WAVERLY, Iowa - The No. 15/20-ranked Wartburg football team returns to Walston-Hoover Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 28 to host the University of Dubuque at 1 p.m.

WARTBURG (3-0, 1-0 A-R-C) VS. DUBUQUE (1-2, 0-1 A-R-C)
Date: Sept. 28, 2019
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Waverly, Iowa // Walston-Hoover Stadium
Series: Wartburg leads 47-29
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 Dubuque, with the Knights holding a 47-29 series advantage. Wartburg has won three consecutive matchups against the Spartans, including a 47-28 victory last season in Dubuque to capture the program's 16th conference championship. 

LAST 10 MEETINGS: 9-1

Date         Home/Away        Result
11/13/18             A             W, 47-28
10/28/17             H            W, 23-0
10/29/16             A             W, 43-35
10/17/15             A             L, 13-45
10/18/14             H            W, 42-9
10/26/13             A             W, 22-15
10/20/12             H            W, 34-31
10/8/11               A             W, 42-39
10/23/10             H            W, 55-17
10/24/09             A             W, 41-14

LAST TIME OUT
Wartburg opened American Rivers Conference competition last Saturday, Sept. 21 at rival Luther College, defeating the Norse 62-10 to improve its overall record to 3-0 on the season. The Knights racked up 603 yards of total offense, the most since Nov. 7, 2015, when Wartburg set a school record versus Simpson, accumulating 721 total yards. The Orange & Black rushed for 289 yards and tallied 314 through the air, both season-highs to earn a third consecutive victory over Luther. The win also stood as the largest margin of victory in 77 meetings between Wartburg and Luther. 

Jace Moore totaled 168 passing yards and two touchdowns while Noah Dodd was 9-for-9 with 102 yards. Mason Carter led the ground game 93 rushing yards along with Bennett Goettsch recording two rushing scores. Kolin Schulte recorded a career-high 10 catches and his second game this year with over 100 receiving yards. Eli Barrett and Antonio Santillan led the defense with eight tackles each, along with Santillan and Caleb Dodd recording interceptions.  

Wartburg jumped out to a 34-7 halftime advantage, scoring in five of six possessions while registering 332 total yards of offense. Four of five first half scores came on the ground, with Goettsch scoring twice, Dudd rushing from five yards out, and a 74-yard score from Carter. Near the end of the half, the Knights converted a fourth and goal opportunity with Matt Mulford catching a Dodd pass for his first touchdown of the year.

The Knights added 14 points in each the third and fourth quarters while limiting the Norse to just a field goal - which came during Luther's first possession of the second half. Wartburg opened the second half with a Schulte touchdown from Moore, followed by a trio of season/career first scores. 

Near the end of the third frame, Moore connected with Brandan Childs from 11 yards out for his first touchdown catch of the year. Freshman quarterback Nile McLaughlin then notched his first collegiate TD, a 16-yard reception to Jax Bryngelson - his first career TD catch. The final score of the game was Hunter Clasen's first of his career, a one-yard rush. 

IN THE POLLS
Wartburg cracked the top 25 in the latest American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com polls, coming in at No. 15 in the opening AFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 20 in week three's D3football.com rankings. 

WARTBURG

• Wartburg has won nine consecutive conference home openers dating back to 2009. Last season, the Knights hosted Buena Vista for their A-R-C home opener, winning 63-0.
• Through the first three weeks of the season, Wartburg ranks first in A-R-C scoring offense and defense with an average of 53.3 points per game and 13.3 points against.
• Senior wide receiver Kolin Schulte leads the conference with 22 receptions, good for 349 yards and five touchdowns. He tallied a career-high 10 catches at Luther. 
• Wartburg leads the A-R-C with 11 rushing touchdowns, paced by a collective effort from the Knights' running backs. Bennett Goettsch and Connor Bailey lead the team with three scores each, followed by a pair from Mason Carter. 
• The quarterback duo of Jace Moore and Noah Dodd have shared time in all three games. Moore leads with 440 passing yards and six touchdowns, while Dodd has totaled 31 completions in 36 attempts.
• Junior defensive back Eli Barrett leads the A-R-C with 32 total tackles (17 solo), including a career-high 10 solo tackles at Greenville.

DUBUQUE

• The Spartans are off to a 1-2 start and coming off a 21-14 loss versus Simpson in their conference opener. 
• Dubuque opened its season with a 42-7 loss at No. 4 Universiy of Wisconsin-Whitewater before bouncing back with a 37-26 victory over Pacific University.
• Picked to finish tied for second in the A-R-C Preseason Coaches' Poll, Dubuque went 6-2 to tie for second in the conference standings in 2018.
• Dubuque went unbeaten during road games in 2018, going 5-0.
• Eight Spartan defenders have tallied at least one sack while Dubuque is tied for the conference lead with 11 total.
• Dubuque has yet to score a rushing touchdown in three games played, recording all scores through the air. Junior quarterback Sean Duffy has tallied eight passing touchdowns and has averaged 241.3 passing yards per game.
• Senior running back Dwayne Allen Jr. ranks third in the A-R-C with 173 total rushing yards.