Morningside College vs. Univ. of Wisconsin-Whitewater
September 24, 2015, 6:04 p.m.
Elwood Olsen Stadium (10,000), Sioux City, IA
Radio: Fox Sports AM620
Video Stream: ESPN3
The Matchup
Morningside College(3-0) is a NAIA member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).The Mustangs are ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NAIA. Morningside enjoyed a banner 2014 season where it posted an 11-2 record, won a fourth consecutive GPAC championship, and advanced to the semifinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series. The Mustangs are one of the nation’s most successful football teams since the start of the 2004 season with a record of 115-23for a .833 winning percentage and 11 consecutive post-season berths in the NAIA Championship Series for the nation’s longest current active streak. The Mustangshave advanced to at least the NAIA Quarterfinals nine times in the last 11 years and have advanced to at least the semifinals each of the last three years, including an appearance in the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game, where they lost 30-27 in overtime against Marian University.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (2-0) is a NCAA Division III member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WSIC). The two-time reigning NCAA III National Champion Warhawks are ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NCAA III. Wisconsin-Whitewater finished 15-0 last season and defeated the University of Mount Union 43-34 in Stagg Bowl XLII to win the NCAA III National Championship for the sixth time in the last eight years. The Warhawks are riding a 34-game winning streak for the longest active winning streak in all of collegiate football.
Mustangs On ESPN3
Thursday’s game between Morningside and Wisconsin-Whitewater will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The Coaches
Steve Ryan (Wheaton 1989) is in his 14th season as Morningside’s head coach. Ryan has a 123-35 record for a .778winning percentage with the Mustangsfor the most victories and the highest victory rate in Morningside history. Ryan has led the Mustangs to 11 consecutive appearances in the NAIA Championship Series. Ryan was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and American Football Monthly 2012 NAIA National Coach of the Year after he guided Morningside to a 13-1 record and a berth in the Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game. He was named the GPAC Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2011, and 2012 and has led the Mustangs to fiveGPAC championships with titles in 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Ryan received American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Region 4 Coach of the Year recognition in 2005, 2011, 2012, and 2014 and was the 2004 NAIA Football.net National Coach of the Year. Ryan guided Morningside to a 12-1 record in 2005, including a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season, and the semifinals of the NAIA Championship Series. Ryan guided the Mustangs to an 8-3 record in 2004 and their first-ever appearance in the NAIA Championship Series. Ryan ledMorningside to a 5-5 record in 2002 in his first season with the Mustangs to snap the team’s streak of 15 consecutive losing seasons. He was previously an assistant coach at OttawaUniversity. Ryan was a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starter as a linebacker during his playing career at Wheaton College.
Kevin Bullis(Minnesota-Morris 1989) is in his first season as the Warhawks’ head coach and as a collegiate head coach. He was put in charge of the Warhawks’ football program on Jan. 30, 2015, to become the 21st head football coach in Wisconsin-Whitewater history and only the fourth in the last 60 years. He replaced Lance Leipold, who became the head coach at the University of Buffalo. Bullis had been an assistant coach at Wisconsin-Whitewater for the previous seven seasons and was the Warhawks’ defensive run game coordinator and defensive line coach during the 2014 campaign. Before coming to Whitewater, Bullis was the defensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 1995-2007. He has also been an assistant coach at Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Minnesota-Morris.
2015 Morningside Schedule (3-0 Record)
Morningside 77, Sterling 17
Morningside 86, Nebraska Wesleyan 10
Morningside 49, Dordt 0
Sept. 24- Wisconsin-Whitewater, 6:04 p.m.
Oct. 3- at Northwestern, 1 p.m.
Oct. 10- Hastings (Homecoming), 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 17- at Dakota Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
Oct. 24- Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
Oct. 31- at Concordia, 1 p.m.
Nov. 7- at Midland, 1 p.m.
Nov.14- Doane, 1 p.m.
2015 Wisconsin-Whitewater Schedule (2-0 Record)
Wisconsin-Whitewater 62, Bellhaven 6
Wisconsin-Whitewater 66, Finlandia 3
Sept. 24- at Morningside, 6:04 p.m.
