5 Iowa college football storylines: Coe welcomes Luther after bye week

The small college football season for Iowa programs is approaching the home stretch. Here are five notable things in Iowa small college football this weekend.

Coe is back in action

The Kohawks are returning from an off week and host winless Luther at Clark Field, beginning at 1 p.m. Coe is 6-1 and 4-1 in the American Rivers Conference.

A rested Coe offense could have a big weekend. The Kohawks average 39.4 points per game. Luther allows 42.7 per game. Wide receiver Dominic Shepardson entered the season about 800 yards away from the school record in career receiving yards. He is at 481 yards on 37 catches this season with three regular-season games remaining. Zamari Bruce has emerged as Coe’s big-play receiver, leading the team with 691 yards on 37 catches. He has scorched opposing secondaries for seven touchdowns and averages a whopping 18.68 yards per reception. Those numbers could increase against the Norse defense that allows 261.57 passing yards per game and 8.85 yards per attempt.

Cornell QB John Smith passes personal best

Cornell College quarterback John Smith started last season No. 3 on the depth chart and was thrust into action. He entered this season as the starter and has been key in the Rams’ 4-3 overall record and 4-2 mark in the Midwest Conference. Smith passed for a single-game best 300 yards and five TDs in a 47-34 win over University of Chicago last week. Cornell’s first victory over Chicago in six total meetings marked the third time this season Smith set a personal best in passing yards. He threw for 255 yards in a win over Ripon and followed it with 276 in a victory over Beloit.

Cornell hits the road against Knox College (2-5, 2-4) this week. The Prairie Fire give up 289.4 passing yards a game. Another personal best for Smith is not out of the question, especially with Trey Birdsong, who had 124 yards and three TDs last week, giving him 10 total TDs and at least one in each game this season.

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Drake is unbeaten in the Pioneer League

Drake defeated San Diego, 25-20, last week. The win was the Bulldogs’ first over the Toreros since 2012. The victory was Drake’s seventh straight against Pioneer Football League opponents, which is the longest active stretch in the conference. Interestingly, the streak began with a 24-17 win at Stetson (Fla.) University. The Bulldogs host Stetson Saturday, starting at noon.

Drake kicker Shane Dunning earned PFL Special Teams Player of the Week, going 4-for-4 with two 50-yard field goals against San Diego. It was his second league honor. Dunning has hit 9 of 11 field goals and is perfect inside 40 yards and 50 or longer.

Central heads to Wartburg

Wartburg hosts Central Saturday at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly with a chance to secure the American Rivers Conference title. The third-ranked Knights are 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the conference. Central and Coe are both 4-1 in the A-R-C and have already had bye weeks. Wartburg closes its regular season next week at Nebraska Wesleyan. Coe and Central each have two games left after this week. Wartburg has a chance to win back-to-back American Rivers championships and could claim its 19th outright or shared title.

NAIA powers Northwestern and Morningside battle

The highly-ranked battle between No. 1 Northwestern (Iowa) and No. 3 Morningside will be held Saturday at De Valois Stadium in Orange City. The Great Plains Athletic Conference title is up for grabs.

Northwestern is the defending NAIA champion, despite finishing behind Morningside in last year’s conference standings. The two teams are an example of the state’s NAIA strength. The only team that separates them in the national rankings is Grand View (7-0).