No. 4 M'side goes to 7-0 in 38-7 romp
By Terry Hersomthersom@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Sunday, October 26, 2008
Midland Lutheran's Terence Maahs fumbles as he's hit by Morningside's Justin Taylor Saturday at Olsen Stadium. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
After four blowout wins in a row, Steve Ryan wanted to make sure his Morningside College football team didn't take visiting Midland Lutheran lightly.
The Mustangs certainly didn't, either, jumping out to a 28-0 lead just over five minutes into the second quarter Saturday afternoon at Olsen Stadium, then coasting home to a 38-7 Great Plains Athletic Conference triumph.
Blake Anderson hauled in three touchdown passes and had seven receptions for 124 yards as fourth-ranked (NAIA) Morningside improved to 7-0.
The Mustangs, who play all 10 of their regular season games against GPAC foes, also got 133 yards rushing on 18 attempts by Joe Don Hunter, who ran for one score and also hauled in the last of Ian Gilworth's four TD passes on the day.
"This is the best Morningside team I've seen in the last four years,'' said Midland Lutheran Coach Casey Thiele, whose team is deemed fourth or fifth best in a 12-team GPAC race that boasts three of the top 10 squads in the latest NAIA national rankings.
Morningside has overwhelmed five straight foes by a 270-27 margin since a 26-21 win Sept. 13 at Northwestern, ranked No. 10 in the latest poll, and now appears to have clear sailing to a regular season finale Nov. 15 at second-ranked Sioux Falls.
The Mustangs visit Doane (2-5, 3-5 overall) on Saturday, then host Briar Cliff (1-6, 1-7) in two weeks before the clash with USF.
"We'll just approach the next two games the same as all the others,'' said Ryan, who has led Morningside to national playoff appearances the last four seasons in a row. "We're 7-and-0. If we want to be 8-and-0, we've got to prepare and get better.''
Two early Midland Lutheran turnovers helped Morningside punch home four touchdowns before the game was barely 20 minutes old. After that, Ryan played things fairly close to the vest, devoting more time to a running game that has made steady progress all season.
"Their running game is so much better than it has been,'' said Midland's Thiele. "Our guys had to overcompensate to stop the run because their play-action pass is just as good as it has been.''
"We emphasized the running game since the start of the season, we wanted to run the ball this year,'' said Hunter, a 6-foot, 215-pound junior who spent a year at Northwest Missouri State after a strong prep career at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln.
"I think this is the first time Joe Don's really been healthy this year,'' said Ryan, reflecting on his team's top single-game rushing total this season. "He really played well.''
Early on, though, it was the pinpoint passing of Gilworth that put Midland Lutheran on its heels. Anderson's touchdown grabs, giving him a team-leading nine on the season, came on an 11-yard play and a pair of 17-yarders. He's also the pacesetter in receptions (41) and yards (584) for a receiving corps that boasts returning All-American Antuan Bloom.
"My main goal is to win games,'' said Anderson, a 6-4, 230-pound senior from Randolph, Neb. "I think a lot of what Beau (Kildow) and I have been able to do has come from teams trying to take the deep routes away from Antuan, which opens up some things Beau and I can do underneath.''
With his team on top 28-7, Hunter carried the ball for the first seven plays of the second half. The first six netted 61 yards, marching the Mustangs to the Midland 7-yard line. However, the monotonous series finally ended in a three-yard loss and Morningside eventually had to settle for a field goal.
Later, the winners drove from their 20 to Midland's 2-yard line, getting 64 yards on three pass plays, but the visitors stopped three straight running plays and then a fourth-down pass attempt to foil another scoring chance.
However, Hunter had all 79 yards as Morningside came up with its only second-half touchdown, carrying six straight times for 56 yards before turning a screen pass into a 23-yard scoring play with 5:04 left in the contest.
