Monmouth, Illinois - The Wheaton football team, ranked 22nd in the D3football.com preseason Top-25 poll, opened its 2019 season on Saturday with a 38-0 victory at Monmouth College. Today's win marked the 16th-second consecutive season that Wheaton has opened the football season with a victory.

The Thunder defense dominated the Fighting Scots' offense on Saturday as Monmouth had just 56 yards of offense in the game and registered only three first downs. The hosts ran for just 28 yards and passed for 28. The Wheaton offense amassed 403 yards of total offense with 226 rushing yards and 177 passing yards. 

Thunder starting quarterback Luke Anthony completed 13 of his 23 passing attempts for 150 yards with two touchdown passes. Jeremiah Tucker was 3-for-3 passing with 27 yards and quarterback Spencer Peterson ran the ball three times for 45 yards.

Senior Adam Terrini caught four passes for 91 yards with one touchdown catch. Fellow senior receiver Phillip Nichols caught five passes for 45 yards with one touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone.

Thunder running back T.J. Williams (PICTURED LEFT) ran for 124 yards on 17 carries has he averaged 7.3 yards per carry. Senior Stone Watson carried the ball six times for 48 yards with one touchdown as he averaged eight yards per carry.

Wheaton's stellar defensive play today is an extension of how the unit closed out the 2018 season. Dating back to has not allowed a touchdown over the its last 21 quarters of action. Senior defensive lineman Dallas McRae registered nine tackles, including five solo stops. He also made two tackles for lost yardage (-9 yards). Jake Holaday PICTURED RIGHT) made seven tackles with 3-1/2 tackles for loss (-6 yards) and Ryan Schwartz made five tackles with one tackle for loss (-1 yards). Senior defensive back Corey Kennedy registered two interceptions, including a 66-yard interception returned for a touchdown.

Junior punter John Bickle had a strong day with eight punts, averaging 44.1 yards per kick, including five kicks inside the 20-yard line. Bickle had a long punt of 56 yards among his 353 punting yards for the Thunder.

Wheaton reached the scoreboard late in the first quarter when Anthony connected found Nichols in the corner of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass. Thunder kicker Griffin Bowes converted the PAT attempt to give Wheaton the 7-0 lead with 37-seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Wheaton offense scored on its second drive of the second quarter. On the fourth play of the drive, Anthony hit Terrini in stride along the sideline as Terrini broke a tackle to reach the end zone on the 74-yard touchdown toss. Bowes converted the PAT attempt to extend Wheaton's lead to 14-0 with 10:37 remaining in the second quarter.

Anthony reached the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run with 5:34 remaining in the third quarter. Bowes' PAT gave Wheaton a 21-0 lead. Williams setup Anthony's touchdown run with strong runs of 10 and 21 yards just before the score. The entire drive was preceded by a Kennedy's first interception of the day when he picked off a Monmouth pass at the Thunder 47-yard line and returned it 30 yards to the Fighting Scots' 30-yard line.

Wheaton broke the game open scoring three times in the fourth quarter. Bowes converted a 23-yard field goal attempt with 12:01 remaining in the game to increase the guests' lead to 24-0. Kennedy picked off a pass attempt by Monmouth quarterback Walker Dycus at the Wheaton 34-yard line and the Thunder senior ran it back 66 yards for a touchdown. Kennedy's touchdown and the PAT that followed gave Wheaton a 31-0 lead with 9:58 remaining in the contest. Late in the fourth quarter, Fielding Davis forced a fumble that was recovered by Grant Miller at the Monmouth 29-yard line. On Wheaton's first play of the ensuing drive, Peterson scampered 16 yards to give Wheaton first-and-10 at the Monmouth 13-yard line. Stone Watson scored on the next play with a 13-yard touchdown run. Bowes converted the PAT attempt to give Wheaton a 38-0 lead with 5:57 remaining in the game.

The Thunder have a bye next Saturday and return to action on September 21 when No. 15 Illinois Wesleyan visits Wheaton in the CCIW opener.