5 Iowa college football storylines: Luther looks for its first win

Luther looks to post in the win column. Trey Birdsong tries to extend his TD string. Wartburg puts win streaks on the line. Coe’s special teams are kicking it. Cair’ron Hendred leads Winona State rushers. Here are five things to watch In non-FBS college football this week.

Can Luther earn its first victory?

Luther is still looking to crack the goose egg in the win column. The Norse are 0-5 overall and 0-4 in the American Rivers Conference. They travel to Storm Lake to face Buena Vista, which is 0-5 and 0-3. One of the teams will get its first win.

Buena Vista has won the last three meetings, but last year’s was a 52-49 shootout decided with 1:11 left. Norse quarterback Beau Cornwell passed for 417 yards and four touchdowns. Cornwell is back and has 832 passing yards and seven scores. He will likely face his best matchup of the season. BVU has allowed 303.8 passing yards and 532 yards of total offense per game. Luther, led by Cornwell, averages almost 174 passing yards and 239 total yards.

Teams have scored 239 points (47.8 a game) against the Beavers. Luther averages 3.6 points a game more than the Beavers. This could be a chance for the Norse to move ahead of BVU at the bottom of the conference standings.

Touchdown Trey Birdsong

One of the highlights of Cornell’s 36-24 Homecoming victory over Beloit last week was Trey Birdsong’s 20-yard TD catch from John Smith to open the scoring. Birdsong has been a regular in the end zone this season, accounting for at least one TD in all five games this season. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound wide receiver from Cabot, Ark., has five receiving TDs and a special teams score. He had two TDs in a comeback win over Ripon and a punt return TD in the opener against Coe.

The Rams (3-2, 3-1) travel to Monmouth (Ill.) College. The Fighting Scots are also 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the Midwest Conference. Birdsong will have a tough task to continue his streaks. Monmouth won last year’s game 56-12 for an eighth straight win over Cornell. Birdsong had five catches for 37 yards in 2021. The Rams and Fighting Scots are tied with Illinois College for second in the MWC. A victory will keep one in the top two of the conference race.

Wartburg’s winning streaks

Wartburg is third in the latest NCAA Division III national football polls. The Knights have steamrolled opponents this season. Wartburg (6-0, 4-0 A-R-C) hosts Dubuque Saturday at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly with a chance to extend two notable win streaks.

The Knights have won 18 straight regular-season contests, dating back to a 50-14 win over Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 6, 2021. BVU handed Wartburg its last regular-season loss on Oct. 30 that year.

Wartburg ranks fourth in current home win streaks among NCAA programs at all levels. The Knights are looking for their 23rd straight home victory, dating back to 2018. Georgia and Montana State have won 25 consecutive home games. North Central (Ill.) College owns a 24-game win streak at home.

The Knights have won six straight against Dubuque and are 56-4 overall at home in the last 10 seasons.

Coe’s kicking game

Coe has a high-powered offense with a strong line, explosive pass game and a three-back rush attack. The Kohawks defense harasses and shuts down opponents. It’s easy to overlook Coe’s special teams, including their kicking game.

Punter Luke Bradley and placekicker Julian Garcia-Ayala both rank second in the American Rivers Conference. Bradley’s 36.8 yards per punt ranks only behind Dubuque’s Conner Halla (37.3). Bradley leads the conference with nine of his 21 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Garcia-Ayala is 4 of 6 and is second in field goals made, sitting three back of Central’s Logan Sunvold. Ayala-Garcia’s long is 31 and he has made 32 of 34 extra points. They may not get much work, however, as Coe is a heavy favorite at Simpson.

Cair’ron Hendred leads Winona State rushers

Former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep Cair’ron Hendred leads Winona State in rushing entering Saturday’s home Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game against Augustana (S.D.) University. Hendred has a team-high 280 rushing yards and is tied for the team lead with two TDs. He is second with 44 carries, giving him a 6.4-yard average.

Former Waukon prep Lincoln Snitker is also contributing to the Warriors. He has 16 tackles and his 14 solo stops are good for fifth on the team.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com