|
Kildow Named To Academic All-District Team
Richard Is GPAC Offensive Player Of The Week
Kildow A Finalist For Campbell Trophy
Kildow Named GPAC Special Teams Player Of The Week
Peterson Is National And GPAC Offensive Player Of The Week
Todd Earns GPAC Defensive Honor
Peterson Is GPAC Offensive Player Of The Week
Kildow Named GPAC Offensive Player Of The Week
Morningside College (8-0) is a NAIA member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Morningside is ranked fourth nationally in the NAIA. The Mustangs posted a 10-2 record last season, including a 9-1 mark in the GPAC to finish second in the league standings, and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA Championship Series. Morningside has been one of the nation’s most successful football programs since the start of the 2004 season with a record of 56-12 for a .824 winning percentage and five consecutive appearances in the NAIA Championship Series, where they have advanced to at least the quarterfinals each of the last four years.
Briar Cliff University (3-6) is a NAIA member of the GPAC. The Chargers posted a 2-9 record last season and finished ninth in the GPAC standings with a 2-8 league mark.
 Steve Ryan (Wheaton 1989) is in his eighth season as Morningside’s head coach. Ryan has a 64-24 record for a .727 winning percentage with the Mustangs for the highest victory rate in Morningside history. Ryan, who ranks third in the Mustangs’ annals with his 64 victories, has led the Mustangs to five consecutive appearances in the NAIA Championship Series. He was named the 2005 GPAC Coach of the Year and the 2005 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Region 4 Coach of the Year after he guided Morningside to a 12-1 record, a GPAC regular season championship, and the NAIA Semifinals. He was named the 2004 GPAC Coach of the Year as well as the 2004 NAIA Football.net National Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to an 8-3 record and their first-ever appearance in the NAIA Championship Series. Ryan guided Morningside to a 5-5 record in 2002 in his first season with the Mustangs to snap the team’s streak of 15 consecutive losing seasons. He was previously an assistant coach at Ottawa University. Ryan was a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starter as a linebacker during his playing career at Wheaton College.
Tom Rethman (Knox 1992) is in his second season at Briar Cliff. Rethman has a 5-15 career record with the Chargers and as a collegiate head coach. He was previously the offensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for seven years. Rethman has also been an assistant coach at Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University, Knox College, and Carroll College. Rethman was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive back during his playing career at NCAA Division III Knox College.
Morningside 56, Dakota Wesleyan 21
Morningside 20, Northwestern 7
Morningside 72, Dordt 0
Morningside 62, Dana 7
Morningside 46, Hastings 0
Morningside 58, Concordia 7
Morningside 38, Midland Lutheran 27
Morningside 78, Doane 14
Nov. 7- at Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
Nov. 14- Sioux Falls, 1 p.m.
Grand View 27, Briar Cliff 21
Briar Cliff 23, Dana 0
Hastings 31, Briar Cliff 20
Concordia 21, Briar Cliff 10
Midland Lutheran 21, Briar Cliff 14
Sioux Falls 41, Briar Cliff 8
Briar Cliff 33, Dakota Wesleyan 7
Northwestern 33, Briar Cliff 28
Briar Cliff 30, Dordt 3
Nov. 7- Morningside, 1 p.m.
Nov 14- at Nebraska Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
1.Morningside and Sioux Falls, 8-0; 3.Northwestern, 7-2; 4.Hastings, 6-2; 5.Midland Lutheran and Nebraska Wesleyan, 5-3; 7.Briar Cliff, 3-5; 8.Concordia, 3-6; 9.Dakota Wesleyan and Doane, 2-6; 11.Dana and Dordt, 0-8.
 Morningside was ranked fourth nationally in the Oct. 26 NAIA poll.
1.Sioux Falls (S.D.), 8-0, 444 points; 2.Carroll (Mont.) 9-0, 425; 3.Lindenwood (Mo.), 7-0, 412; 4.Morningside 7-0, 393; 5.Lambuth (Tenn.), 8-0, 369; 6.Saint Xavier (Ill.), 9-0, 360; 7.Ottawa (Kan.), 7-0, 337; 8.Saint Francis (Ind.), 6-1, 317; 9.Missouri Valley, 7-1, 309; 10.MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 7-1, 289; 11.McKendree (Ill.), 7-1, 276; 12.Northwestern (Iowa), 7-1, and Cumberland (Ky.), 7-1, 243; 14.Friends (Kan.), 6-1, and Langston (Okla.), 6-2, 208; 16.McPherson (Kan.), 6-1, 195; 17.Minot State (N.D.), 6-1, 191; 18.Walsh (Ohio), 6-2, 145; 19.Hastings (Neb.), 7-2, 130; 20.Dickinson State (N.D.), 6-2, 126; 21.Ohio Dominican, 5-2, 86; 22.Grand View (Iowa), 6-2, 84; 23.Eastern Oregon, 6-3, 40; 24.Campbellsville (Ky.), 5-3, 36; 25.Shorter (Ga.), 5-3, 35.