M'side 38, Midland 7
Midland Lutheran 0 7 0 0 7
Morningside 14 14 3 7 38
First Quarter
Morn: Blake Anderson 11 pass from Ian Gilworth (C.J. Gradoville kick) 9:19
Morn: Anderson 17 pass from Gilworth (Gradoville kick) 7:18
Second Quarter
Morn: Joe Don Hunter 8 run (Gradoville kick) 14:54
Morn: Anderson 17 pass from Gilworth (Gradoville kick) 9:49
ML: Zach Hood 7 pass from Terence Maahs (Paul Maielua kick) 3:19
Third Quarter
Morn: FG Gradoville 27, 10:22
Fourth Quarter
Morn: Hunter 23 pass from Gilworth (Gradoville kick) 5:04
TEAM STATISTICS
ML Morn
First Downs 16 23
Rushes-yards 47-171 43-209
Passing yards 93 256
Passes 11-21-1 18-28-1
Total plays-yards 68-264 71-465
Punts-Avg 7-28.0 4-37.8
Fumbles-lost 2-2 0-0
Penalties-yards 3-25 6-56
3rd Down Conversions 4-15 5-13
Possession time 28:41 31:19
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Midland Lutheran Eric Hart 16-88, Brandon Brooks 12-39, Terence Maahs 8-21, Chad Heater 2-8, Bryan Khan 3-6, Jinho Tohara 4-6, Zane Starks 1-3, Khalid Waters 1-0. Morningside Joe Don Hunter 18-133, Jake Peterson 15-64, Tyler Childress 4-8, Beau Kildow 1-5, Ian Gilworth 3-(-6).
PASSING: Midland Lutheran Terenca Maahs 11-21-193. Morningside Ian Gilworth 18-28-1256.
RECEIVING: Midland Lutheran Jinho Tohara 3-42, Zach Hood 3-20, Geoff Buchta 2-26, Eric Hart 2-1, Shane Weitzel 1-4. Morningside Blake Anderson 7-124, Antuan Bloom 5-63, Beau Kildow 3-27, Joe Don Hunter 2-28, Chad Buchholz 1-14.
TACKLES
Solo-Assists-Total
MIDLAND LUTHERAN: Brian Hanson 5-1116, Kyle Dinslage 2-1012, Eric Frenze 2-57, Branden Brown 5-16, Frank Martinez 1-56, Chris Buttefield 3-25, Kenny Boatright 1-45, Reed Manstedt 1-34, Andrew Glause 1-34, Chris Luly 2-13, Dustin Schiele 2-13, Luke Coufal 0-33.
MORNINGSIDE: Brett Nickolite 4-711, Aaron Klein 3-710, Ryan Oetken 4-59, Marshall Tuttle 2-79, Vernon Moore 2-68, Ben Loberg 6-17, Justin Taylor 5-27, Travis Uleman 3-25, Mike Buckley 3-25, Brice Buryanek 2-35, John Kirwan 0-44.
The Mustangs certainly didn't, either, jumping out to a 28-0 lead just over five minutes into the second quarter Saturday afternoon at Olsen Stadium, then coasting home to a 38-7 Great Plains Athletic Conference triumph.
Blake Anderson hauled in three touchdown passes and had seven receptions for 124 yards as fourth-ranked (NAIA) Morningside improved to 7-0.
The Mustangs, who play all 10 of their regular season games against GPAC foes, also got 133 yards rushing on 18 attempts by Joe Don Hunter, who ran for one score and also hauled in the last of Ian Gilworth's four TD passes on the day.
"This is the best Morningside team I've seen in the last four years,'' said Midland Lutheran Coach Casey Thiele, whose team is deemed fourth or fifth best in a 12-team GPAC race that boasts three of the top 10 squads in the latest NAIA national rankings.
Morningside has overwhelmed five straight foes by a 270-27 margin since a 26-21 win Sept. 13 at Northwestern, ranked No. 10 in the latest poll, and now appears to have clear sailing to a regular season finale Nov. 15 at second-ranked Sioux Falls.
The Mustangs visit Doane (2-5, 3-5 overall) on Saturday, then host Briar Cliff (1-6, 1-7) in two weeks before the clash with USF.
"We'll just approach the next two games the same as all the others,'' said Ryan, who has led Morningside to national playoff appearances the last four seasons in a row. "We're 7-and-0. If we want to be 8-and-0, we've got to prepare and get better.''
Two early Midland Lutheran turnovers helped Morningside punch home four touchdowns before the game was barely 20 minutes old. After that, Ryan played things fairly close to the vest, devoting more time to a running game that has made steady progress all season.
"Their running game is so much better than it has been,'' said Midland's Thiele. "Our guys had to overcompensate to stop the run because their play-action pass is just as good as it has been.''
"We emphasized the running game since the start of the season, we wanted to run the ball this year,'' said Hunter, a 6-foot, 215-pound junior who spent a year at Northwest Missouri State after a strong prep career at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln.
