Game Three | No. 11 Wartburg at Simpson 
Saturday, Sept. 20 | 1 p.m. | Buxton Stadium | Indianola, Iowa 
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The No. 11-ranked Wartburg College football team (2-0 overall) begins its American Rivers Conference slate with a road trip to take on Simpson College at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20, inside Buxton Stadium. 

Simpson (1-1 overall) is coming off a 45-7 road win over Crown (Minn.) after falling in its opener to Augustana (Ill.), 42-41. 
 
SERIES INFO 
Dating back to Oct. 7, 1944, Wartburg has controlled the all-time series with Simpson, holding a 50-27-2 advantage. The Knights have won five straight meetings, outscoring the Storm 274-68 in those contests. Simpson's last win in the series came Sept. 29, 2018 (37-36). 

In 2023 at Buxton Stadium, Wartburg rolled to a 63-0 shutout. Last fall at Walston-Hoover Stadium, the Knights claimed a 46-21 victory. 
 
LAST 10 MATCHUPS VS SIMPSON 

• Nov. 8, 2014 at Simpson (W, 41-10) 
• Nov. 7, 2015 vs. Simpson (W, 51-45) 
• Oct. 15, 2016 vs. Simpson (W, 20-6) 
• Sept. 16, 2017 at Simpson (W, 40-31) 
• Sept. 29, 2018 vs. Simpson (L, 37-36) 
• Oct. 19, 2019 at Simpson (W, 29-15) 
• Nov. 13, 2021 at Simpson (W, 55-23) 
• Sept. 10, 2022 SIMPSON (W, 81-9) 
• Sept. 23, 2023 at Simpson (W, 63-0) 
• Oct. 19, 2024 SIMPSON (W, 46-21) 

 
WARTBURG 
Running back Dawson Rud leads the ground attack with 165 rushing yards and one score (76.5 ypg), followed by quarterback Leo Dodd, who has added 97 yards (34.5 ypg). Through the air, Dodd has thrown for 404 yards (202 per game) with three touchdowns and a 58.6% completion rate. Jagger Schmitt paces the receiving corps with 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Justis Bachman (94) and Dylan Swanstrom (68) each have eight catches. 

Defensively, Wartburg ranks among the nation's best. The Knights held UW-Stout to just 115 yards — the Blue Devils' lowest output in over a decade. Keenan Tyler leads the team with 19 tackles (11 solo), two TFLs, a sack, and a PBU. He's joined in double-digit tackles by Mac Watts (14), Conner Grover (12), and Jason O'Boye (11). 

As a unit, Wartburg leads Division III in third-down defense (.043) and shares the national lead with six interceptions. The Knights also allow just 48.5 rushing yards per game, ranking No. 1 in the A-R-C and No. 27 nationally. Their seven total turnovers forced rank first in the conference and seventh in the country. 
 
ABOUT THE STORM 
Simpson enters week three at 1-1, averaging 349 yards per game (227.5 passing, 121.5 rushing). The Storm bounced back in week two with a decisive 45-7 win over Crown (Minn.) following a narrow 42-41 loss to Augustana (Ill.) in its opener. 
 
WINTER ON THE ROAD 
Head coach Chris Winter holds a 19-5 career record in true road games. His last road loss came Sept. 14, 2024, at then-No. 12 Saint John's (35-13). 
 
WINTER'S HEAVY FLURRY IN WINS 
Winter has guided Wartburg to a 45-7 record, including a 10-2 finish last fall with an 8-0 A-R-C mark to secure another league title. The Knights have now won 26 straight conference contests. 
 
32 STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS 
Wartburg looks to extend its streak of winning seasons to 33. Over the past nine years, the Knights have compiled an 89-18 record. 
 
A-R-C DOMINANCE 
Wartburg is seeking to become the first program since Central (1964–1967) to capture four straight A-R-C championships. 
 
PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS 

RUSHIN' RUD  
Junior RB Dawson Rud recorded his sixth career 100-yard game with 117 all-purpose yards (109 rushing, eight receiving) against Monmouth. 

DUAL-THREAT DODD  
QB Leo Dodd ranks top six in the A-R-C in completion percentage (58.6), completions per game (17), and passing efficiency (127.3). He has also added 97 rushing yards. 

BACHMAN BREAKOUT  
 WR Justis Bachman set career highs with five catches for 57 yards vs. Monmouth. 

TACKLIN' TYLER  
LB Keenan Tyler earned A-R-C Defensive Player of the Week honors with 19 tackles, a sack, TFL, and a PBU in the UW-Stout win.
 
ROOSE RACKS UP TURNOVERS  
DB Sam Roose was named A-R-C Defensive Player of the Week and to the D3football.com Team of the Week after tallying two INTs, a fumble recovery, and four tackles vs. UW-Stout. 

O'BOYE IS RIGHT 
 LB Jason O'Boye notched a career-best nine tackles and his first career INT vs. Monmouth. 
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS 
Wartburg slipped one spot to No. 11 in the latest AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll despite opening with wins over Monmouth and UW-Stout. The Knights have now appeared in the Top 25 for 36 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 19, 2022, and have been a preseason top-10 program for three consecutive years. 
 
2023 – No. 5 
2024 – No. 4 
2025 – No. 9 

 
AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll – Presented by Hudl 

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

PRESEASON CONFERENCE RECOGNITION 
Both Wartburg and Monmouth were picked to win their respective leagues in the preseason coaches' polls. The Knights tallied 61 points and five first-place votes in the ARC poll, while Monmouth earned 78 points and six first-place votes in the MWC. 

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