A week after tackling the Iowa Conference’s most prolific running game, the Central College football team is bracing for one of the NCAA Division III’s top passing attacks.
The Dutch (3-2 overall, 1-1 conference) travel to Dubuque to meet Loras College (2-3 overall, 1-1 conference) in a 1 p.m. game at the Rock Bowl. Central thrashed Luther last Saturday, 45-10, while Loras outscored Buena Vista at Storm Lake, 48-41.
The contrast between last week’s opponent and this week’s is stark. Luther threw just six passes Saturday, while Loras put the ball in the air 50 times at Buena Vista.
“Loras is a much different team,” coach Jeff McMartin said.
On the air and on the Web—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, will call the action on KRLS-FM (92.1), along with Cory Houser and sideline reporter Andrew Schneider. The KRLS pregame show will air at 12:35 p.m. The broadcast can also be accessed through www.kniakrls.com or directly at rdo.to/krls. It’s also accessible via mobile device with the KRLS app available through iTunes and other outlets.
Castle also plays host to Central’s Jeff McMartin on the KRLS Coaches’ Corner broadcast live from Applebee’s restaurant in Pella, each Monday throughout the season at 7 p.m. Those broadcasts are also available on demand through www.kniakrls.com.
The series—Central was a 41-14 winner over Loras at Pella last fall. The Dutch old a 31-5 all-time record in the series and last lost to Loras in 2008.
The Duhawks—Loras returns 16 starters from last season but opted to go with a newcomer at quarterback in freshman Nolan Baumhover. He was injured in the second week of the season and the offense was equally explosive led by senior Nik Schulte, who fired a school-record six touchdown passes in a wild 56-52 come-from-behind victory over Augustana College (Ill.) Sept. 19. Baumhover returned at Buena Vista Saturday and he promptly tied Schulte’s mark with six TD passes. He racked up 359 passing yards, completing 32-of-48 with one interception. Meanwhile, the Duhawk ground game rolled up 254 yards as Loras compiled 619 yards total offense.
“Loras can run the ball pretty well,” McMartin said. “They’ve got two really good running backs. Their offensive line is big and very good.
“But they want to go fast. They want to throw the ball a lot and they’ll throw it to anybody on the field, wherever they find a weakness. Both quarterbacks are very capable.”
But the scheme isn’t all the Dutch need to focus on.
“The offense they run is pretty much the same as last year,” McMartin said. “The thing that’s so different is their tempo. They are wearing teams down.
“Conditioning is going to be important. You have to use your depth to be effective for all four quarters.”
Loras ranks first in Division III in passing offense with 430.6 yards per game. The Duhawks are third in total offense (579.2 yards) and lead the league in scoring (38.0 points per game), total offense (576.0 yards), pass offense (429.8 yards) and first downs (28.4).
Junior running back Zach Minch is second in the conference in rushing (118.8 yards per game) while Baumhover is second in passing yardage (275.5 yards) with Schulte fourth (251.0 yards). Baumhover has completed 92 of 147 passes (62.6 percent) for 1,102 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions.
Senior wide receiver Nate Even tops the league in catches with 41 for 632 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Danny Willis is fifth with 35 catches for 383 yards and two touchdowns. Willis is also first in kick return yardage (24.7 yards) and all-purpose yards (164.0).
Junior linebacker Calvin Harridge leads the conference in tackles with 57, including 26 solos, while junior linebacker Damon Davies is first in sacks (3.5) and junior defensive lineman Austin Epple leads in tackles for loss (7.5).
“They’re big up front and their linebackers are really active,” McMartin said. “They put a lot of pressure on you and force you to throw.”
McMartin noted that the Central offense will play a key role in supporting the Dutch defense.
“We’ve got to be able to score points and we’ve got to stay on the field,” he said. “You don’t want to give the ball back any quicker than you have to.”
Building depth—With a 31-3 halftime lead against Luther Saturday, McMartin got to look over some of the reserve talent his team will need this week and down the stretch.
“For all the guys who got in, it was a good opportunity to get experience,” he said. “I thought they showed good improvement. We were able to play a lot of running backs and quarterbacks. They all went out and performed well.”
Developing the Dutch running game has been a priority and McMartin said he’s seeing progress. Central rushed for 183 yards Saturday.
“We saw some good runs,” McMartin said. “I thought we blocked things well. We definitely took another step forward.”
Meanwhile the Dutch limited Luther to just 226 yards of offense—121 of which came on two plays.
“The defense did a really good job of stopping the run, being disciplined and flying to the football,” McMartin said. “It’s the same thing we need to do this week. We need to pursue well, get to the ball when it’s in the air and find ways to pressure them.”
Three Central quarterbacks attempted passes. Riley Gray (junior, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) completed 9-of-14 for 141 yards and two touchdowns while freshman Nate Boland (Iowa City, West HS) connected on 5-of-8 for 73 yards and Kohle Helle (sophomore, Guttenberg, Clayton Ridge HS) completed 6-of-7 for 30 yards with one interception.
“We threw the ball better,” McMartin said. “We were on target and very improved from the week before. Accuracy is important.”
Dutch numbers—Central leads the league in scoring defense (13.8 points allowed per game) and stands second in scoring offense (33.0 points). The Dutch are also tops in pass efficiency rating (145.6) and pass defense efficiency (27.0) while leading in punt return yardage (8.4 yards) and interceptions (10).
Nationally, Central is second in Division III in fewest penalties per game (2.8), seventh in turnover margin (plus 2.0 per game) and ninth in kickoff returns (27.0 yards).
Junior free safety Zach Matter (Ankeny) is first in the conference in interceptions with four, including two Saturday. He’s tied for ninth in Division III.
“Zach has really improved from when he was starting the season and from his freshman year,” McMartin said. “He’s become very dependable for us and I’d like to see him continue to improve.”
Notes—At the season midpoint, wide receiver Sam Markham (sophomore, Atlantic) needs just 10 more catches to move into the top 10 for career pass receptions, and 91 yards to make the career receiving yards chart. He has 87 receptions for 1,108 yards, including 35 catches for 458 yards and two touchdowns in 2015…Freshman running back Pat Gray (West Des Moines, Waukee HS) has taken over the team rushing lead with 214 yards on 36 carries with two touchdowns. Riley Gray is the top passer, completing 63-of-107 for 816 yards with two interceptions and seven touchdowns…Linebacker Jessie Peterson (junior, Coralville, Iowa City West HS) leads the team in tackles with 43, including a team-high 28 solos.
Story Provided by Larry Happel
