Sangamon Sun

Illinois College's football team faced a setback in their recent Midwest Conference match against Monmouth, with a final score of 44-24. The game took place at April Zorn Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

This loss places Illinois College at 2-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Meanwhile, Monmouth's victory improves their record to 3-1 overall and an undefeated 3-0 in the conference.

Monmouth initiated the scoring seven minutes into the first quarter. Illinois College responded with a one-yard run by Destin Chance, tying the game at 7 points by the end of the first quarter. However, this was as close as Illinois College would get for the remainder of the game.

In the second quarter, Monmouth scored three consecutive touchdowns, establishing a significant lead of 27-7. Toby McTamney managed to score a 32-yard field goal for Illinois College just before halftime, bringing the score to 27-10.

The third quarter saw Monmouth extending their lead further to 37-10. Early in the fourth quarter, Chance scored again for Illinois College with a 16-yard run.

Monmouth added another touchdown before Chance connected with Will Campbell for a six-yard touchdown pass, marking Illinois College's final points of the day. McTamney successfully converted all three extra point attempts.

Chance was pivotal for Illinois College's offense, completing 33 out of 59 passes for 356 yards and one touchdown while also leading as rusher with 88 yards and two touchdowns from 16 carries.

Trey Birdsong was notable among receivers with thirteen catches totaling 130 yards. Campbell contributed ten receptions for eighty-five yards and one touchdown, while Collin Brunstein made five catches covering eighty-six yards.

Defensively, Cam Dailey and Drake Stuart each recorded ten tackles; Dailey also achieved a tackle for loss. Keane Shaw and Cory Walbert supported defensively with six stops each.

Today's match concludes an extensive travel period where Illinois College played seven out of nine games away from home at England Stadium. They will host four out of their remaining six matches on home ground starting next week when they face off against University of Chicago at England Stadium with kickoff scheduled at six o'clock p.m.