Mustang
FOOTBALL SATURDAY, OCT. 23
The road and trajectory to the 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference championship take a steeper and faster path as the regular season rolls along. A key journey milestone is at hand this afternoon on the Elwood Olsen Stadium FieldTurf. Morningside University and Dordt University ranked No. 3 and 15 on the Week Six National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics/First Down Playbook poll, face off. Head coach Steve Ryan’s Mustangs are 6-0 overall and in league play. The Defenders, coached by Joel Penner, stand 5-1 overall and in the GPAC.
THE SERIES Mside has won the 13 previous contests. However, Dordt gave the 10-time defending loop victors all they could handle last fall in Sioux Center, battling to a 35-30 final.
THE MATCH-UP Morningside’s offense has been on juggernaut status from the get-go this season. They hold down national number one statistical rankings in 13 different categories over six outings. That cadre is spotlighted by 380 total and 63.3 points per game; 3,914 overall and 652.3 yards per game of total offense; 408.2 yards per game through the air and 196 first downs. Several individuals lead the team’s high-flying numbers. Senior quarterback Joe Dolincheck is first in the NAIA in completion percentage (72.2), yards per game (325.5), and pass efficiency (201.6). Senior running back Anthony Sims is part of the best 10 in rushing touchdowns (19 – No. 2), yards per attempt (8.7 – No. 3), yards per game (114.7 – No. 7), and total yards (688 – No. 10). Senior wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier also has a top 10 listing, as his eight touchdowns are seventh-most. Junior placekicker Chase Carter leads the country in made (52) and attempted (53) extra points. Mside’s defensive unit has played an immense role in the team’s fortunes. Their 28 sacks are second-most in the NAIA, while the eight interceptions they’ve gathered among 11 total takeaways are part of the nation’s top 30 (No. 27). Senior linebacker Tyler Wingert leads the group with 52 tackles and five sacks and shares the tackles for loss lead with senior defensive lineman Weston Schultz. He and senior defensive back Drew Bessey have combined for five interceptions, too. An impressive number was related to a 19th straight Battle for the Saddle victory for Morningside on Oct. 16. Also, the set of digits was on the mind of everyone clad in maroon at Memorial Stadium on a sunny early fall afternoon. It signified head coach Steve Ryan joining an elite fraternity in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The 84-7 output against Briar Cliff University earned him the title of the 11th head coach to reach 200 career victories. “This is just a tribute to all of the student-athletes I’ve been fortunate enough to coach and the coaches I’ve been able to work alongside during my career,” Ryan noted postgame. “It’s part of the continuality of the success we’ve been able to maintain
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