GAME SEVEN | No. 8 Wartburg at Loras
1 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 18 | Rock Bowl | Dubuque, Iowa 
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The No. 8-ranked Wartburg College football team (6-0, 4-0 A-R-C) hits the road this weekend, traveling to Dubuque, Iowa, to take on Loras College (1-4, 1-2 A-R-C) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Rock Bowl. 

Loras enters the matchup fresh off its first victory of the season—a walk-off field goal win over Nebraska Wesleyan last weekend in Lincoln, Neb. 
 
KNIGHTS 
Record: 6-0, 4-0 A-R-C 
Last Game: vs Dubuque (W, 33-7) 
Rankings: D3football - No.8 /AFCA - No. 8 
Head Coach: Chris Winter (5th Season) | 49-7 overall 
All-time vs. Loras: 33-9 overall 
 
DUHAWKS 
Record: 1-4, 1-2 A-R-C 
Last Game: vs Nebraska Wesleyan (W, 31-28) 
Rankings: N/A 
Head Coach: Steve Helminiak (13th Season) | 41-76 overall 
 

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SERIES INFO 
The two teams' all-time history dates back to 1950, yet Wartburg boasts a 19-game winning streak over Loras. The last time the Knights dropped a contest to the Duhawks was back on Oct. 9, 2004 (L, 31-14). Wartburg last traveled to the Rock Bowl in 2023, resulting in a 56-7 triumph.  
  
Last 20 Matchups vs. Loras 

• Oct. 9, 2004 vs. Loras (L, 31-14) 
•  Oct. 22, 2005 at Loras (W, 14-10) 
• Oct. 14, 2006 vs. Loras (W, 19-14) 
• Oct. 13, 2007 at Loras (W, 13-7) 
• Oct. 18, 2008 vs. Loras (W, 35-7) 
• Sept. 26, 2009 at Loras (W, 28-9) 
• Sept. 25, 2010 vs. Loras (W, 34-0) 
• Nov. 5, 2011 at Loras (W, 23-14) 
• Nov. 10, 2012 vs. Loras (W, 55-7) 
• Nov. 16, 2013 at Loras (W, 59 - 3) 
• Nov. 15, 2014 vs. Loras (W, 81-21) 
• Nov. 14, 2015 at Loras W 49-34) 
• Oct. 8, 2016 vs. Loras (W, 38-30) 
• Oct. 14, 2017 vs. Loras (W, 42-11) 
• Oct 27, 2018 at Loras (W, 56-14) 
•  Nov 16, 2019 LORAS (W, 48-7) 
• Oct 9, 2021 LORAS (W, 58-21) 
• Oct 1, 2022 LORAS (W, 42-3) 
• Oct 21, 2023 at Loras (W, 56-7) 
• Nov 16, 2024 LORAS (W, 69-14) 

 

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WARTBURG 
Running back Joey Anderson continues to set the tone for the Knights' offense, leading the charge with 436 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 78 carries—averaging 73.2 yards per game. He's complemented by Dawson Rud with 375 yards and Carson Bruns with 105, as Wartburg's backfield has combined for nine rushing touchdowns this season. 

Quarterback Leo Dodd returned to the starting role after an injury and has thrown for 718 yards and four touchdowns, completing 60.2% of his passes. Fellow signal-caller Josh Papesh has added 354 passing yards and a 64.8% completion rate on 35 completions. 

In the receiving game, Jagger Schmitt leads the team with 266 yards, 16 receptions, and three touchdowns. Justis Bachman follows with 17 catches for 241 yards, while Dylan Swanstrom adds 23 receptions for 224 yards. The Knights' offense averages 25.0 points per game, totaling 369.0 yards per outing (187.2 passing, 182.7 rushing) at 5.4 yards per play. 

On the defensive side, Wartburg remains one of Division III's elite units, holding opponents to just 238.0 total yards per game—ranking 19th nationally and first in the American Rivers Conference. The Knights boast the nation's third-best run defense, allowing only 33.0 yards per game, and their ball-hawking secondary has produced 12 interceptions (third nationally, first in the A-R-C). In total, Wartburg's defense has forced 15 turnovers, the fourth-most in the nation. 

Linebacker Keenan Tyler leads the charge with 58 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and two pass breakups. Mac Watts adds 50 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and an interception, while Conner McDonald commands the line with 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. In the secondary, Sam Roose and Jason O'Boye have each tallied three interceptions. 
  
ABOUT THE DUHAWKS 
Loras enters the matchup coming off its first win of the 2025 season, rallying from a 17-point deficit to defeat Nebraska Wesleyan last Saturday. 

Senior running back Carter Cahill leads the Duhawks' ground attack with 169 yards on 76 carries, while Myles Schumacher has been the go-to option in the red zone, scoring four touchdowns and totaling 126 yards on 37 attempts. 

Quarterbacks Will Phillips and Joey Helminiak have split time under center, each appearing in four games. Phillips holds a 111.8 quarterback rating, completing 62.6% of his passes (62-of-99) for 581 yards, while Helminiak owns a 94.2 QBR with a 51.5% completion rate (53-of-103) and 502 yards through the air. 