Oct. 3- Wisconsin-Platteville, 1 p.m.
Oct. 10- at Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 1 p.m.
Oct. 16- Wisconsin-La Crosse, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24- at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1 p.m.
Oct. 31- Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 1 p.m.
Nov. 7- at Wisconsin-River Falls, 1 p.m.
Nov. 14- Wisconsin-Stout, 2 p.m.
Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Standings
1.Morningside, Dakota Wesleyan, Doane, and Northwestern, 2-0; 5.Briar Cliff and Concordia, 1-1; 7.Dordt, Hastings, Midland, and Nebraska Wesleyan, 0-2.
Morningside Ranked Second In The Nation
Morningside is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Sept. 21NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
1.Morningside (Iowa), 3-0 record, 327 points; 2.Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), 3-0, 327; 3.Baker (Kan.), 4-0, 300; 4.Southern Oregon, 2-1, and Faulkner (Ala.), 2-0, 290; 6.Carroll (Mont.), 2-1, 269; 7.Robert Morris (Ill.), 3-0, 266; 8.Marian (Ind.), 2-1, 262; 9.Saint Xavier (Ill.), 3-1, 236; 10.Northwestern (Iowa), 3-0, 226; 11.Grand View (Iowa), 3-1, 216; 12.William Penn (Iowa), 3-1, 191; 13.Doane (Neb.), 3-0, 184; 14.Saint Francis (Ind.), 3-0, 164; 15.Valley City State (N.D.), 3-1, 154; 16.Montana Western, 3-0, 149; 17.Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), 4-0, 119; 18.MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 2-2, 113; 19.Reinhardt (Ga.), 3-0, 96; 20.Tabor (Kan.), 2-1, 89; 21.Montana Tech, 2-1, 68; 22.Missouri Valley, 2-2, 61; 23.Webber International (Fla.), 2-2, 51; 24.Kansas Wesleyan, 3-0, 32; 25.Peru State (Neb.), 3-1, 24.
The Series
Wisconsin-Whitewater defeated Morningside 24-7 on Oct. 13, 1979, in the only prior meeting between the two teams. The game was played in Mexico City in a contest arranged by the NAIA to promote the growth of American football in Mexico. Wisconsin-Whitewater was a member of the NAIA in 1979, while Morningside shared membership with the NAIA and the NCAA Division II.
Morningside has an all-time record of 1-3 against teams from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The other three contests against WIAC opponents were all against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Morningside has lost its last two games against teams from the WIAC since a 28-21 victory against Wisconsin-Stevens Point to open the 1975 season.
Last Time Out
Morningside posted its first shutout victory of the season with a 49-0 triumph against Dordt College last Saturday in Sioux Center, Iowa.
The Mustangs limited the Defenders to 223 yards total offense. Christian Walker blocked a Dordt field goal attempt in the second quarter and the Mustangs held the Defenders on downs on five other occasions in Morningside territory.
Morningside finished with 505 yards total offense and scored on its first offensive play from scrimmage on a 66-yard touchdown run by Tyler Kavan.
Connor Niles had the most productive game of his Morningside career with six pass receptions for a career-high 172 yards and three touchdowns with scoring catches of 27, 45, and 59 yards from Ryan Kasdorf, plus returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown.
Kasdorf completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 220 yards and four touchdowns, while Kavan paced the rushing attack with 99 yards in only eight carries.
Zac Schleuger collected a game-high 13 tackles for the Mustangs’ defense. Ethan Stofferan was next with eight tackles, including 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 13 yards. Stofferan combined with Chase Reis for a quarterback sack.
Explosive Offense
The Mustangs are averaging a whopping 70.7 points and 696.3 yards total offense per game to lead the nation in both categories. Morningside also led the nation in in both categories last year with averages of 55.5 points and 662.2 yards per game to break the existing NAIA national records. Morningside amassed 897 yards total offense when it opened the season with a 77-17 blowout victory against Sterling to finish 19 yards shy of its own NAIA national record of 916 yards it set against Hastings last season. The Mustangs crushed Nebraska Wesleyan 86-10 in this season’s second game for their highest point total since a 112-0 victory against Dakota Wesleyan in 1916.
