Midlands Football Capsules

College football capsules for this weekend's matchups from around the Midlands.

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Washburn at Northwest Missouri State
• When/where: 1:30, Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, Mo.
• Records: No. 16 Washburn 6-2, 4-2 MIAA; No. 4 Northwest 7-1, 6-0 MIAA
• Players to watch: Bearcat WR Jake Soy’s 15 touchdown receptions lead the nation and are one shy of the MIAA’s single-season record. QB Blake Bolles’ 25 touchdown passes are the second most in the nation.
• Outlook: Northwest (43.2 points per game) and Washburn (42.1) are the two highest scoring teams in the nation. Northwest has won 14 of the last 15 games in the series.

Chadron State at Colorado Mines
• When/where: Noon, Brooks Field, Golden, Colo.
• Records: Chadron State 5-3, 4-2 RMAC; Adams State 6-2, 6-0 RMAC
• Player to watch: Eagles RB Maurice Threatts is second on the team with 335 yards rushing, but 176 of those yards have come in the last two games. He’s also scored four TDs in the last two games.
• Outlook: The Orediggers are tied with the University of Nebraska at Kearney for the RMAC lead. Chadron State, which lost two of its first three conference games, has won its last three games by a combined score of 131-20.

Augustana at Wayne State
• When/where: 1 p.m., Cunningham Field, Wayne, Neb.
• Records: Augustana 6-2, 5-2 NSIC; No. 22 Wayne 6-2, 5-2 NSIC
• Player to watch: Redshirt freshman RB Nick Pulscher rushed for a career-high 100 yards on 16 carries last week in Wayne State’s 48-25 win at Winona State.
• Outlook: Key game in the NSIC’s South Division. WSC is ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II Super Region Three and needs a win to stay in contention for a possible playoff berth. WSC’s offense was a perfect 5 for 5 in the red zone last week. Last season, WSC forced four Augustana turnovers, turning three into scores, as the Wildcats recorded a 28-7 win at Augustana.

UNK at Fort Lewis
• When/where: 1 p.m., Durango, Colo.
• Records: Fort Lewis 1-7, 0-6 RMAC; No. 13 UNK 7-1, 6-0 RMAC
• Player to watch: UNK junior WR Kyle Kaiser is averaging 26 yards per catch this year and needs just 10 more yards to become the sixth Loper to reach 2,000 career receving yards. Sophomore RB Rustin Dring, among the national rushing leaders, is 169 yards shy of 1,000 for the season.
• Outlook: UNK leads the all-time series with the Skyhawks 10-3 and has won the last two games by a combined score of 85-0. Fort Lewis is a very young team and has lost seven straight after a season-opening win over Oklahoma Panhandle State.

Waldorf College at Peru State
• When/where: 1 p.m., Oak Bowl, Peru, Neb.
• Records: Waldorf 1-5; Peru State 4-3.
• Players to watch: Peru WR Cody Wallinger caught eight passes for 90 yards and scored twice last week. S Max Virus had 11 tackles and three interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
• Outlook: The Bobcats are riding a three-game win streak and will look to pick up their fifth win of the season against Waldorf.

Nebraska Wesleyan at Concordia
• When/where: 1 p.m., Bulldog Stadium, Seward, Neb.
• Records: Nebraska Wesleyan 3-3, 3-3 GPAC; Concordia 2-5, 2-5 GPAC
• Player to watch: Wesleyan RB Kory Kahlandt has rushed for 644 yards and 11 touchdowns. NWU LB Josh Kendle has led the team in tackles each of the past three games. He has been a key in the middle of a tough NWU defense, and has also recorded two interceptions.
• Outlook: Wesleyan averages 156 yards on the ground (sixth in the GPAC), while the Concordia defense allows 205.9 rushing yards per game (10th in the GPAC). Concordia is still in search of some consistency on offense and will have its hands full on defense trying to contain Kahlandt and the NWU rushing attack. Wesleyan should have the advantage with its strong run game and tough defense, but Concordia has won four of the last five meetings between the rivals in Seward, including a big upset in 2007 that prevented NWU from going to the playoffs.

Dordt College at Doane College
• When/where: 1 p.m., Simon Field, Crete, Neb.
• Records: Dordt 1-6, 0-6 GPAC; Doane 1-6, 1-5 GPAC
• Player to watch: Freshman WR Tyrone Curry caught five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown for Doane last week. He has nine receptions and two touchdowns in the last two games.
• Outlook: This is Dordt’s first trip to Doane. The Tigers won their inaugural meeting in Sioux Center last year 43-0. Both teams are allowing more than 35 points per game. Dordt has scored only 56 points; Doane has scored 55 in its past two games.

Northwestern at Briar Cliff
• When/where: 1 p.m., Sioux City, Iowa
• Records: No. 12 Northwestern 6-1, 6-1 GPAC; Briar Cliff 2-5, 2-4 GPAC
• Player to watch: The Briar Cliff defense, which allows less than 100 yards rushing per game, is led by GPAC leading tackler Jarrod Makovicka.
• Outlook: The Red Raiders are riding a five-game win streak.

Morningside at Midland Lutheran
• When/where: 1 p.m., Memorial Field, Fremont, Neb.
• Records: No. 5 Morningside 6-0, 6-0 GPAC; Midland Lutheran 5-2, 5-1 GPAC
• Player to watch: Midland RB-RS Darious Bentley was the special teams player of the week after returning the opening kickoff against Dordt 75 yards for a touchdown.
• Outlook: A battle for a share of second place between two powerhouse running attacks. The Mustangs lead the league at 283 yards per game and Midland ranks fourth (212). The Mustangs are giving up just seven points a game. “We’re playing our best football of the year right now,’’ Midland coach Casey Thiele said. “We need to play a perfect game to beat this team.’’

Dana at Hastings College
• When/where: 1 p.m., Lloyd Wilson Field, Hastings, Neb.
• Records: Dana 0-7, 0-6 GPAC; No. 21 Hastings 6-2, 5-2 GPAC
• Player to watch: Hastings LB Mackenzie Hemje totaled 14 tackles last week against Nebraska Wesleyan.
• Outlook: Dana is improving while the Broncos will try to forge ahead after injuries to their top two quarterbacks.

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