Mustangs keep galloping
M'side football guns for fifth straight trip to playoffs
By Terry Hersom, Journal sports editor | Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008
Morningside College head football coach Steve Ryan talks to his players during drills Wednesday at Olsen Stadium. (Staff photo by Jerry Mennenga)
Don't bother snooping around for the bugs in this Morningside College football team..
Steve Ryan might be able to think of a few, but they're not that apparent to the naked eye as the Mustangs embark on a quest for a fifth consecutive trip to the NAIA playoffs.
Offense, defense and special teams, Morningside is loaded with talent and experience.
And, in perhaps the two areas where problems might have seemed most likely to surface, Ryan and his staff now appear to have a couple of the team's stronger departments.
Defensive line? Even though junior Travis Uleman is the only holdover starter, the seventh-year head coach thinks "this could be our best D-line ever.''
That's because juniors Vernon Moore and Matt Niles, who both took a couple years off from football, project well into the mix. So do classmate Ben Haugen and freshman newcomer John Kirwan, a former East High all-stater who redshirted last year at South Dakota State.
"We thought this was going to be a concern, but right now we think it could be as good as it's ever been,'' said Ryan.
Niles, a 6-2, 290-pounder, played at Bishop Heelan, while Moore is a 6-foot, 250-pounder from Houston.
Morningside's four consecutive playoff teams have all feasted on a ball-control passing game, so the Mustangs haven't spent much time pounding it out on the ground.
Even so, Ryan has never had so much depth at running back as he does with veteran starters Pete Lewis and Tyler Childress joined by Joe Don Hunter and transfers Quentin Hodges and Jake Peterson.
Lewis, a junior, rushed for a team-leading 599 yards last fall and Childress, a senior, already owns Morningside's career record for touchdowns with 24. Still, the frontrunner appears to be Hunter, a former Northwest Missouri State transfer from Council Bluffs who saw limited action due to injuries last fall.
Peterson, a senior from Armstrong, Iowa, who played two seasons at Iowa Central in Fort Dodge, is giving Hunter a strong run for his money, as is Hodges, a senior from Lincoln who rushed for 977 yards three seasons ago at Hastings, one of Morningside's Great Plains Athletic Conference rivals.
The Mustangs have once again been picked second behind defending champion Sioux Falls in what is now a 12-team GPAC race, adding a new program at Dordt. However, there are many who think they can dethrone the Cougars with senior quarterback Ian Gilworth and a talented corps of veteran receivers stretching out opposing defenses.
Gilworth completed 283 of 432 passes last season, a school-record 65.5 percent, netting 3,623 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Returning are his top three receivers, all with over 50 catches a year ago.
Miami native Antuan Bloom, also a senior, is the big playmaker and a returning All-American, hauling in 93 passes for 1,231 yards and 14 scores last season.
Junior wideout Beau Kildow added 65 catches for 864 yards and Blake Anderson, a 6-4, 230-pound senior, hauled in 52 for 599.
"A year of experience is huge,'' said Gilworth. "It's just an advantage over everybody, really.''
"This year it's just going to be about being comfortable,'' adds Bloom. "Last year, it was new, Ian and me. Now, we're in a comfort zone, so it should be a lot easier.''
Gilworth expects to cut down on the 17 passes he had intercepted a year ago, anticipating excellent protection from a line that returns seniors Pat Dempsey and Cody Fisher along with junior Andy Scott.
And, as explosive as the offense promises to be, the defense has high expectations, too, with eight returning starters.
The Mustangs are loaded at linebacker with six players who've all had substantial experience -- senior Willie Mech, juniors Brett Nickolite, Eric Damon, Justin Taylor and Ben Loberg, along with sophomore Marshall Tuttle.
Although the secondary loses All-American Chad Hustedt, everyone else is back.
"We're really focusing on just being relentless to the ball,'' said junior Mike Buckley, who returns along with seniors Ryan Oetken and Aaron Klein.
"Any mistakes we might make, just going fast and hard to the ball usually makes up for that,'' said Buckley, who matched Hustedt's team-leading seven interceptions last season.
The Mustangs also return kicker C.J. Gradoville, whose 12 field goals in 18 tries were a single-season school record, and punter Nathan Yosten. Gradoville didn't miss in 55 PAT attempts.
Dakota Wesleyan is Morningside's opening assignment a week from Saturday (Sept. 6) in a 7 p.m. matchup at Olsen Stadium.
The addition of Dordt to the football race means GPAC teams won't face all 11 of their conference grid rivals every season. The missing foe on the Mustangs' slate is Nebraska Wesleyan, which dealt Ryan's team a shocking early season loss a year ago.
Morningside rebounded from a 2-2 start to win seven in a row before dropping a 27-16 national quarterfinal to eventual champion Carroll (Mont.). In fact, aside from Nebraska Wesleyan, both of Morningside's losses in a 9-3 campaign were close battles with the NAIA's two title game foes as the Mustangs also lost 34-28 to runner-up Sioux Falls.
