5 Iowa college football storylines: Coe clashes with Central to stay atop American Rivers Conference

Coe and Central battle for position near the top of the American Rivers Conference. Cornell looks to continue its dominance over Beloit. Upper Iowa tries for its most wins since 2017 and more. Here are five storylines in Iowa small college football this weekend.

Coe hosts Central in battle of American Rivers Conference title contenders

The Kohawks are perched atop the current A-R-C standings and Central is third, one game back with unbeaten Wartburg sandwiched in between. Saturday’s game at Clark Field is crucial for both teams. The Dutch (4-1, 2-1) already lost to the Knights. Coe closes the month with Wartburg (3-1, 2-0) at home. A Central loss will make a conference title unlikely. The Kohawks have a little more wiggle room but not much.

Coe improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference by throttling Loras, 43-10, last week. It was also Tyler Staker’s 56th career victory, moving him ahead of his late father, Steve, on the program’s all-time wins list. Coe owns a two-game win streak over Central. The Kohawks won last season, 19-11.

Coe’s defense remains the backbone of this team, allowing less than seven points per conference game. The Kohawks give up just 34 rush yards per game and have allowed a mere one touchdown on the ground. The linebacker trio of Sam Shaw, Ben Adelsberger and Jay Oostendorp lead the team in tackles. Shaw earned A-R-C Defensive Player of the Week, tallying 13 tackles, six solo, two for a loss, a forced fumble and an interception against the Duhawks.

Recommended Reading

Coe linebackers shred in Guitar Hero, then shred opposing offenses together

Coe will have to try and contain former Mount Vernon prep and Dutch quarterback Brady Ketchum, who has passed for 720 yards and eight TDs.

Cornell looks to continue dominance over Beloit

The Rams (2-2, 2-1 Midwest Conference) own an eight-game win streak over Beloit and a 40-18-2 series advantage. The last time Cornell fell to Beloit was in 1997. Cornell quarterback John Smith is coming off a stellar game in a win over Ripon. Smith passed for 309 yards and four TDs. Smith recorded 286 total yards and two scores against the Buccaneers a year ago. Rams leading rusher Tony Gomez burned Beloit, rushing for 127 yards and two TDs in last year’s 36-24 win. Gomez, who was announced as a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy, has rushed for 333 yards and three TDs in four games.

Interestingly, this season marks 100 years since Cornell’s first Midwest Conference title. In that season, Coach L.A. Wallace led the Rams to a 6-0-1 record. What prevented a perfect season? A 3-3 tie with Beloit. Expect more than six combined points scored this time.

Upper Iowa tries to rebound against William Jewell

Upper Iowa won two straight games before relinquishing a third-quarter lead in a 26-23 loss to Truman State last week. The Peacocks (3-3, 2-1 Great Lakes Valley Conference) will have a chance to bounce back, hosting William Jewell (Mo.) at Harms-Eischeid Stadium.

UIU QB Darryl Overstreet Jr. passed for 280 yards and three TDs against the Bulldogs. He has surpassed 275 yards in each of the last two weeks, giving him 1,178 passing yards this season.

A Peacock victory would give them the most in a season since going 6-5 in 2017.

Wartburg’s shutout streak versus Buena Vista

Buena Vista handed the Knights a shocking 27-24 loss on a final-minute TD late in the 2021 season. Since that meeting at Storm Lake, Wartburg has stymied the Beavers, posting 47-0 and 65-0 victories the last two seasons. That equals eight straight quarters without surrendering a point. The Knights (3-1, 2-0) have only given up six points in two A-R-C games. Buena Vista (1-4, 1-2) has scored 41 points in three A-R-C games but was shutout by Central.

Luther vs. Loras: Someone has to win

Luther hosts Loras Saturday in Decorah. They are the last two teams without an A-R-C victory this season. The Norse are 0-2 in the conference but recorded a 9-6 victory over Anderson (Ind.) University on Sept. 28. The Duhawks own an 0-3 A-R-C mark and are 0-5 overall this season.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com