5 things to watch in Iowa college football this week: 4-0 Coe takes on 4-0 Wartburg

Coe and Wartburg battle with first place in the American Rivers Conference at stake. Cornell looks to return to .500. Upper Iowa and Drake open conference play.

Here are five things to watch in non-FBS Iowa college football this week.

Coe, Wartburg battle for American Rivers Conference lead

Coe and No. 3 Wartburg will resume their rivalry Saturday at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly. Both teams are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the American Rivers Conference. The Kohawks are coming off a 56-6 drubbing of Nebraska Wesleyan, while the Knights blanked Simpson, 63-0.

Last year, Wartburg closed the regular season with a 19-14 victory over Coe to clinch the conference crown. Interestingly, these two teams have combined to win 10 regular-season conference titles since 2008. The Knights have won five straight in the series and own a 27-13 advantage. Coe’s last win was 37-34 in 2016 and its last win at Waverly was 24-10 in 2013.

The matchup to watch is Coe’s offense and Wartburg’s defense. The Knights defense haven’t allowed points in 12 straight quarters, blanking Simpson and Buena Vista and not allowing an offensive point to No. 16 Bethel (Minn.). The Kohawk offense has scored 175 points through four games (43.8). Coe leads the league with 388 passing yards per game and Wartburg is second in pass defense, allowing 188 per game. Don’t forget running back Hunter Clasen and the Knights’ offensive line versus the Kohawk defensive front. Clasen leads the conference with 522 rushing yards (130.5 per game) and 10 touchdowns. Coe’s rush defense is second in the A-R-C, giving up just 74.3 yards per game.

The winner will be in the catbird’s seat in the conference title race.

Cornell comes off bye week

Cornell should be rested and recovered after a bye week. The Rams will attempt to return to a .500 record at Ripon (Wis.). Cornell has the chance to improve to 2-2 for the first time since 2019.

Keep an eye on Trey Birdsong. The excitable and athletic wide receiver leads the Rams with three TDs. He has a team-high 148 receiving yards and two scores. Birdsong is also a return specialist, averaging 19.33 yards per punt return with one returned for a TD. He is seventh in the Midwest Conference with a 21.6-yard kickoff return average. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound junior from Cabot, Ark., has shown the ability that helped him earn the program’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2021.

Upper Iowa opens GLVC play

Upper Iowa has made the transition from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Peacocks had been a member of the NSIC since 2006, transitioning from NCAA Division III to NCAA D-II in 2003. They begin GLVC play this week, traveling to Liberty, Mo., for a game against William Jewell College.

Upper Iowa is 2-2 after a close loss to Michigan Tech last week. The Peacocks have produced a solid pass attack and that could be the edge needed to win their GLVC debut. William Jewell (1-3) allows 323 passing yards per game. UIU’s Marcus Orr has passed for 562 yards and seven TDs in his last two games, including 328 and two last week. Eddie Burgess and Mante Morrow are the top two targets. Morrow had 11 catches for 141 yards and a score and Burgess added 111 yards on four catches with a TD. Morrow has 391 yards on 24 catches and Burgess comes in at 213 on nine receptions. Both have four TD catches. The air attack could help the Peacocks to their first GLVC victory.

Drake’s early season

Drake has had a tough start to the season and takes an 0-3 record into its Pioneer Football League opener at Morehead State. The first three weeks included No. 17 North Dakota and back-to-back games against defending national champions — Northwestern College (NAIA) and South Dakota State (FCS). The Bulldogs are the only program to face defending national champions in consecutive weeks.

Drake’s game against South Dakota State was at Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins. The Bulldogs scored the opening TD before falling 70-7 to the Jackrabbits. The touchdown was scored by wide receiver Colin Howard, who caught a 35-yard pass. Howard has been a key contributor, coming off 103 yards on three receptions and a TD against SDSU. The junior is off to his best start, posting two 100-yard games this season. He leads the Bulldogs with 203 receiving yards and 25.38 yards per catch. He is tied for a team-high eight catches. Howard could be important in Drake’s chances of improving to 15-5 in conference openers since 2004. Drake hasn’t won a PFL opener since 2019.

Eastern Iowa linebackers lead Central

Central hosts Dubuque Saturday in Pella. The Dutch rebounded from a loss to Coe with a 41-16 victory at Luther. Gazette-area football followers will recognize a couple of Central’s top tacklers. Former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep Reid Pakkebier leads the Dutch with 34 total tackles and 16 solo and is tied for the team lead with one fumble recovery. His 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks are second. Former Lisbon multi-sport standout Cole Clark is third with 23 stops and 11 solo.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com