Morningside is second in the nation with an average of329.3 yards rushing per game and third with an average of 367.0 yards passing per contest. The Mustangs are averaging 6.4 yards per rushing attempt and havecompleted78.3 percent of their83pass attempts without an interception.
Morningside had one of the most prolific offensive attacks in the history of NAIA football during the 2014 season. The Mustangs were the highest scoring team in NAIA history with an average of 55.5 points per game to break the former NAIA national record of 54.7 points per game by Florida A&M in 1961. Morningside averaged 662.2 yards total offense per game to break the former NAIA single-season standard of 642.0 yards per game by Southern Oregon in 2012. The Mustangs also set new NAIA national single-season records with 4613 yards rushing and 8609 yards total offense to top the former marks of 4476 yards rushing by William Penn in 2010 and 8175 yards total offense by Georgetown in 1999.
Morningside’s most impressive offensive display last season came in a 76-14 win at Hastings on Oct. 11 when they amassed 916 yards total offense to break the former NAIA national record of 914 yards by Lenoir-Rhyne against Davidson in 1975.
The Mustangs have amassed over 600 yards total offense 25times since the start of the 2009 season, including a NAIA national record 916 yards total offense in a 76-14 victory against Hastings on Oct. 11. The Mustangs have topped the 600-yard mark in 11 of their last 16 contests since the start of the 2014 season.
Morningside has scored 50 or more points in a game 37 times since the start of the 2007 season, including two scoring totals in the 80s, 10 in the 70s, and 10 others in the 60s.
The Mustangs have scored over 30 points in 75 of their last 96 games dating back to the 2007 season. Morningside had scored in 88 consecutive games before it was shut out 35-0 by Grand View University in the 2013 NAIA Semifinals.
Career Day For Niles
Connor Niles, a 5-11, 185 lb. sophomore wide receiver from Sioux City, had the most productive game of his Morningside career in the Mustangs’ 49-0 rout of Dordt when he had six pass receptions for a career-high 172 yards and three touchdowns and had three punt returns for 87 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The punt return exploits earned Niles this week’s Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Special Teams Player of the Week award. Niles, who averaged 28.7 yards per catch against the Defenders, had touchdown receptions of 27, 45, and 59 yards from Ryan Kasdorf in the first half. He topped his previous career standard of 144 reception yards against Dakota Wesleyan last season. Niles is the Mustangs’ top pass catching threat with team-high totals of 20 receptions for 328 yards and five touchdowns. He is averaging 16.4 yards per catch and ranks ninth nationally with averages of 6.7 receptions and 109.3 reception yards per game. Niles is the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 36 points to rank seventh nationally in scoring with an average of 12.0 points per game. Aside from his pass receiving exploits, Niles has five punt returns for 118 yards and a touchdown to rank fifth in the nation with an average of 23.6 yards per return.
Niles led the Mustangs’ receivers with an average of 21.3 yards per catch last season. Niles was the Mustangs’ third leading receiver with 31 catches for 659 yards and five touchdowns. He had a pair of 100-yard games with four catches for 144 yards against Dakota Wesleyan and four receptions for 126 yards against Missouri Valley in the NAIA Championship Series Quarterfinals.
He has 51 receptions for 987 yards and 10 touchdowns for an average of 19.4 yards per catch and seven punt returns for 141 yards for an average of 20.1 yards per return during his Morningside career.
Niles is a 2014 graduate of Sioux City Bishop Heelan Catholic High School. He was one of the most prolific prep pass receivers in the state of Iowa during the 2013 season and was a first-team Class 3A all-state selection of both the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register. Niles, who was also a Sioux City Journal All-Metro and first-team All-Northwest Iowa selection, finished the campaign with 76 receptions for 1302 yards and 19 touchdowns for an average of 17.1 yards per catch. He caught nine passes for 193 yards and a touchdown to help lead the Crusaders to a 47-14 win against Washington in Iowa’s 2013 Class 3A state championship game. Niles also received first-team INA and Des Moines Register all-state laurels in addition to Sioux City Journal All-Metro and first-team All-Northwest Iowa honors as a junior when he caught 59 passes for 1082 yards and 18 touchdowns for an average of 18.3 yards per catch. Aside from leading the team in pass receiving, Niles also topped the Crusader with seven interceptions he returned for 128 yards and two touchdowns for an average of 18.3 yards per return.