Steve Ryan might be able to think of a few, but they're not that apparent to the naked eye as the Mustangs embark on a quest for a fifth consecutive trip to the NAIA playoffs.
Offense, defense and special teams, Morningside is loaded with talent and experience.
And, in perhaps the two areas where problems might have seemed most likely to surface, Ryan and his staff now appear to have a couple of the team's stronger departments.
Defensive line? Even though junior Travis Uleman is the only holdover starter, the seventh-year head coach thinks "this could be our best D-line ever.''
That's because juniors Vernon Moore and Matt Niles, who both took a couple years off from football, project well into the mix. So do classmate Ben Haugen and freshman newcomer John Kirwan, a former East High all-stater who redshirted last year at South Dakota State.
"We thought this was going to be a concern, but right now we think it could be as good as it's ever been,'' said Ryan.
Niles, a 6-2, 290-pounder, played at Bishop Heelan, while Moore is a 6-foot, 250-pounder from Houston.
Morningside's four consecutive playoff teams have all feasted on a ball-control passing game, so the Mustangs haven't spent much time pounding it out on the ground.
Even so, Ryan has never had so much depth at running back as he does with veteran starters Pete Lewis and Tyler Childress joined by Joe Don Hunter and transfers Quentin Hodges and Jake Peterson.
Lewis, a junior, rushed for a team-leading 599 yards last fall and Childress, a senior, already owns Morningside's career record for touchdowns with 24. Still, the frontrunner appears to be Hunter, a former Northwest Missouri State transfer from Council Bluffs who saw limited action due to injuries last fall.
Peterson, a senior from Armstrong, Iowa, who played two seasons at Iowa Central in Fort Dodge, is giving Hunter a strong run for his money, as is Hodges, a senior from Lincoln who rushed for 977 yards three seasons ago at Hastings, one of Morningside's Great Plains Athletic Conference rivals.
The Mustangs have once again been picked second behind defending champion Sioux Falls in what is now a 12-team GPAC race, adding a new program at Dordt. However, there are many who think they can dethrone the Cougars with senior quarterback Ian Gilworth and a talented corps of veteran receivers stretching out opposing defenses.
Gilworth completed 283 of 432 passes last season, a school-record 65.5 percent, netting 3,623 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Returning are his top three receivers, all with over 50 catches a year ago.
Miami native Antuan Bloom, also a senior, is the big playmaker and a returning All-American, hauling in 93 passes for 1,231 yards and 14 scores last season.
Junior wideout Beau Kildow added 65 catches for 864 yards and Blake Anderson, a 6-4, 230-pound senior, hauled in 52 for 599.
"A year of experience is huge,'' said Gilworth. "It's just an advantage over everybody, really.''
"This year it's just going to be about being comfortable,'' adds Bloom. "Last year, it was new, Ian and me. Now, we're in a comfort zone, so it should be a lot easier.''
Gilworth expects to cut down on the 17 passes he had intercepted a year ago, anticipating excellent protection from a line that returns seniors Pat Dempsey and Cody Fisher along with junior Andy Scott.
And, as explosive as the offense promises to be, the defense has high expectations, too, with eight returning starters.
The Mustangs are loaded at linebacker with six players who've all had substantial experience -- senior Willie Mech, juniors Brett Nickolite, Eric Damon, Justin Taylor and Ben Loberg, along with sophomore Marshall Tuttle.
Although the secondary loses All-American Chad Hustedt, everyone else is back.
"We're really focusing on just being relentless to the ball,'' said junior Mike Buckley, who returns along with seniors Ryan Oetken and Aaron Klein.
"Any mistakes we might make, just going fast and hard to the ball usually makes up for that,'' said Buckley, who matched Hustedt's team-leading seven interceptions last season.
The Mustangs also return kicker C.J. Gradoville, whose 12 field goals in 18 tries were a single-season school record, and punter Nathan Yosten. Gradoville didn't miss in 55 PAT attempts.
Dakota Wesleyan is Morningside's opening assignment a week from Saturday (Sept. 6) in a 7 p.m. matchup at Olsen Stadium.
The addition of Dordt to the football race means GPAC teams won't face all 11 of their conference grid rivals every season. The missing foe on the Mustangs' slate is Nebraska Wesleyan, which dealt Ryan's team a shocking early season loss a year ago.
Morningside rebounded from a 2-2 start to win seven in a row before dropping a 27-16 national quarterfinal to eventual champion Carroll (Mont.). In fact, aside from Nebraska Wesleyan, both of Morningside's losses in a 9-3 campaign were close battles with the NAIA's two title game foes as the Mustangs also lost 34-28 to runner-up Sioux Falls.
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