As a team, the Duhawks average 436.0 yards of offense per game—240.6 passing and 195.4 rushing—while allowing 37.8 points per contest. 
  

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HISTORY MADE ON HOMECOMING 
The Knights have fancied a 30-game conference winning streak, which was set on Homecoming last weekend in a 33-7 win over Dubuque. Central College held a 29-game A-R-C win streak from 1983-87, before Wartburg snatched the all-time record.  
 
WINTER'S HEAVY FLURRY IN WINS 
Winter has compiled a 49-7 record at the helm, including last year's 10-2 mark with an 8-0 run through conference play. Wartburg has now strung together 30 straight league victories dating back to 2021.  
 
WINTER AND CO. ON THE ROAD 
Winter is 20-5 in true road contests, with his last road loss coming on Sept. 14, 2024, at then-No. 12 Saint John's (L, 35-13) 
  
32 STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS 
The Knights are chasing their 33rd consecutive winning season. Over the past nine years, Wartburg has gone 92-18.  
  
A-R-C DOMINANCE 
Wartburg is seeking to become the first team since Central (1964–67) to win four straight A-R-C championships.  
 
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS 
Wartburg's defensive efforts lead the A-R-C in multiple categories: 

3rd Down Conversion - .272 (No. 12 in Div. III) 
4th Down Conversion - .118 (No. 3 in Div. III) 
First Downs Allowed – 83 (No. 62 in Div. III) 
Passes Intercepted – 12 (No. 3 in Div. III) 
Red Zone Defense - .571 (No. 8 in Div. III) 
Rushing Defense – 33 ypg (No. 3 in Div. III) 
Scoring Defense – 6.2 ppg (No. 3 in Div. III) 
Total Defense – 238 ypg (No. 19 in Div. III) 
Turnovers Gained – 15 (No. 4 in Div. III) 
 

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PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS  
   
OUT OF THE BACKFIELD 
Running backs Joey Anderson and Dawson Rud have controlled the backfield this season, combining for 814 yards. Anderson averages 73.17 per game, as Rud sits at 62.50 per contest - the duo have combined for eight scores. Anderson's five rushing scores rank second in the conference.  
 
BACHMAN BREAKOUT 2.0 
 WR Justis Bachman set a new career high against Luther, hauling in five catches for 92 yards.  
 
PAIR OF 50+ TACKLERS 
Both Keenan Tyler and Mac Watts have produced 50 or more tackles so far this season. Tyler sits at 58.0, while Watts has been credited with 50.  
 
HEITHER BLOCKS AND SCORES ON SPECIAL TEAMS VS DUBUQUE 
Sam Heither was all over the field in Wartburg's homecoming win over Dubuque, recording a blocked punt, as well as snaring a touchdown pass from Justis Bachman on a fake field goal attempt.  
  
HOPPES BOOTS HISTORIC PUNT VS SIMPSON  
Jaxson Hoppes delivered a school-record breaking 84-yard punt in the second quarter in Wartburg's 27-13 win over Simpson. Hoppes' boot shatters the previous program mark of 64 yards set in 2013 and sits just shy of the Division III all-time list.   
  
NCAA Div. III Longest Punts  
Yds.         Player, Team (Opponent)                                                 Year  
95             Austin Baker, Heidelberg (John Carroll)                         2018  
91            Gunnar Rastenburg, Maranatha Baptist (Presentation)  2014  
90            Jake Baumgartner, Bluffton (Saint Vincent)                    2021  
90            Sean Lipscomb, Redlands (Pomona-Pitzer)                   2002  
90            Dan Heeren, Coe (Lawrence)                                         1974  
88            Brooks Barker, Hardin-Simmons (Howard Payne)          2021  
88            Steve Vagedes, Ohio Northern (Capital)                         1999  
86            Vicente Lyon, Hobart                                                       2024  
86            Kurtis Brondyke, Central (IA) (Loras)                              2010  
86            David Anastasi, Buffalo (John Carroll)                            1989  
86            Dana Loucks, Buffalo (Frostburg St.)                             1987  
86            John Pavlik, Wabash (Centre)                                        1978  
85            Jeff Shea, Cal Lutheran (Azusa Pacific)                         1996  
  
With Hoppes' performance, he earned his second consecutive A-R-C Player of the Week award, as well as being named to the D3football.com Team of the Week as a punter in week three.  
 

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NO. 4 IN NCAA POWER INDEX (NPI) - D3 Datacast 
The top 10 Knights appear at the No. 4 spot in the latest NCAA Division III Power Index (NPI). Within the American Rivers Conference, Wartburg is joined by Central in the top 25, who currently sits at No. 14.  

The NPI is a system that houses the division's statistical data and objectively applies the selection criteria to the data based on the sport committee's established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant). The weight of winning percentage versus strength of schedule is often referred to as one of the "dials" that a sport committee can adjust, placing any subjectivity within the criteria themselves. For example, a sport committee could set the dials to 30/70; 25/75, etc. Other "dials" a sport committee can also choose to apply are home and away multiplier, quality win bonus (QWB), and overtime win/loss weights. 

