Game One | No. 9 Wartburg vs. Monmouth College  
Saturday, Sept. 6 | 7 p.m. (CT) | Waverly, Iowa | Walston-Hoover Stadium 
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The No. 9-ranked Wartburg College football team will kick off its 2025 season under the lights at Walston-Hoover Stadium, hosting Monmouth College on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. 
 
SERIES INFO 
Saturday's contest marks the fifth straight season Wartburg and Monmouth will meet in a season opener. The Knights own an 11-2 advantage in the all-time series, including last year's 38-24 road win. Wartburg piled up 494 yards of offense in that game and has outscored the Scots 216-78 across the last five meetings. 
 
ALL-TIME RESULTS VS. MONMOUTH 
W, 38-24 – Sept. 7, 2024 
W, 62-35 – Sept. 2, 2023 
W, 34-7 – Sept. 3, 2022 
W, 44-3 – Sept. 4, 2021 
W, 38-9 – Sept. 14, 2019 
L, 24-18 – Sept. 8, 2018 
W, 36-13 – Sept. 9, 2017 
L, 29-22 – Sept. 10, 2016 
W, 35-28 – Sept. 3, 2011 
W, 27-7 – Sept. 4, 2010 
W, 30-28 – Nov. 29, 2008 (NCAA Playoff) 
W, 35-7 – Sept. 7, 2007 
W, 20-0 – Sept. 2, 2006 
 
WARTBURG 
Junior running back Dawson Rud anchors the Knights' backfield after leading the team with 1,073 yards (94.0/game) and nine touchdowns last season, marking the third consecutive year Wartburg has featured a 1,000-yard rusher. Through the air, senior wide receiver Jagger Schmitt paced the unit with 422 yards (16.2 per catch), while Dylan Swanstrom added 320 yards. 
On defense, senior linebackers Keenan Tyler (106 tackles, 5.2 solo/game) and Mac Watts (100 tackles, 4.8 solo/game) return as leaders, while junior lineman Conner McDonald recorded a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss. 

As a unit, Wartburg was dominant in 2024, leading the ARC in defensive touchdowns (6) – tied for sixth nationally – and holding opponents to just 53.5 rushing yards per game, the top mark in the ARC and No. 4 nationally. Offensively, the Knights averaged 203.2 rushing yards (No. 2 in ARC), ranked second in third-down conversion rate (43.9%), and finished top three in both red-zone efficiency (84.3%) and scoring offense (33.3 ppg). 
The Knights return six starters on both sides of the ball, including All-ARC honorees Rud, Tyler, Watts, Jake Walker, Jaxson Hoppes, and Austin Souhrada. 
 
ABOUT THE SCOTS 
Monmouth closed the 2024 campaign with an 8-3 record and an 8-1 mark in the Midwest Conference, narrowly missing the league title following a 35-28 loss to Lake Forest late in the season. The Scots fell 20-14 to St. Norbert in the Lakefront Bowl. Monmouth has been among the MWC's most consistent programs, posting a 32-4 conference record over the last four full seasons, and is seeking its first NCAA playoff appearance since 2019. 
 
WINTER IN SEASON OPENERS 
Head coach Chris Winter enters his fifth season at the helm with a perfect 5-0 record in season openers. 
 
WINTER'S HEAVY FLURRY IN WINS 
Winter owns a 43-7 overall record and guided the Knights to a 10-2 season in 2024, including a perfect 8-0 ARC slate to secure the program's most recent conference crown. The Knights have won 26 consecutive A-R-C matchups.  
 
32 STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS 
The Wartburg football program has produced 32 straight winning season and has visions of seeking its 33rd this season. In the last nine seasons, the Knights have compiled a record of 88-18.  
 
HOMEGROWN KNIGHTS 
A total of 75% of this year's varsity and junior varsity come from any class of an Iowa High school. In Div. III, Waverly-Shell Rock has 12 players that went on to play collegiate football, all staying home with the Orange and Black (SportsGuysIowa).  
 
A-R-C DOMINANCE 
Wartburg is looking to become the first team since Central to win four-straight conference championships since 1964-1967.  
 
PRESEASON RANKED NO. 9 (AFCA) 
Wartburg enters 2025 ranked No. 9 in the nation in the AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll, released Aug. 18. The Knights have been ranked inside the AFCA Top 25 for 34 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 19, 2022 – third consecutive season ranked inside the preseason top 10.  

2023 – No. 5 
2024 – No. 4 
2025 – No. 9 
 
AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll – Presented by Hudl 

1. North Central (51) 
2. Mount Union 
3. Johns Hopkins 
4. St. John's (Minn.) 
5. Susquehanna 
6. Hardin-Simmons 
7. Salisbury 
8. Mary Hardin-Baylor 
9. Wartburg 
10. UW-La Crosse 
11. Cortland
12. Bethel (Minn.)
13. Springfield
14. UW-Platteville
15. Linfield
16. DePauw
17. Wheaton
18. Carnegie Mellon
19. UW-River Falls
20. Hope
21. Randolph-Macon
22. UW-Whitewater
23. Grove City
24. Aurora
25. John Carroll 

 
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