Game Four | No. 9 Wartburg vs (RV) Coe College 
Saturday, Sept. 27 | Walston-Hoover Stadium | Waverly, Iowa 
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS 
 
The No. 9-ranked Wartburg College football team (3-0, 1-0 A-R-C) returns to Walston-Hoover Stadium for its A-R-C home opener against (RV) Coe College (2-1, 1-0 A-R-C) on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. 

The Kohawks enter the weekend following a 62-14 rout of Nebraska Wesleyan. Four teams — Wartburg, Coe, Central, and Dubuque — all picked up wins in its conference openers last week. 

Tailgating Policies can be found HERE. 

KNIGHTS
Record: 3-0, 1-0 A-R-C
Last Game: at Simpson (W, 27-13)
Rankings: D3football - No.7 /AFCA - No. 7
Head Coach: Chris Winter (5th Season) | 46-7 overall
All-time vs. Coe: 29-13

KOHAWKS
Record: 2-1, 1-0 A-R-C
Last Game: vs Nebraska Wesleyan (W, 62-14)
Rankings: D3football - RV/AFCA - RV
Head Coach: Tyler Staker (10th Season)  | 62-26 overall
 
SERIES INFO
Wartburg leads the all-time series 29-13, dating back to 1974. The Knights have claimed nine of the last 10 meetings, with Coe's last victory coming on Oct. 1, 2016 (37-34). 

The Kohawks have not won in Waverly since 2013, when they left Walston-Hoover with a 24-10 decision. 
 
Last 10 Matchups vs. Coe 
Oct. 11, 2014 – at Coe (W, 43-0) 
Oct. 10, 2015 – vs. Coe (W, 31-14) 
Oct. 1, 2016 – at Coe (L, 37-34) 
Sept. 30, 2017 – vs. Coe (W, 34-7) 
Oct. 13, 2018 – at Coe (W, 31-19) 
Nov. 2, 2019 – Coe (W, 21-7) 
Sept. 25, 2021 – Coe (W, 28-7) 
Nov. 12, 2022 – at Coe (W, 19-14) 
Sept. 30, 2023 – Coe (W, 27-21) 
Oct. 26, 2024 – at No. 21 Coe (W, 14-7) 
 
WARTBURG
Running back Joey Anderson leads the ground game with 206 yards and two scores on 29 carries (67.3 ypg). He's followed by Dawson Rud with 165 yards and quarterback Leo Dodd, who has added 89 yards on the ground. Through the air, Dodd has thrown for 488 yards (167.7 ypg) with three touchdowns and a 56.8% completion rate. His top targets include Dylan Swanstrom (14 catches, 140 yards) and Jagger Schmitt (120 yards, two TDs). 

The Knights are averaging 21.3 points per game while limiting opponents to just 6.7. Offensively, they average 358.3 yards per outing, splitting nearly evenly between the run (190.7) and pass (167.7). 

Defensively, Wartburg has been dominant. The Knights held UW-Stout to 115 total yards — the program's lowest output in more than a decade — and limited Simpson to just six rushing yards last week – it's highest against Wartburg in three seasons.  

Linebacker Keenan Tyler anchors the defense with 32 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, one sack, and a pass breakup. He's joined in double figures by Mac Watts (28), Conner Grover (18), Jason O'Boye (17), and Sam Roose (10). 

The Knights rank No. 7 nationally in third-down defense (.205) and No. 2 in interceptions (7). Their 34.3 rushing yards allowed per game leads the A-R-C and sits sixth in Division III. 
 
ABOUT THE KOHAWKS
Coe brings one of the nation's top offenses into Saturday's matchup, averaging 620.7 yards per game (475.7 passing, 145.0 rushing). The Kohawks rank No. 1 in Division III in passing offense and No. 4 in total offense, while their 57.0 points per game ranks second nationally. 

Quarterback Brady Kelly has been nearly flawless, leading the nation in passing efficiency (250.9), passing touchdowns (14), points responsible for (84), and yards per attempt (13.76). Coe's defense has allowed 26.3 points per game. 

FOR OPENERS
In American Rivers Conference openers, Head Coach Chris Winter has a perfect 4-0 record across his five seasons. 
 
WINTER'S HEAVY FLURRY IN WINS
Winter has compiled a 46-7 record at the helm, including last year's 10-2 mark with an 8-0 run through conference play. Wartburg has now strung together 26 straight league victories. 

Winter is 20-5 in true road contests, with his last road loss coming Sept. 14, 2024, at then-No. 12 Saint John's (35-13). 
 
32 STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS
The Knights are chasing their 33rd consecutive winning season. Over the past nine years, Wartburg has gone 90-18. 
 
A-R-C DOMINANCE
Wartburg is seeking to become the first team since Central (1964–67) to win four straight A-R-C championships. The Knights enter the weekend riding a 27-game conference win streak.  

PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS 
 
ANDERSON STEPPIN' UP 
Joey Anderson put together a career-high performance against Simpson, rushing for 147 yards and two scores on 12 carries.
 
RUSHIN' RUD  
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 seventh in the A-R-C in completion percentage (56.8), sixth completions per game (17), and passing efficiency (117.4). He has also added 89 rushing yards. 

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

TACKLIN' TYLER  
LB Keenan Tyler leads the Knights with 32 tackles (No. 3 in A-R-C), a sack, TFL, and a PBU.  

ROOSE RACKS UP TURNOVERS  
DB Sam Roose has picked off a team-high two INTs, a fumble recovery, and ten tackles on the season.  

O'BOYE IS RIGHT 
 LB Jason O'Boye notched a career-best nine tackles and his first career INT vs. Monmouth. O'Boye sits fourth on the Knights' squad with 17 tackles thus far (10 solo).  
 
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.  
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS 
Wartburg rose two spots to No. 9 in the latest AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll. The Knights have now appeared in the Top 25 for 38 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 
Week 1 - No. 9 
Week 2 – No. 10 
Week 3 – No. 11 
Week 4 – 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. Salisbury
6. UW-La Crosse
7. Hardin-Simmons
8. UW-Platteville
9. Wartburg
10. UW-Whitewater
11. Bethel (Minn.)
12. UW-River Falls
13. DePauw
14. Susquehanna
15. Hope
16. Trinity (Tex.)
17. Wheaton
18. Mary Hardin-Baylor
19. Grove City
20. Carnegie Mellon
21. UW-Oshkosh
22. John Carroll
23. Central (Iowa)
24. Cortland
25. Hampden-Sydney

Dropped Out: Berry (22)
 
A-R-C STANDINGS – As of Sept. 24 

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

 
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