Morningside has won all six previous meetings between the two teams and has surrendered only five touchdowns in the process.
The Mustangs racked up their highest point total of the 2008 season when they toppled Briar Cliff 73-8 last season on Nov. 8 at Elwood Olsen Stadium. Ian Gilworth passed for 169 yards and four touchdowns, including three TD passes to Beau Kildow on strikes of 28, 44, and six yards. Kildow finished with seven receptions for 115 yards, while Jake Peterson paced the Mustangs’ rushing attack with 67 yards in nine carries. C.J. Gradoville kicked a 30-yard field goal and was a perfect 10-for-10 on PATs to earn GPAC Special Team Player of the Week honors.
The Morningside defense scored a touchdown when Brice Buryanek intercepted a pass and returned the theft 43 yards to pay dirt and the Mustangs’ special teams accounted for two other scores when Joe Don Hunter returned a blocked punt 11 yards for a touchdown and Brett Nickolite recovered a fumble by the Briar Cliff punter and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.
The Mustangs’ defense dominated the action by holding Briar Cliff to 157 yards total offense and didn’t allow a score until David Shepard scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Shepard finished with 87 yards in 25 carries. Briar Cliff’s passing game netted only 86 yards. Chase Colvin led the Chargers with five receptions for 28 yards.
Nickolite topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart with nine stops.
Morningside has an all-time record of 86-33-3 against the current members of the GPAC.
Morningside toppled Doane College 78-14 last Saturday at Elwood Olsen Stadium for its highest scoring total since a 79-0 win against Western Union College during the 1933 season.
Tim Richard was the ring leader of the Mustangs’ offensive explosion with one of the greatest single-game passing performances in Morningside history. Richard completed his first 15 attempts of the game on his way to a dazzling 21 completions in 22 attempts for 339 yards and a career-high six touchdowns to finish one TD pass shy of a school record. Richard broke his own school record for single-game passing accuracy by completing 95.5 percent of his attempts. Three of Richard’s touchdown passes went to Chad Buchholz on scoring strikes of 24, 25, and 17 yards. His other TD passes covered distances of 10 yards to Jake Peterson, 27 yards to Beau Kildow, and 14 yards to Bradley Norwood.
Morningside also had touchdown runs of one yard by Peterson, eight yards by Kildow, and two yards by Joe Don Hunter. The Mustangs’ defense also got into the scoring act when Brett Nickolite returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown and Jared Goforth returned a fumble 31 yards for a touchdown.
Buchholz enjoyed a career day with six catches for 141 yards, while Kildow had a game-high seven receptions for 98 yards. Hunter paced the Mustangs’ ground game with 103 yards in 16 carries.
Nickolite topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart with eight stops. Nickolite, Mike Buckley, and Taylor Smith all had interceptions.
 Tim Richard, a 6-2, 220 lb. senior quarterback from Underwood, Iowa, finished one completion shy of perfection when he completed 21 of 22 pass attempts for 339 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 78-14 victory against Doane. Richard, who completed his first 15 attempts for the game, broke his own school record for single-game passing accuracy with a completion rate of 95.5 percent to shatter his previous Mustang record of 84.2 percent when he went 16-for-19 in a 56-21 victory against Dakota Wesleyan University in the season opener. Richard’s 339 yards passing against Doane was one yard shy of his career high and his six touchdown passes was one shy of a Morningside record. Richard’s touchdown passes were completions of 24, 25, and 17 yards to Chad Buchholz, 27 yards to Beau Kildow, 14 yards to Bradley Norwood, and 10 yards to Jake Peterson. His longest completion of the game was a 51-yard strike to Buchholz.
Richard is the NAIA national leader with a passing efficiency rating of 222.8. He has passed for 1,962 yards and 25 touchdowns and is averaging 245.2 yards passing per game. His 1,962 yard passing is the ninth highest single-season total in Morningside history. Richard is on pace to break the Mustangs’ single-season completion percentage record of 67.6 percent set by Ian Gilworth last season. Richard has completed 115 of 159 attempts for 72.3 percent and has been intercepted only four times. His completions have gone for an average of 17.1 yards. Richard has passed for over 300 yards three times this season, including a career-high 340 yards in the Mustangs’ 56-21 win against Dakota Wesleyan University on Sept. 5.
He regained the starting position this fall after backing up record-setting quarterback Ian Gilworth for the past two seasons. Richard completed 11 of 19 pass attempts for 183 yards with two touchdowns and one interception last season.
Richard was the Mustangs’ starter in 2006 when he passed for 1,971 yards for the sixth highest single-season passing yardage total in Morningside history. Richards completed 54.3 percent of his attempts with 158 completions in 291 attempts with 13 touchdowns.
