WAVERLY, Iowa - The Wartburg football team opens American Rivers Conference competition at rival Luther College this Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
WARTBURG (2-0, 0-0 A-R-C) AT LUTHER COLLEGE (0-2, 0-0 A-R-C)
Date: Sept. 14, 2019
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Decorah, Iowa // Legacy Field in Carlson Stadium
Series: Wartburg leads 45-30-1
Radio: KWAY Country AM 1470 FM 96.3 // Matt Ray (Play by Play), Terry Goetzinger (Color)
THE SERIES
Saturday's game marks the 77th meeting between Wartburg and Luther, with the Knights holding a 45-30-1 series advantage. The Orange and Black prevailed 43-7 over the Norse last season during senior day at Walston-Hoover Stadium.
LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1
Date Home/Away Result
11/3/18 H W, 43-7
10/21/17 A W, 41-16
11/5/16 H L, 27-28 (OT)
10/24/15 A W, 47-7
10/25/14 H W, 52-7
10/19/13 A W, 24-21
10/13/12 H W, 24-10
11/12/11 A W, 24-21
10/30/10 H W, 24-18
10/31/09 A W, 24-9
LAST TIME OUT
The Knights improved to 2-0 overall with a 38-9 victory over Monmouth College last Saturday to remain undefeated in home-opening night games (12-0) in the Walston-Hoover Stadium era (since 2001).
A strong second quarter from Wartburg allowed for a 24-7 halftime lead, followed by a weather delay to start the second half due to lightning in the area. A Kain Eagle 28-yard field goal was the sole scoring play for both teams in the first quarter, while the Knights tallied 21 points in the second frame.
JoJo McNair's first touchdown reception of the year, a 54-yard pass from Jace Moore resulted in the eventual game-winning play. Monmouth answered with its sole touchdown of the game, a 42-yard reception.
While the Scots out-rushed the Knights 168-109, Wartburg held a 232-124 advantage in passing yards and capitalized defensively. Sam Joerger's first career interception was returned 25 yards for his first collegiate touchdown, and the Knights' second interception return for a score on the year, as Cedric Dobbins brought a pick to the house in the season opener at Greenville.
Wartburg added three more rushing touchdowns, as the Orange and Black rushing unit evenly spread out its scoring numbers with Bennett Goettsch, Mason Carter, and Connor Bailey each finding the end zone from within 10 yards out.
Moore and Noah Dodd shared time under center for the second-straight week, with Moore passing for 136 yards and 96 from Dodd. McNair led the receiving core with five catches for 98 yards along with the touchdown. Kolin Schulte added four catches for 56 yards. Antonio Santillan led the Wartburg defense with 10 tackles (9 solo).
WARTBURG
- Wartburg is unbeaten in its previous six conference openers, including a 63-0 win over Buena Vista during last year's A-R-C opener.
- Through the first two weeks, Wartburg ranks first in A-R-C scoring offense and defense with an average of 49 points per game and 15 points against.
- Kolin Schulte leads the receiving core with 12 catches for 215 yards, including four scores in the season opener at Greenville.
- Collectively, four Knights have combined for six rushing scores, with Connor Bailey leading the way with three.
- Noah Dodd and Jace Moore have shared time at quarterback, each with over 200 passing yards.
- Eli Barrett leads the A-R-C with 24 total tackles, including a career-high 10 solo tackles at Greenville.
LUTHER
- Luther was handed a 33-20 loss versus St. Olaf College in its home opener last Saturday to drop its record to 0-2 overall.
- The Norse opened their season with a a 38-26 loss at Whittier College in Whittier, Calif.
- Luther's rushing attack ranks atop of the A-R-C with an average of 200.5 rushing yards per game.
- Sophomore quarterback Parker Kizer leads the Luther offense with 199 rushing yards and 83 passing yards, leading the A-R-C with three rushing touchdowns.
- Sophomore linebacker Bryce Neuse leads the Norse defense with 17 total tackles, two tackles for loss.
