The Monmouth College Fighting Scots opened their 2026 season Saturday night, going toe-to-toe with ninth-ranked Wartburg before falling 36-21 at April Zorn Memorial Stadium.
Monmouth jumped out to a 14-0 lead and carried a 21-14 advantage into halftime. Wartburg took control with 22 unanswered points in the third quarter, while the Scots defense held the Knights scoreless in the fourth.
Head Coach Chad Braun says despite the loss, his team showed they can compete with anyone.
“I think we got a nice ball club. Our guys are not intimidated. They’re going to go out and play. They can go out and play with anyone in the country. They showed it Saturday night. We’re upset. There’s no moral victories. We’re 0-1. That’s the reality. Our NPI is not good, and we got to go out and get a win this week at Hampden-Sydney. So we got a long trip, and it’s going to be a great team, and we’re going to have to have a great week of practice.”
The Scots now turn their attention to a long road trip to Virginia to take on Hampden-Sydney. The Tigers also enter at 0-1 after a 29-20 loss to Wabash last week.
Kickoff is set for noon Central Time Saturday. We will have the broadcast on WRAM AM 1330, FM 95.7 and online at radiomonmouth.com, with the pregame show hitting the air at 11:30.
