GAME SEVEN | Saturday, Oct. 24 | 1:00 PM | Dubuque, Iowa
No. 11/13 Wartburg at Dubuque
WATCH | LIVE STATS | LISTEN (KWAY-Matt Ray/Scott Suhr)

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
The No. 11/13-ranked Wartburg College football team (4-2 overall, 3-0 American Rivers Conference) heads to Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday, Oct. 24, for a 1 p.m. showdown against the University of Dubuque Spartans (4-2, 3-0 A-R-C) at Chalmers Field. 

The Knights enter Saturday's contest looking to extend their nine-game winning streak against the Spartans after securing a 33-7 victory in last season's meeting at Walston-Hoover Stadium. Both teams have won their first three conference games of the season, setting the stage for a pivotal matchup in the A-R-C title race.

Just three teams remain unbeaten in the league entering Saturday: Coe, Dubuque, Wartburg. As the Knights and Spartans square off on Saturday, the Kohawks travel to Simpson. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SPARTANS
The two programs will meet for the 83rd time on Saturday, as Wartburg boasts a 53-29 all-time series lead. The Spartans last took down the Knights in 2015 with a 45-13 victory in Dubuque, Iowa - The Knights hold a 22-1 overall record within conference play, with a 26-16 record away from home. 

ABOUT THE SPARTANS
Dubuque opened its 2026 season 0-2, with setbacks from UW-Stout Polytechnic and now-ranked No. 2 UW-Platteville, before rallying off four-straight wins into Saturday's highly anticipated matchup. The Spartans top the A-R-C in team sacks per game (2.83) and tackles for loss (7.0), spearheaded by a physical defensive front. On the other side of scrimmage, quarterback Joey Rhomberg leads the league with 26.20 completions per game, to go along with passing touchdowns (21) and passing yards per game (283.4). Rhomberg's favorite target, Kali Freeman, hauls in just over seven receptions per game, averaging 81.5 yards. 

LAST TIME OUT
WARTBURG
The No. 11-ranked Wartburg College football team extended its American Rivers Conference winning streak to 37 consecutive games with a 68-7 victory over Loras College (2-4, 0-3 A-R-C) last Saturday at the Rock Bowl. The Knights totaled 592 yards of offense, including 474 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, while limiting the Duhawks to 169 yards and forcing four interceptions. Junior running back Marcus Beatty led the ground attack with a career-high 141 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries. Senior Dawson Rud added 127 rushing yards and a score, while sophomore Grant Hocker found the end zone twice, including a 62-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Josh Papesh completed 11 of 18 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Matthew Hilleman and Taylen Curry for scores. Wartburg's defense continued to fuel the lopsided victory, with Ryan Doyle, Tyler Gayer, Sam Watts and Pryce Rochford each recording an interception. Rochford led the Knights with nine tackles and added a 17-yard interception return. 

DUBUQUE
The Spartans earned a 56-27 road victory over Simpson College last Saturday to remain unbeaten in conference play and tied atop the league standings with Wartburg and Coe. Dubuque totaled 543 yards of offense, including 276 passing yards and a season-high 267 rushing yards. The Spartans averaged 7.5 yards per play, converted seven of 10 third downs and scored on all four red-zone trips to secure the win. 

AROUND THE A-R-C
COE @ SIMPSON  - 1 PM - INDIANOLA, IA
LORAS @ NEB. WESLEYAN - 1 PM - LINCOLN, NE
BUENA VISTA @ CENTRAL - 1 PM - PELLA, IA

CURRENT A-R-C STANDINGS
Dubuque: 4-2, 3-0 A-R-C
Coe: 4-2, 3-0 A-R-C
Wartburg: 4-2, 3-0 A-R-C
Simpson: 3-3, 2-1 A-R-C
Central: 3-3, 1-2 A-R-C
Loras: 2-4, 0-3 A-R-C
Buena Vista: 1-5, 0-3 A-R-C
Nebraska Wesleyan: 0-6, 0-3 A-R-C

BEATTY, RUD RUSH THROUGH LORAS
Marcus Beatty and Dawson Rud each rushed for 100+ yards in a 68-7 road victory over Loras last weekend. Beatty guided the rushing attack with a career-high 141 yards and three scores on just nine carries, as Rud added 127 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Overall, the Knights tallied up 592 yards, which 474 of those came on the ground. Between 11 different rushers, Wartburg found the endzone eight times in the ground game. 

A-R-C DOMINANCE 
Last season, Wartburg became the first program since Central (1964–67) to win four consecutive A-R-C championships. The Knights have won 37-consecutive conference games. 

SCORING AT A PREMIUM
Through the first three games of conference play, the Knights have outscored their opposition 209-47. 

Oct. 3 - W, 69-26 at Nebraska Wesleyan
Oct. 10 - W, 72-14 vs Buena Vista
Oct. 17 - W, 68-7 at Loras

RUD REACHES 3K RUSHING YARD MILESTONE
With 127 yards against Loras last weekend, running back Dawson Rud totals 3,033 yards in his Wartburg career, ranking No. 8 on the all-time rushing leaders list. Rud ranks No. 12 in Division III averaged 11.0 yards per carry, and total touchdowns with 11 on the season - nine rushing (ties career-high). 