For more information on NPI, click HERE.  
 
PRESTIGIOUS TERRITORY 
Wartburg remains unbeaten in 2025, putting it as one of 66 teams across all divisions. Nine teams make up spots with 66 in Division III. The Knights are the only Division III program 6-0 on the season before its bye week after traveling to Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 1.  
 
Unbeaten Division III Teams - as of Week 6 

• North Central (5-0) 
• Mount Union (5-0) 
• Johns Hopkins (5-0) 
• UW-La Crosse (4-0) 
• Salisbury (5-0) 
• Hardin-Simmons (5-0) 
• Bethel (Minn.) (5-0) 
• Wartburg (6-0) 
• DePauw (5-0) 

  

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NATIONAL RANKINGS  
Wartburg moves up to No. 8 in the latest AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll and D3football.com. The Knights have now appeared in the Top 25 for 40 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 19, 2022, and have been a preseason top-10 program for three consecutive years.  
 
Wartburg Preseason Ranking  
2023 – No. 5  
2024 – No. 4  
2025 – No. 9  
 
Wartburg Regular Season Ranking By Week – D3football.com 
Week 1 – No. 10 
Week 2 – No. 10 
Week 3 – No. 7 
Week 4 – No. 8 
Week 5 – No. 8 
Week 6 – No. 8 
  
Wartburg Regular Season Ranking By Week - AFCA 
Week 1 - No. 9  
Week 2 – No. 10  
Week 3 – No. 11  
Week 4 – No. 9  
Week 5 - No. 9 
Week 6 – No. 8 
  
AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll – Presented by Hudl - Week 6 

1. North Central (52) 
2. Mount Union 
3. Johns Hopkins 
4. UW-La Crosse 
5. Salisbury 
6. Hardin-Simmons 
7. Bethel (Minn.) 
8. Wartburg 
9. DePauw 
10. UW-Whitewater 
11. St. John's (Minn.) 
12. UW-River Falls 
13. Central (Iowa) 
14. UW-Platteville 
15. John Carroll 
16. Christopher Newport 
17. Cortland 
18. Hope 
19. Carnegie Mellon 
20. Randolph-Macon 
21. Berry 
22. Wheaton 
23. Trinity (Tex.) 
24. UW-Oshkosk 
25. Maryville 

Dropped Out: Mary Hardin-Baylor (22), Muhlenberg (23) 
 
D3football.com Top 25 Week 5 Poll – Week 6 

1. North Central (Ill.) (23) 
2. Mount Union (2) 
3. Johns Hopkins 
4. UW-La Crosse 
5. Salisbury 
6. Bethel 
7. Hardin-Simmons 
8. Wartburg 
9. UW-Whitewater 
10. St. John's 
11. DePauw 
12. UW-River Falls 
13. UW-Platteville 
14. John Carroll 
15. Central 
16. Carnegie Mellon 
17. Christopher Newport 
18. UW-Oshkosh 
19. Hope 
20. UW-Stout 
21. Wheaton (Ill.) 
22. Berry 
23. Cortland 
24. Linfield 
25. Randolph-Macon 

Dropped Out: No. 16 Trinity, No. 22 Mary Hardin-Baylor, No. 25 Muhlenberg 
  
A-R-C STANDINGS – As of Oct. 15 
Just two teams remain undefeated in conference play – No. 8 Wartburg and No. 13/15 Central. The two teams will meet in Waverly next weekend.  
 

1. Wartburg (6-0, 4-0 A-R-C)  
2. Central (5-0, 3-0 A-R-C)  
3. Coe (4-2, 3-1 A-R-C)  
4. Dubuque (2-4, 2-2 A-R-C) 
5. Simpson (2-3, 1-2 A-R-C) 
6. Buena Vista (2-3, 1-2 A-R-C) 
7. Loras (1-4, 1-2 A-R-C) 
8. Nebraska Wesleyan (1-5, 1-3 A-R-C) 
9. Luther (0-6, 0-4 A-R-C) 

 
A-R-C PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOREES 

• Defense – Keenan Tyler (Week 1), Sam Rose (Week 2) 
• Special Teams – Jaxson Hoppes (Week 2), Jaxson Hoppes (Week 3) 

 
D3football.com TEAM OF THE WEEK MEMBERS 

• Jake Walker, DT (Week 4) 
• Jaxson Hoppes, P (Week 3) 
• Sam Roose, CB (Week 2) 

  
PRESEASON CONFERENCE RECOGNITION  
The Knights are picked to win the conference, tallying 61 points and five first-place votes in the ARC poll.  
 
2025 A-R-C Football Preseason Coaches' Poll  

1. Wartburg (5) – 61 points  
2. Central (3) – 58 points  
3. Coe (1) – 49 points  
4. Dubuque – 46 points  
5. Simpson – 35 points  
6. Nebraska Wesleyan – 27 points  
7. Loras – 24 points  
8. Buena Vista – 16 points  
9. Luther – 8 points