Mustangs move into NAIA Championship Series

A National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' No. 2/No. 15 seed Championship Series match-up with plenty of offensive intrigue takes to the FieldTurf at Elwood Olsen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 20.

The two teams sitting one and two nationally in points per game aim to light up the scoreboard aplenty. Head coach Steve Ryan's Morningside University Mustangs, the Great Plains Athletic Conference champions with a 10-0 record, average 59.1 per contest. Head coach Mike Nesbitt's Ottawa University Spirit sports an 8-1 mark as the Sooner Athletic Conference victors and averages 51.8 per outing.

Kickoff is at noon. Live audio, statistics, and video can be accessed through links at msidemustangs.com, the Internet home of Morningside University athletics.

THE MATCH-UP

• Digging deeper into the gaudy statistics produced by Mside, the team ranks first in 12 national stat categories. Beyond the points per game, they are also first in total offense (6,382 yards), total offense per contest (638.2), total passing yards (3,935) and passing yards per appearance (393.5), first downs (329), passing first downs (182), first downs per outing (32.9), third-down conversion percentage (58), punt return yardage (519 on 40 attempts), extra points (79-80), and red zone scores (55 of 68) and touchdowns (50 of 68).
• Individually, the headlines are just as impressive. Senior quarterback Joe Dolincheck (Bellevue, Neb.), the reigning GPAC Offensive Player of the Year, leads the country in completion percentage (68), total yards (3308), and yards per game passing (330.8), and pass efficiency (185). His fellow senior backfield mate, running back Anthony Sims (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), joins him in lofty residency, ranking first in rushing scores (26) and second in yards per attempt (7.5). Dolincheck's top three passing targets, seniors Reid Jurgensmeier (Wahoo, Neb.) and Caleb Schweigart (Omaha, Neb.) and sophomore Zach Norton (Sioux Falls, S.D.), haven't been easy for opposing defensive backfields. Jurgensmeier ranks seventh in yards receiving per game (103.8) and ninth in receptions (68) and yards (1,038) nationally, while Norton's rather remarkable 19.5 yards per catch sit 10^th in the country. Schweigart is also part of the NAIA's best 50 in total yards and yards per game receiving (655 – 16).
• Morningside's defense has also gotten the job done this season, sporting seven games where they've only allowed 14 points or less. Senior linebacker Tyler Wingert (Holstein, Iowa), needing only one tackle to hit the 100 mark for the season, is among the nation's best in total tackles and tackles per game (9.9). Senior defensive back Drew Bessey (Palmyra, Neb.) is among the NAIA's top ball hawkers with four interceptions that are 28^th-highest. Sophomore linebacker Isaac Pingel (Spencer, Iowa) also finds himself in rarified air, sitting 19^th in fumble recoveries (two) and one of a few around the country with a fumble recovery touchdown.
• Senior signal-caller Austin McCullough guides Ottawa's high-flying offense. He's fired 28 touchdown passes and 2,726 yards. The senior receiving combination of Brandon McLaughlin and Jermaine Trotman, Jr. has 500-or-more yards in receptions and has combined for 16 touchdowns. Ottawa's rushing attack has reason to boast, too, with senior Marcelous Chester-Riley averaging 106.2 yards per outing and scoring 12 touchdowns. OUAZ's defense has 20 takeaways to its credit. The leader of the unit is senior linebacker Brandon Tomberlin, Jr., with 68 tackles.
• Saturday's victor advances into the national quarterfinals set for highest-remaining seed sites Saturday, Nov. 27.