GAME FIVE | Saturday, Oct. 10 | 1:30 PM | Waverly, Iowa
No. 11/16 Wartburg vs Buena Vista
WATCH | LIVE STATS | LISTEN (KWAY-Matt Ray/Scott Suhr)

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
The No. 11/16-ranked Wartburg College football team (2-2 overall, 1-0 A-R-C) will host the Buena Vista University Beavers (1-3 overall, 0-1 A-R-C) for its annual homecoming game on Saturday, October 10. 

Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m., following a pregame recognition of the nine individuals being inducted to the 2025 Wartburg College Athletic Hall of Fame at 1 p.m. 

2026 WARTBURG ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CLASS
Spencer Capatani '15 - Football
Kailey (Kladivo) Hobbs '16 - Women's Basketball/Track & Field
Rachel (Oswald) Hoeksema '09 - Women's Soccer
Bailey (Wilson) Jenson '15 - Volleyball
Logan Schrader '16 - Football
Kodie Silvestri '15 - Men's Wrestling
Bradley Watson '11 - Baseball
Chelsey (Jacobs) Weinmeister '10 - Track & Field
Coach Rick Willis - Coach/AD

SERIES HISTORY VS THE BEAVERS
Saturday's matchup marks the 87th all-time meeting between Wartburg and Buena Vista, with the Knights holding a 53-30-3 advantage in the series. Wartburg has won four straight and nine of the last 10 meetings, with Buena Vista's most recent victory coming in 2021, a 24-20 decision in Storm Lake. The Knights have outscored the Beavers 245-41 during the current four-game winning streak. Last season, Wartburg earned a 63-20 victory over Buena Vista in Waverly.

ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Buena Vista's lone win of the season came agaisnt Lawrence University on Septemeber 12, 26-14. The Beavers have dropped two-straight contests, most recently against conference foe Simpson, 50-21. BVU has tallied a trio of blocked kicks, topping the A-R-C and No. 16 nationally. On the offensive side of the ball, the Beavers convert on 91% of their redzone trips, the best in the A-R-C, while allowing the fewest passing yards on defense at 199 ypg. 

RUD, WALKER GARNER A-R-C FOOTBALL POTW HONORS
Earlier this week, the A-R-C announced that senior running back Dawson Rud and senior defensive lineman Jake Walker wre named the league's football players of the week. Rud powered the Wartburg offense with a career-high five rushing touchdowns on 14 carries for a season-best 129 yards in the Knights' 69-26 road victory over Nebraska Wesleyan University on Oct. 3. All five of his rushing touchdowns came in the first half. 

The senior running back also contributed 25 receiving yards to finish with 154 total yards of offense. Rud's five rushing touchdowns marked the second-most in a single game in Wartburg history, one shy of the program record held by Hunter Clasen against Monmouth in 2023. His eight rushing touchdowns this season lead the A-R-C and rank eighth nationally.

Walker turned in a disruptive performance against the Prairie Wolves, recording two tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while forcing and recovering a fumble. The senior defensive lineman also added a pass breakup and two quarterback hits. Walker helped anchor a Wartburg defensive effort that held Nebraska Wesleyan to just seven rushing yards and forced 10 total turnovers. 

2026 WARTBURG POTW HONORS
LB Adam Link - Sept. 8
WR Drew Hobart - Sept. 21
RB Dawson Rud – Oct. 5
DL Jake Walker – Oct. 5

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
Wartburg dropped its second home contest of the season when UW-River Falls visited in Week 3, as the program hasn't done so since 2011. Wartburg hasn't started a season 1-2 since 1992. Wartburg seeks its first home win of the season on homecoming. 

ALL-TIME WINNINGEST DIV. III HEAD COACHES (Min. 50 Games) – NCAA Statistics  
- Brad Spencer (2022-23 – pres.) – North Central (Ill.) 62-2 Overall (5th Season)**
- Vince Kehres (2013-14 – 2019-20) – Mount Union 95-6 Overall (7 Seasons)  
- Geoff Dartt (2022-23 – 2025-26) – Mount Union 69-7 Overall (6th Season)**  
- Larry Kehres (1986-87 – 2012-13) – Mount Union 332-24 Overall (27 Seasons)  
- Chris Winter (2021-22 – 2025-26) – Wartburg 55-10 Overall (5th Season)**  
** - Indicates Active Head Coach  

32 STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS 
Wartburg secured its 32nd all-time winning season last season. Over the last nine years, the program holds a record of 95–21. The Knights' consistency ranks among the top programs across all NCAA divisions.

LOOKING AT THIS YEARS ROSTER
The 2026 Wartburg football roster features 62 sophomores, 44 incoming freshmen, 37 juniors, 33 seniors and one 5th year. 

Longest Active Winning Season Streaks — All Divisions 
Linfield (Ore.) – 68 seasons 
Mount Union – 46 seasons 
Wartburg – 32 seasons 
Northwest Missouri State (DII) – 30 seasons

PAPESH TOSSES CAREER-HIGH 265 IN WEEK ONE
Junior quarterback Josh Papesh (Valley View, OH/Saint Ignatius HS) completed 19 of his 24 pass attempts for a career-high 265 yards and two touchdowns during week one on the road at Monmouth. 

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 35-consecutive conference games. 

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-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

CONSECUTIVE WEEKS RANKED
D3football.com - 42 weeks
AFCA - 39 weeks

Dating back to last season and into 2026, Wartburg's last four contests consisted of Wheaton (NCAA Playoffs), Monmouth, North Central, and UW-River Falls. The latest release of the national polls: North Central (No. 1), UW-River Falls (No. 2), and Wheaton (No. 3). The Knights have the ninth-toughest strength of schedule in 2026. 

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


Mount Union 51; Utica 43; Linfield 41; Dickinson30; Chapman 27; DePauw 19; Wesleyan 9; Rowan 8; Washington & Jefferson 8; Lake Forest 7; Calvin 7; Eastern 6; Ursinus 4; Trinity (Conn.) 4; Hanover 3; Ithaca 2; Whitworth 1.

AFCA DIVISION III COACHES' POLL
1. North Central (53)
2. Wheaton
3. St. John's (Minn.)
4. UW-Platteville
5. UW-Whitewater
6. Trinity (Tex)
T7. Hardin-Simmons
T7. UW-River Falls
9. Salisbury
10. Christopher Newport
11. WashU
12. Hope
13. Endicott
14. Cortland
15. John Carroll
16. Wartburg
17. Bethel (MN)
18. Mary Hardin-Baylor
19. Berry
20. UW-La Crosse
21. Franklin & Marshall
22. Susquehanna
23. DePauw
24. Baldwin Wallace
25. Randolph-Macon


Others Receiving Votes: Calvin, 65; Utica, 56; Lake Forest, 43; Mount Union, 43; Springfield, 41; Dickinson, 40; Ursinus, 27; Hampden-Sydney, 26; Chapman, 24; Concordia-Moorhead, 18; Washington & Jefferson, 18; Heidelberg, 17; Illinois Wesleyan, 16; Linfield, 9; Wabash, 9; Trinity (Conn.), 8; UW-Eau Claire, 6; Howard Payne, 5; U.S. Merchant Marine, 5; Brevard, 3; Hanover, 3; UW-Oshkosh, 3; LaGrange, 2; Roanoke, 2; Wesleyan, 2; Concordia (Wis.), 1; Mount St. Joseph, 1; Rowan, 1.