All-America Linebacker
Zac Schleuger, a 6-2, 220 lb. senior linebacker from Wesley, Iowa, posted his first double figure tackle performance of the season and the 12th of his Morningside career when he collected eight solos and five assists for a game-high 13 tackles in the Mustangs’ 49-0 shutout of Dordt. The 13-tackle performance vaulted Schleuger to the top of the Mustangs’ tackle chart, a spot he has occupied each of the past two seasons, with 11 solos and 10 assists for 21 total tackles. He has 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of seven yards and a pass breakup.
Schleuger was a second-team USA College Football All-American and a first-team All-GPAC performer last season when he amassed 46 solos and 68 assists for a team-high 114 total tackles and also topped the Mustangs with six quarterback hurries, two blocked kicks, and a school-record 25.5 tackles for losses of 76 yards. His 25.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage broke the former Morningside record of 20.5 tackles for a loss by Marshall Barney in 2011. Schleuger also ranked among the Mustangs’ leaders with five quarterback sacks and five pass breakups. He was named the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Game in the Mustangs’ 56-28 win against Missouri Valley in the NAIA Championship Series Quarterfinals after he had seven tackles, including 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of four yards, to go along with an interception and 13-yard return, two pass breakups, and a quarterback hurry. Schleuger had six double figure tackle performances last season, including a career-high 16 tackles against Dakota Wesleyan University. He was the Mustangs’ leading tackler in six of their 13 contests.
He earned second-team All-GPAC honors as a sophomore after he topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart with 40 solos and 64 assists for 104 total tackles. He was the Mustangs’ co-leader with four quarterback hurries and 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 37 yards. Schleuger also had five pass breakups, two blocked kicks, 1.5 quarterback sacks, and an interception. Schleuger had a team-high five double figure tackle performances, including a season’s high 13 tackles in games against Doane and Hastings.
Schleuger was one of the Mustangs’ most improved players in 2013 after he had 12 tackles during the 2012 season.
Schleuger has 251 tackles, 42 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 120 yards, 6.5 quarterback sacks, 11 pass breakups, two interceptions, and five blocked kicks during his collegiate career. He is on pace to break the Morningside record of 50 career tackles for a loss set by Marshall Barney from 2008-11.
He was an Iowa Newspaper Association first-team Class A all-state running back and a Des Moines Register first-team all-state punter as a senior at West Hancock High School. Schleuger averaged a whopping 13.8 yards per carry by rushing for 1,816 yards and 35 touchdowns in 132 attempts. Schleuger also had 85 tackles and four quarterback sacks and averaged 41.8 yards per punt with a long of 75 yards.
All-America Quarterback
Ryan Kasdorf, a 6-1, 215 lb. senior quarterback from Newhall, Calif.,moved closer to Morningside’s all-time touchdown pass record when he hurled touchdown passes of 27, 45, and 59 yards to Connor Niles and seven yards to Briar Evans in the Mustangs’ 49-0 rout of Dordt. Kasdorf, a three-year starter and two-time All-American and first-team All-GPAC performer, raised his total to 86 career touchdown passes to move within three of the Morningside record of 89 career touchdown passes by 2006 graduate Craig Fobbe. Kasdorf finished the Dordt game with 11 completions in 16 attempts for 220 yards.Kasdorf has completed 49 of 65 pass attempts (75.4 percent) for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions through the Mustangs’ first three games. He is 10th in the nation with an average of 270.0 yards passing per game and has a pass efficiency rating of 230.8 to lead the nation for the third year in a row. Kasdorf, who has rushed for 70 yards in 12 attempts for an average of 5.8 yards per carry, is 10th in the nation with an average of 293.3 yards total offense per game.