5 Iowa college football storylines: American Rivers Conference teams begin league play

College football season ramps up this weekend. American Rivers Conference begins league play. Coe’s dynamic offense hosts Nebraska Wesleyan, while Cornell’s offense will need a jumpstart. Wartburg looks to continue its conference streak and Upper Iowa hits the road to face a top-25 foe. Here are five small college football storylines.

WILL COE’S OFFENSIVE OUTBURST CONTINUE AT OPENER?

The Kohawks begin the A-R-C slate with their home opener against Nebraska Wesleyan. Coe is 1-1 with a win at rival Cornell in Week 1 and then a wild 59-47 loss at University of Wisconsin-River Falls last week with both teams combining for 1,376 total offensive yards. Almost 14 football fields worth of ground covered to score 106 points. Coe quarterback Brady Kelly passed for 519 yards with six touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards, which sounds more like video game numbers. He set the school’s single-game records for passing yards and total offensive yards (627). His six passing TDs tied the program’s mark. He earned A-R-C Athlete of the Week honor and was named the conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight time. Jeron Senters, Latrell Taylor and Jackson Baethke all surpassed 100 yards receiving. The Kohawks amassed 584 offensive yards against the Rams, including 291 yards and three scores from Kelly. Coe is the A-R-C’s top passing offense and Nebraska Wesleyan (0-2) boasts the conference’s second-best pass defense, allowing 111 yards and 1.5 TDs per game. The Prairie Wolves rank toward the bottom offensively, so a new-look Coe defense can be more successful this week. The Kohawk run game might have more success with Nebraska Wesleyan allowing more than 180 yards per game.

CAN CORNELL’S OFFENSE IMPROVE PRODUCTION

Cornell travels to Lawrence (Wis.) University for its first road game and second Midwest Conference clash. The Rams (0-2) have faced two tough foes in Coe and University of Chicago. The defense did all it could last week against the Maroons, defending short fields with little rest at times in the warmest weekend of the season. Cornell held Chicago to 255 yards of offense, including 96 passing. The problem is the offense only managed 223 – only 38 on the ground. Lawrence (0-2) has allowed almost 900 yards in two games, including 567 in a 78-7 loss to Monmouth (Ill.) College. The Rams need the offense to step up to help out what could be a solid defense this season. Quarterback Thomas Monken has passed for 239 yards and just one TD but he has some athletic targets if the offensive line can give him time. The Rams need to find its rush attack and improve on its 48.5 yards per game average. If there was a foe that could help Cornell turn things around, it might be Lawrence.

UPPER IOWA TRAVELS TO FACE NO. 24 MICHIGAN TECH

The Peacocks (1-1) close the non-conference schedule with a trip to unbeaten No. 24 Michigan Tech (3-0). The meeting is Upper Iowa’s first against a ranked foe since a 58-0 loss to No. 24 Minnesota State-Mankato on Oct. 16, 2021. The Peacocks last victory over a ranked foe was a 34-33 win over Winona State on Sept. 15, 2018. Theya re coming off a dominant 58-14 victory over South Dakota Mines. Wide receiver Mante Morrow had a career game with 216 yards and four touchdowns. He proved to be a deep threat with scores of 55 and 81 yards and was effective in shorter yardage with TD catches of 4 and 10 yards. Morrow was named Great Lakes Valley Conference and D2football.com Offensive Player of the Week. He became the first Peacock to receive the national honor since 2007 and the fourth overall. Quarterback Darryl Overstreet Jr. finished with 406 yards passing and five TDs. This is the second game between the two programs with Michigan Tech winning, 34-31, in 2023.

WARTBURG LOOKS TO CONTINUE A-R-C WIN STREAK

The Knights (2-0) have dominated the A-R-C in three straight title seasons under Coach Chris Winter. Wartburg, ranked 11 th nationally and the preseason No. 1 pick by conference coaches, has won 26 consecutive A-R-C games, entering Saturday’s game at Simpson (1-1) in Indianola. Wartburg’s last loss was a 24-20 setback at Buena Vista on Oct. 30, 2021. Wartburg has won nine of the last 10 in the series with Simpson’s only win coming in 2018. The Knights are also looking to become the first program since Central (1964-67) to win four straight conference championships.

RHOMBERG HIGHLIGHTS KEY CITY CLASH

University of Dubuque hosts Loras in the intracity rivalry this Saturday. Spartans quarterback and former Mount Vernon standout Joey Rhomberg will be right in the middle of the showdown. Rhomberg has started strong this season, ranking second in the A-R-C in passing. He has thrown for 651 yards and seven touchdowns in two games. Rhomberg has also rushed for a score. Both teams are 0-2 but Dubuque has claimed the last four meetings, including a 49-42 win last year.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com