Mustangs Ready to Complete 'Unfinished Business'

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Let the new season begin.

The Morningside University football team begins its season needing to complete some unfinished business. The No. 10-nationally-ranked Mustangs saw their 12-year streak of being Great Plains Athletic Conference champions, while also having the season fall short early in the national playoffs.

While the 2023 season ended in disappointment, the 2024 season brings promise, hope, and toughness. starts Saturday with a 6 p.m. kickoff against No. 19 Benedictine.

Morningside returns several players on offense, defense and special teams, and according to head coach Steve Ryan, those players – along with the newcomers – have ramped up the intensity and focus since that season-ending loss to Indiana Wesleyan.

"We talk all the time about winning the day," Ryan said at Fall Sports Media Day. "You can't worry about the championship for a game four weeks from now. You work today for what you accomplish tomorrow."

One of the players who knows well about the expectations is senior linebacker Issac Pingel, who was recently nominated onto the AllState AFCA Good Works Team and the National Football Foundation Hampshire Society.

Pingel has played on the 2021 national championship team, where he earned 67 total tackles that year. Last year, the Spencer High School grad had 113 total tackles and six total sacks. Pingel's 113 tackles led the Morningside defense.

"I feel like last year, we had a lot of unfinished business," Pingel said. "We came together after the season and felt that it's not the legacy we want to leave. We know we're better than that."

Last season, Morningside's defense allowed 17.3 points per game. Pingel believes the whole team – including the defense – will bring the toughness to keep that number at bay or even lower.

"It takes what it takes and there's no way around that," Pingel said. "Guys bought in on the offseason. We're encouraging each other but growing tough has been a big thing."
Offensively, the Mustangs averaged 36.2 ppg, including scoring 35-plus points in five of those games.

The Mustangs had five men who threw a pass last season, but the primary three were Cash Parker, Zack Chevalier, and Lennx Brown. Brown has moved to wide receiver, leaving the work for Chevalier and Parker.

Parker was 87-for-134 last season for 1,275 yards and 12 passing touchdowns. He threw a pass in nine games, and he started in two. Chevalier, meanwhile, was 47-for-81 for 599 yards. He had two touchdowns. He appeared in the QB spot in six games.

Coach Ryan has been pleased with the progression of quarterbacks during the offseason.

"The quarterbacks have improved significantly since last season," Ryan said. "They make better decisions, and they take care of the ball. They're both getting rid of the ball faster and running the offensive faster."

Both quarterbacks will have the option to hand the ball off to senior running back Ryan Cole. The St. Ansgar High School grad had 105 carries for 523 yards and eight touchdowns. Cole also had the second-longest carry of the season in 62 yards.

"My role Is to step up and lift other guys around me in the running back room," Cole said. "I'm more than excited to see where we end up. A lot of guys have stepped up and have reaped the rewards of that."

Zach Norton returns as the top receiver for the Mustangs as a senior. The Sioux Falls native caught 76 passes for 956 yards. He found the end zone 10 times and his longest reception was 66 yards.

Earlier this month, the Mustangs received the No. 2 ranking in the GPAC poll behind Northwestern. The Mustangs will face the Red Raiders on Nov. 2 at Elwood Olsen Stadium.

"In terms of the offseason, playing the underdog role is a good role to play and makes them be the best team they can be," Ryan said. "The necessity to finish games out is something that we've learned."