#24 Wartburg vs. #8/#6 Coe, Saturday, Oct. 16, 1 p.m. Clark Field, Coe campus, Cedar Rapids
For the fans – Live audio, statistics and video are available via links on the scrolling schedule at www.go-knights.net, the Internet home of Wartburg athletics
Knights notes: Coach Rick Willis’ 2010 Knights, out to the program’s best start since 2003, spent a second week on the American Football Coaches Association’s top 25 at No. 24. They earned 40 ranking votes on D3Football.com’s poll as well for the No. 26 slot. … Recent history against Coe shows games being very tightly-contested. In seven of the last 10 meetings, the margin of victory has been seven points or less. Last year’s Kohawk win in Waverly snapped a six-game series win streak for the Knights. … The defense has been a big key to the team’s 5-0 overall and 3-0 Iowa Conference record. Wartburg is stingy in several areas, leading the conference in fewest points (5.4 pg allowed), total yards gained (226.2 ypg allowed), rushing (82 ypg allowed), passing (144.2 ypg allowed), and pass efficiency (84.4 rating allowed). They’ve also been aggressive with 21 sacks and opportunistic with 13 interceptions and five fumble recoveries for a plus 11 turnover margin. The sack and interception totals lead the league. The defense’s numbers have gained national attention, ranking second in NCAA Division III in scoring defense and turnover margin and seventh in sacks. … Special teams are a plus, too. Junior punter Robby Salmon (Mason City), at 43.94 yards per kick average, is second in the nation and leads the conference. Junior return specialist Josh VanDenHul (N. Sioux City, SD), is in the top 100 of Division III in punt (24.83 ypr) and kickoff (6.43 ypr) returns. … Highlighting the offense, sophomore running back Reese Thompson (Van Horne) is second in the league in yards per game (95.2), a stat that ranks him in the top 60 in Division III. Junior quarterback Dan Stiefel (Sterling Heights, MI), numbers are on the rise. He’s recorded his top three yardage efforts in the last three games and been over 190 in two of those contests, increasing a streak of consecutive games (38) in which Wartburg quarterbacks have thrown for 100-yards-or-more. A large part of that is due to a line that’s surrendered only two sacks in 20 quarters, a conference-best and NCAA Division III top 10 figure. Stiefel’s top targets are the upperclassman duo of junior Levi Helbling (Malvern) and senior Jason Roskam (Sioux Center). They’re each above 250 yards receiving and in double figures in receptions. He’s also spreading out the wealth with five players having five-or-more catches. … Wartburg takes a six-game road win streak, part of a 10-1 mark over their last 11 away contests, into the weekend. Their last road loss came in the 2009 season opener at St. Norbert. … Willis’ team returns to Walston-Hoover Stadium Saturday, Oct. 23, for its 2010 Homecoming game against the University of Dubuque. The battle with the Spartans opens two in a row at home as Luther College of Decorah comes to Waverly Oct. 30.