"I think this is the first time Joe Don's really been healthy this year,'' said Ryan, reflecting on his team's top single-game rushing total this season. "He really played well.''
Early on, though, it was the pinpoint passing of Gilworth that put Midland Lutheran on its heels. Anderson's touchdown grabs, giving him a team-leading nine on the season, came on an 11-yard play and a pair of 17-yarders. He's also the pacesetter in receptions (41) and yards (584) for a receiving corps that boasts returning All-American Antuan Bloom.
"My main goal is to win games,'' said Anderson, a 6-4, 230-pound senior from Randolph, Neb. "I think a lot of what Beau (Kildow) and I have been able to do has come from teams trying to take the deep routes away from Antuan, which opens up some things Beau and I can do underneath.''
With his team on top 28-7, Hunter carried the ball for the first seven plays of the second half. The first six netted 61 yards, marching the Mustangs to the Midland 7-yard line. However, the monotonous series finally ended in a three-yard loss and Morningside eventually had to settle for a field goal.
Later, the winners drove from their 20 to Midland's 2-yard line, getting 64 yards on three pass plays, but the visitors stopped three straight running plays and then a fourth-down pass attempt to foil another scoring chance.
However, Hunter had all 79 yards as Morningside came up with its only second-half touchdown, carrying six straight times for 56 yards before turning a screen pass into a 23-yard scoring play with 5:04 left in the contest.
M'side 38, Midland 7
Midland Lutheran 0 7 0 0 7
Morningside 14 14 3 7 38
First Quarter
Morn: Blake Anderson 11 pass from Ian Gilworth (C.J. Gradoville kick) 9:19
Morn: Anderson 17 pass from Gilworth (Gradoville kick) 7:18
Second Quarter
Morn: Joe Don Hunter 8 run (Gradoville kick) 14:54
Morn: Anderson 17 pass from Gilworth (Gradoville kick) 9:49
ML: Zach Hood 7 pass from Terence Maahs (Paul Maielua kick) 3:19
Third Quarter
Morn: FG Gradoville 27, 10:22
Fourth Quarter
Morn: Hunter 23 pass from Gilworth (Gradoville kick) 5:04
TEAM STATISTICS
ML Morn
First Downs 16 23
Rushes-yards 47-171 43-209
Passing yards 93 256
Passes 11-21-1 18-28-1
Total plays-yards 68-264 71-465
Punts-Avg 7-28.0 4-37.8
Fumbles-lost 2-2 0-0
Penalties-yards 3-25 6-56
3rd Down Conversions 4-15 5-13
Possession time 28:41 31:19
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Midland Lutheran Eric Hart 16-88, Brandon Brooks 12-39, Terence Maahs 8-21, Chad Heater 2-8, Bryan Khan 3-6, Jinho Tohara 4-6, Zane Starks 1-3, Khalid Waters 1-0. Morningside Joe Don Hunter 18-133, Jake Peterson 15-64, Tyler Childress 4-8, Beau Kildow 1-5, Ian Gilworth 3-(-6).
PASSING: Midland Lutheran Terenca Maahs 11-21-193. Morningside Ian Gilworth 18-28-1256.
RECEIVING: Midland Lutheran Jinho Tohara 3-42, Zach Hood 3-20, Geoff Buchta 2-26, Eric Hart 2-1, Shane Weitzel 1-4. Morningside Blake Anderson 7-124, Antuan Bloom 5-63, Beau Kildow 3-27, Joe Don Hunter 2-28, Chad Buchholz 1-14.
TACKLES
Solo-Assists-Total
MIDLAND LUTHERAN: Brian Hanson 5-1116, Kyle Dinslage 2-1012, Eric Frenze 2-57, Branden Brown 5-16, Frank Martinez 1-56, Chris Buttefield 3-25, Kenny Boatright 1-45, Reed Manstedt 1-34, Andrew Glause 1-34, Chris Luly 2-13, Dustin Schiele 2-13, Luke Coufal 0-33.
MORNINGSIDE: Brett Nickolite 4-711, Aaron Klein 3-710, Ryan Oetken 4-59, Marshall Tuttle 2-79, Vernon Moore 2-68, Ben Loberg 6-17, Justin Taylor 5-27, Travis Uleman 3-25, Mike Buckley 3-25, Brice Buryanek 2-35, John Kirwan 0-44.
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