Torrid third quarter attack propels Mustangs

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' No. 3-ranked Morningside used a nearly seamless offensive surge early in the second half to ensure another Great Plains Athletic Conference victory Saturday, Sept. 18.

Battling a game first-year Mount Marty University program, head coach Steve Ryan's Mustangs found themselves holding a 28-7 halftime advantage. The afternoon inside Elwood Olsen Stadium had the partisan Mside crowd on its feet early, though. Senior running back Anthony Sims (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) completed seven, and eight-play scoring marches the first two times the home team had the ball with scampers of 54 and 10 yards, respectively. Senior return specialist Caleb Schweigart (Omaha, Neb.) added a lightning strike of his own, dancing and weaving through the Lancers' punt coverage unit and finding paydirt on a 72-yard scoring return to conclude a 21-point first quarter. MMU kept things at a 7-7 standstill in the second frame.

Coming back on to their friendly FieldTurf, Morningside's offense returned to its first-quarter success formula. With senior quarterback Joe Dolincheck (Bellevue, Neb.) finding his talented receiving corps and the backfield tandem of Sims and freshman Ryan Cole (St. Ansgar, Iowa), the Mustangs drove 75, 78, and 69 yards for touchdowns. Sims, concluding a monster early fall afternoon, added two more rushing scores as part of a 16-carry, 158-yard, four-touchdown resume. Dolincheck found senior wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier (Wahoo, Neb.) for the other third-quarter touchdown.

While the offense had more highlight-reel-worthy numbers, Morningside's defense proved nearly impenetrable on the scoreboard, as has been the case over each of the season's first three weeks. An impressive back-shoulder catch and spin move marked a big play scoring pass for the visitors, as MMU was held to 191 total yards. Senior linebacker Tyler Wingert (Holstein, Iowa) turned in his second double-digit tackle effort with 13 hits, including a half-sack and two tackles for losses. Junior defensive back Jamal Jones (Adelanto, Calif.) produced some points for the unit, too, with a 22-yard pick-six early in the second quarter.

Morningside (3-0 overall, 3-0 GPAC) moves into its bye week. The Mustangs prepare for their 2021 Homecoming clash with Midland University Saturday, Oct. 2.

NOTES: Dolincheck's climb to a third straight 1,000-yards-or-more season moved over the 900 mark. He goes into the Midland contest needing only 31 to do so. He also hit 9000-plus passing yards for his career … Wingert's 13 tackles marked a personal single-game career-high.