1. 4839 - Bobby Beatty (940-4839) - 1991-94
2. 4503 - Trevor Shannon (832-4503) - 1995-98
3. 4080 - Hunter Clasen (660-4080) - 2019,21-23
4. 3700 - Justin Beatty (698-3700) - 1999-02
5. 3381 - Brandon Domeyer (668-3381) - 2012-15
6. 3235 - Gary Nelson (810-3235) - 1967-70
7. 3187 - Brad Hodapp (580-3187) - 2000-03
8. 3033 - Dawson Rud - 2023-26
9. 2981 - Brad Ott (762-2981) - 1984-87
10. 2961 - Dan Hammes (580-2961) - 2003-06

ALL THREE PHASES OF THE GAME
Through its first six games of the season, the Knights have taken control of all three phases of the game, topping the A-R-C in several categories. 

Blocked Kicks - 3 (No. 33 in Division III)
Blocked Punts - 3 (No. 3)
First Downs (Def.) - 98 (No. 72)
First Downs (Off.) - 135 (No. 64)
Fumbles Recovered - 6 (No. 32)
Kickoff Returns - 22.44 (No. 45)
Passes Intercepted - 16 (No. 2)
Passing Yards Allowed - 194.7 (No. 113)
Punt Return (Def.) - 3.44 (No. 31)
Rushing (Def.) - 98.3 (No. 62)
Rushing (Off.) - 250.5 (No. 17)
Scoring (Off.) - 46.5 (No. 9)
Total Defense - 293.0 (No. 64)
Total Offense - 448.8 (No. 28)
Turnover Margin - 2.00 (No. 4)
Turnovers Gained - 22 (No. 2)

BIG FELLAS UP FRONT
Wartburg's offensive line has been stellar through the first three games of conference play. The Knights have allowed ZERO sacks, en route to 1,231 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. 

A LOOK AT NPI (D3 DATACAST)
Wartburg heads into game seven ranked No. 77 in the National Power Index (NPI) at 55.617. The Spartans hold the A-R-C's highest NPI ranking of 58.796 at No. 59.

D3Football.com Week Top 25
1. Wheaton (21)
2. UW-Platteville (3)
3. St. John's
4. North Central
5. UW-Whitewater (1)
6. Hardin-Simmons
7. Endicott
8. WashU
9. Hope
10. Christopher Newport
11. Wartburg
12. Cortland
13. UW-River Falls
14. John Carroll
15. Bethel
16. Baldwin Wallace
17. Mary Hardin-Baylor
18. Trinity
19. Berry
20. UW-La Crosse
21. Susquehanna
22. Linfield
23. Salisbury
24. Rowan
25. Heidelberg

Dropped out: None.

Others receiving votes: Chapman 49; Utica 43; DePauw 35; Mount Union 24; Calvin 23; Lake Forest 22; Trinity (Conn.) 17; Washington & Jefferson 17; Wesleyan 9; Concordia-Moorhead 8; Franklin & Marshall 8; Ursinus 8; Merchant Marine 7; Eastern 3; Ithaca 1; UW-Eau Claire 1.

AFCA DIVISION III COACHES' POLL
1. Wheaton (41)
2. UW-Platteville (11)
3. St. John's (Minn.)
4. UW-Whitewater (1)
5. North Central
6. Hardin-Simmons
7. WashU
8. Christopher Newport
9. Hope
10. Endicott
11. Cortland
12. John Carroll
13. Wartburg
14. Mary Hardin-Baylor
15. Trinity (Tex.)
16. Bethel (Minn.)
17. UW-River Falls
18. Baldwin Wallace
19. Berry
20. Salisbury
21. Susquehanna
22. DePauw
23. Calvin
24. Lake Forest
25. Ursinus

Dropped Out: Rowan (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Rowan, 72; Heidelberg, 41; Springfield, 40; Utica, 34; Mount Union, 28; Linfield, 27; Chapman, 26; Concordia-Moorhead, 21; UW-La Crosse, 18; Hampden-Sydney, 15; U.S. Merchant Marine, 15; Concordia (Wis.), 14; Trinity (Conn.), 14; Benedictine (Ill.), 9; Washington & Jefferson, 9; Massachusetts Maritime, 8; Franklin & Marshall, 7; LaGrange, 5; Wesleyan, 5; Hanover, 4; UW-Eau Claire, 3.

WEEK-BY-WEEK RANKING - AFCA
Preseason - No. 9
Week 1 - No. 10
Week 2 - No. 10
Week 3 - No. 18
Week 4 - No. 18
Week 5 - No. 16
Week 6 - No. 15
Week 7 - No. 13

WEEK-BY-WEEK RANKING - D3football.com
Preseason - No. 9
Week 1 - No. 9
Week 2 - No. 6
Week 3 - No. 11
Week 4 - No. 12
Week 5 - No. 11
Week 6 - No. 11
Week 7 - No. 11

CONSECUTIVE WEEKS RANKED
D3football.com - 44 weeks
AFCA - 41 weeks

A-R-C PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Wartburg College - 49 (7)
2. Coe College - 42
3. Central College - 38
4. University of Dubuque - 29
5. Simpson College - 27
6. Loras College - 20
7. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 10
8. Buena Vista University - 9