DWU football gameday: Tigers take on nation's most prolific offense in final road game

Zech Lambert, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·3 min read

Oct. 28—MITCHELL — Giving up 10 points in the fourth quarter stymied Dakota Wesleyan football's chance at an upset last week over No. 17 Midland.

Now the Tigers turn their attention toward the nation's No. 1 team in Morningside. Here's what to know about the game.

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Where: Elwood Olsen Stadium, Sioux City, Iowa.

Records: DWU 1-8, 1-7 GPAC; Morningside 7-0, 7-0 GPAC.

Coaches: DWU's Ross Cimpl, 58-58, 11th season; Morningside's Steve Ryan, 215-41, 21st season.

Last week: DWU lost 22-13 to Midland at home; Morningside beat Mount Marty 77-0 on the road.

All-time series: Morningside leads 30-6-1.

Last meeting: DWU lost 52-7 at home in the final game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.

Notes: Live video of the game is available on Morningside's website. ... DWU hasn't beaten Morningside since Nov. 16, 2002, when the Tigers won 33-29 at home. However, that contest was a nonconference game because Morningside joined the Great Plains Athletic Conference 2003, meaning DWU is still seeking its first win over the Mustangs in conference play. ... The closest contest since then was in 2011, when DWU fell 28-26. ... Morningside has held the No. 1 spot in the national poll all season long. ... The Mustangs were the NAIA national champion last season and have won three of the last four national championships.

About the Tigers: Last week marked the first time in the month of October that Jamin Arend was held under the 100-yard mark in rushing. Arend had 96 yards on 15 rushes and is still second in the country in total rushing yards. At 953 yards, he sits just 47 yards away from a 1,000-yard season. ... The Tigers are tied for 16th nationally with 168 first downs on the season, though their 18.7 first downs per game is 52nd. ... DWU recorded a season-high two sacks last week. The Tigers now have six sacks on the season but still rank 95th of the 97 teams, according to the NAIA statistical database. ... This game marks the Tigers final road contest of the season and their penultimate game of the campaign.

About the Mustangs: Morningside leads the nation in points per game, averaging over 10 points more than anyone else in the country at 55.9 points. ... The Mustangs are also No. 1 in the country in yards per game at 563.9. The only other team in the country that averages more than 500 yards per game is Langston (Okla.), which averages 505.4. ... The Mustangs are the top passing offense in the country as well, as the only team to put up over 400 yards per game through the air and their 32 passing touchdowns pace all of NAIA. ... Morningside has the fourth-best red-zone-touchdown percentage in the country at 77%, turning 30 of their 39 red-zone trips into touchdowns. ... Defensively, Morningside is tied for 15th nationally in terms of points per game, surrendering 15.6 points per contest. ... Quarterback Joe Dolincheck leads the country in yards, completion percentage, yards per game, touchdowns and passing efficiency and has 31 touchdowns to two interceptions. ... Receiver Austin Johnson is fifth in the country in receptions, second in yards and yards per game and first in touchdowns.

Next: DWU returns home for its final game of the season against Mount Marty on Saturday, Nov. 5. Morningside has its final home game against Doane on Nov. 5 before going on the road on Nov. 12 for its last regular-season game against Concordia.

Other GPAC action this weekend:

Saturday, Oct. 29

Briar Cliff at Northwestern, 1 p.m.

Concordia at Midland, 1 p.m.

Doane at Mount Marty, 1 p.m.

Jamestown at Dordt, 1 p.m.