Brett Wilkin Oct. 5, 2009

No. 9 Central faces big road test

PELLA—Central College can clinch its 48th winning college football season since 1960 with an Iowa Conference victory at Simpson College in Indianola Saturday, but must overcome a team that defeated it last season and is unbeaten at home in 2009.

Game time is 1 p.m. at Bill Buxton Stadium.

Central is 5-0 overall and 3-0 in league play. The Dutch were ranked No. 8 in last week’s AFCA Division III coaches’ poll and are No. 9 in the latest D3football.com rankings.

Simpson is 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference after suffering a 23-13 defeat at Luther College Saturday in Decorah.

On the air, on the Web—Trevor Castle will call the play-by-play on KRLS-FM (92.1) and the broadcast can also be accessed through Central’s Web site at www.central.edu/athletics or through www.kniakrls.com.

The series—Simpson handed Central a 24-17 overtime loss in last year’s season finale. That snapped a four-game Dutch win streak in the teams’ series, which Central leads 56-27-3. Simpson is the oldest rival on the Dutch schedule as the teams first met in 1905.

Simpson—Simpson has 13 starters back from last year under second-year coach Jim Glogowski after going 7-3 in his first season.

“They have some very good athletes,” coach Jeff McMartin said. “It’s their homecoming game and it’s a traditional rivalry, so they’ll be excited to play.”

The offensive attack is built around senior quarterback Tyson Unkrich. He leads the team in rushing, averaging 59.2 yards a game with three touchdowns. He’s also completed 60 of 133 passes for 825 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. Sophomore Ben Coy has 14 pass receptions for 196 yards and two scores.

Sophomore linebacker Braden Everding has a team-high 50 tackles, including 27 solos.

It’s a veteran club with eight seniors starting on offense and six on defense.

Sacks piling up—Central is the Iowa Conference quarterback sacks leader with 19. Defensive lineman Shane Wong (junior, Pleasant Hill, Southeast Polk HS) tops the individual chart with eight (1.60 per game). He had a league-leading 10 in 2008.

The Dutch sack attack lost a key component with last Saturday’s injury to defensive lineman Aaron Steenhoek (junior, Pella), who is having a breakout season. Steenhoek ranks second in the league in sacks with 5.5 and is first in the conference in tackles for loss with 10 (2.0 per game).

However McMartin noted that Central’s sack totals are a combined effort.

“Our defensive line and linebackers are all doing a very good job,” he said. “We feel like we have some depth.”

Winning up front—After Saturday’s victory McMartin said the Dutch offensive line is playing at a higher level than most units in his six-year tenure.

“There have been some really good offensive linemen here in that time,” he said. “These are not necessarily the best individual players we’ve had but this is the best we’ve looked collectively. As a unit, all five guys are working really well together. Coaches Reid Evans, Eric Jones and Drew Sikkink deserve a lot of credit.

“The other factor that’s helping is our tight ends are blocking very well. They’ve really done a good job.”

Stat leaders—A couple of lopsided wins have helped Central build a statistical advantage in several areas. The Dutch are first in league team statistics in scoring (36.4 points per game), scoring defense (14.2), total offense (432.6 yards), total defense (289.0), rush offense (266.2), rush defense (55.8), kickoff returns (27.2 yards), third-down conversions (35.8 percent), time of possession (32:42) and red zone efficiency (21-22, 16 touchdowns).

Individually David Zachary (senior, Des Moines, Dowling HS) is the league rushing leader with 113.6 yards per game. He gained 100 yards on 14 carries in the first quarter Saturday and finished with 119 yards on 20 rushes. He’s been over the 100-yard mark in four of five games. Quarterback Nate Snead (sophomore, Altoona, Southeast Polk HS) is third in rushing with 80.4 yards per game.

Quarterback Zack Bandow (junior, Manilla, IKM HS) is the league passing efficiency leader with a 169.3 rating. He’s completed 30 of 42 passes for 356 yards with one interception and four touchdowns.

Jake Viggers (junior, Altoona, Southeast Polk HS) is first in scoring (7.0 points per game) and field goals (1.2). He kicked two field goals Saturday and is 6-of-7 for the year. He’s 27-of-33 for his career. Another 13 field goals before he graduates would move him into the Division III career top 10. He’s already Central’s career record-holder.

“Jake had a couple of good kicks (Saturday), especially considering the wind conditions,” McMartin said. “I thought Kurtis Brondyke (junior, Clinton) had some great kickoffs and it was nice to see him get a big punt (55 yards in his only attempt). He’s really been working on that.”

Offensive numbers--Central has already topped last year’s season rushing yardage total of 1,114 with 1,331 yards through the first five games. The Dutch are averaging 266.2 yards rushing per game. Central hasn’t averaged that lofty total over a full season since 1994.

Central had 525 yards total offense Saturday after gaining 504 yards in a 40-17 season-opening win at Lakeland (Wis.) Sept. 5. It’s the first time since 1995 that the Dutch have topped the 500-yard mark twice in one season.

Ball hogs--A late third-quarter interception ended Central’s streak of 12 straight quarters of play without a turnover. The Dutch later lost a fumble but still only has three turnovers for the season. Central threw 87 passes without an interception, including 57 completions. Quarterback Nate Snead (sophomore, Altoona, Southeast Polk HS) has thrown 53 consecutive passes without an interception, including 32 completions.