Strain threw a pair of touchdown passes in his first collegiate start. Knox threw only one touchdown pass all of last season.

Knox got on the board midway through the first quarter on Brent Newman's four-yard touchdown run. Later in the quarter, Strain hit Willits with a 12-yard scoring strike for a 13-0 Prairie Fire lead. Eureka scored early in the second quarter and trailed 13-7 at the half.

Strain and Willits connected on another scoring toss in the third quarter. This five-yard pass pushed the Prairie Fire advantage to 19-7. On the ensuing Eureka possession, Jordan Raess intercepted a pass and returned it 43 yards to the Eureka 30-yard line. Four plays later, Strain gave the Prairie Fire some breathing room after his 14-yard touchdown run.

The Red Devils trimmed the lead to 26-14 midway through the fourth quarter. But Knox responded with a seven-play, 59-yard drive, capped by a Willits' 18-yard scoring scamper, that took 4:03 off the clock. Mike Kizior picked off a pass in the closing minutes to secure the win.

The Prairie Fire defense limited Eureka to 183 yards of total offense. Knox also forced three Red Devil turnovers and registered six sacks. Paul Bennett led the charge with eight total tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and one sack. Tyler Hill and Tighe Burke each recorded seven stops.

Besides Willits' big afternoon, Grant Guimond rushed for 56 yards on only seven carries, Newman finished with 40 yards and Strain added 37 yards on the ground. The sophomore quarterback completed 7-of-13 passes for 70 yards and the two touchdown passes.

Knox will host Illinois College Saturday, Sept. 8. The home opener at the Knox Bowl will kickoff at 1 p.m.