GALESBURG, Ill. ­— The Bronze Turkey will remain at Monmouth College as the visiting Fighting Scots handed the Knox College Prairie Fire a 49-0 defeat in the final game of the 2024 regular season, spoiling Knox's Senior Day. Nate Wrublik ran for 140 yards and three touchdowns while Brayden Deem threw for four scoring strikes as Monmouth (8-2, 8-1 Midwest Conference) won the 136th meeting between the two teams in the annual rivalry showdown. The Prairie Fire end the fall with a 3-7 overall record and 2-7 mark in the league.

The Fighting Scots racked up more than three times as many yards, outgaining Knox by a 477-148 margin. While both offenses started slowly, the first of four Prairie Fire turnovers jump started things for Monmouth by fumbling the ball away on a sack deep in Knox territory. Six plays later, the Scots had a 7-0 lead on a Wrublik 1-yard plunge.

The Knox defense stopped Monmouth on the next two drives, including a fourth-down stop in the red zone. But after sophomore Jonathan Walker boomed a 54-yard punt with a strong wind at his back to the Fighting Scot 9, Monmouth methodically marched the 91 yards, doubling its lead on a 30-yard burst by Wrublik for his second score midway through the second quarter.

The Prairie Fire failed to get a first down on their next two drive, allowing Monmouth to make it a 28-0 lead at the intermission. The big play was a 72-yard bomb from Deem to Chase Newman with just under a minute showing on the clock.

In the second half, Knox continued to find moving the football difficult and didn't start a play beyond the Monmouth 40 until the final minute of the game. And after Monmouth opened the second half with a 45-yard Wrublik touchdown run, followed by a Prairie Fire fumble that led to a 31-yard scoring strike on the next play, the outcome was academic.

• Sophomore Izayiah Hawes was one of the few brights spots for Knox, running the ball 11 times for 80 yards, including a 34-yard scamper.
• Senior safety Isaac Mora provided a defensive highlight with an interception in the third quarter to negate a Prairie Fire fumble on the previous play. It gave him exactly one interception in each of his four seasons at Knox.
• The Monmouth defense displayed a smothering pass rush, limiting Knox to one completion in 11 attempts for 10 yards, and the one completed pass was deflected.
• Mora and fifth-year linebacker Kolton Krutsinger each had 10 tackles for the Fire, fifth-year defensive end Jonathan Sarich had the team's lone sack and first-year cornerback Maliq Bolin broke up three passes.
• Walker had his most prolific game of the season, punting nine times for a season-best 44 yards per punt with two boots of at least 50 yards (season-long 57 kick).
• The Fighting Scots improved to 74-52-10 in the all-time series while winning their 25th straight game against Knox.