MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE GA M E DAY - S E P T E M B E R 12 , 2 0 2 0
MUSTANG FOOTBALL
A top 10 national showdown spotlights the 2020 home and Great Plains Athletic Conference opener for Morningside College. The two-time defending national and nine-time defending conference champion Mustangs host the Raiders of Northwestern College this evening. Head coach Steve Ryan’s squad led College Football America’s and Street and Smith’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ preseason polls with Northwestern, coached by Matt McCarty, being in the top 10 of each.
SHORT SEPTEMBER Tonight’s contest is one of only two for the Maroon in the season’s first month. They travel to Midland University of Nebraska Saturday, Sept. 19, and then have a bye week before beginning a string of three of four home appearances over four weeks in October.
SERIES HISTORY Morningside holds a 13-6 all-time edge due to a current sixgame win streak. Close-knit decisions have been the norm of late with three finals being decided by 10-points-or-less.
MUSTANG MARKS A glimpse into Ryan’s thoughts about what keeps him laserfocused tells a lot about the mindset of this year’s team. “Simply put, I love what I do,” the Mustangs’ head coach, going into his 20th year at the helm, reflected. «It all comes down to leading young men to success on and off the field --- bringing them together to work towards common goals.» An offense that was among the nation’s top 10 in 13 different categories has some big weapons returning. Senior running back Arnijae “AP” Ponder, a first-team All-Great Plains Athletic Conference and Associated Press Little All-America honoree along with gaining honorable mention NAIA All-American honors last season, was tabbed a preseason All-American by Street and Smith and named to the College Football America Yearbook Starting Lineup after setting a new career rushing standard as part of a nearly 2000-yard campaign that included 23 touchdowns in 2019. Junior quarterback Joe Dolincheck was also pegged a preseason All-American and member of the starting lineup by the respective preview publications after a sophomore slate in which he threw for 4,303 yards and 49 touchdowns en route to second-team All-Great Plains Athletic Conference and AP Little America honors. Senior wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier had a memorable 2019, too, with 69 catches for 1,377 yards and 17 touchdowns, while senior running back Anthony Sims has Morningside set up with a bruising backfield combo after registering 675 yards and 11