Richard has completed 292 of 480 pass attempts (60.8 percent) for 4,182 yards with 40 touchdowns and 22 interceptions during his Morningside career. He is the fourth leading passer in Morningside history with his 4,182 yards.
Richard earned third-team Class 1A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) as a senior at Underwood High School when he completed 37 of 78 pass attempts for 663 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 985 yards and 10 touchdowns.
 Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. senior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., scored two touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 78-14 victory against Doane with an eight-yard run and a 27-yard pass reception to raise his career total to 34 touchdowns to tie a Morningside record first set by Tyler Childress from 2005-08. The 27-yard touchdown catch was the school-record 33rd career TD reception of Kildow’s Morningside career. Kildow caught seven passes for 98 yards and also returned three punts for 34 yards in the Doane game.
He is one of 16 national finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to the best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Kildow, who has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average with majors in biology and chemistry, will be recognized along with the other finalists at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City on Dec. 8.
Kildow is the Mustangs’ leading pass receiver with 49 catches for 959 yards and 11 touchdowns for an average of 19.6 yards per catch. His 959 reception yards is the seventh highest single-season total in Morningside history. He ranks fourth in the nation with an average of 119.9 pass reception yards per game and seventh with an average of 171.0 all-purpose yards per contest. Kildow earned GPAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after he tied Morningside’s single-game pass reception yardage record when he caught 10 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 56-21 win against Dakota Wesleyan University in the season opener. Aside from leading the Mustangs in pass receiving, Kildow also tops the team with averages of 27.7 yards on kickoff returns and 9.8 yards on punt returns. He was named the GPAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned three kickoffs for 99 yards, including a 50-yarder for his longest return of the season, in the Mustangs’ 38-27 victory against Midland Lutheran College on Oct. 24.
Kildow was a first-team College Fanz Sports Network (CFSN) All-American and a first-team All-GPAC selection last season when he averaged a team-high 142.4 all-purpose yards per game. Kildow caught 64 passes for a team-high 977 yards and 14 touchdowns for an average of 15.7 yards per catch. His 977 reception yards was the sixth highest single-season total in Morningside history and his 64 receptions ranked 10th among the college’s single-season bests. Kildow’s top single-game performance came in the Mustangs’ 65-27 NAIA opening round playoff victory against Baker University when he caught nine passes for a career-high 204 yards and two touchdowns. The 204 reception yards was the fifth highest single-game total in Morningside history. Kildow was also the Mustangs’ leading kick return specialist last season with averages of 11.3 yards per punt return and 27.4 yards per kickoff return.
Kildow earned Victory Sports Network (VSN) honorable mention All-America honors in addition to first-team All-GPAC laurels as a sophomore when he caught 65 passes for 864 yards and seven touchdowns and averaged 12.2 yards per punt return and 22.6 yards per kickoff return. Kildow averaged a team-high 142.8 all-purpose yards per game.
Kildow is one of the leading receivers in Morningside history with career totals of 181 catches for 2,853 yards and a school-record 33 touchdown receptions. Kildow ranks third in Morningside history with his 2,853 career reception yards and 181 career receptions. He is 84 yards and 20 receptions behind the college’s second place totals of 2,937 career yards and 201 career receptions by Mitch Allner, who played at Morningside from 1996-99.
Aside from his pass catching exploits, Kildow is also one of the top kick return specialists in Morningside history. He has 77 punt returns for 879 yards for an average of 11.4 yards per return and 44 kickoff returns for 1,082 yards for an average of 24.6 yards per return during his career. Kildow is challenging the Morningside career records of 10.0 yards per punt return by Allner and 22.5 yards per kickoff return by Nate Cole from 1983-85.
 Jake Peterson, a 5-11, 200 lb. senior running back from Armstrong, Iowa, scored on a one-yard run with 8:11 left in the second quarter of the Mustangs’ 78-14 win against Doane for his school-record breaking 16th rushing touchdown of the season to break the former Mustang record of 15 rushing TDs by Tyler Childress in 2005. Peterson also caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tim Richard earlier in the game to open the scoring at the 13:25 mark of the first quarter. He is the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 20 touchdowns and 120 points and has moved within two touchdowns of Morningside’s single-season record of 22 TDs by Trae Johnson in 2005. Peterson is the NAIA national scoring leader with his 20 touchdowns and an average of 15.0 points per game. Peterson rushed for 86 yards in 11 carries against Doane for an average of 7.8 yards per carry. He also had a 26-yard kickoff return to raise his season’s average to 25.5 yards per return and caught two passes for 20 yards. Four of Peterson’s eight pass receptions this season have gone for touchdowns. His eight catches have gone for 186 yards for an average of 23.2 yards per catch.
Peterson has rushed for 1,251 yards and 16 touchdowns in 159 attempts for an average of 7.9 yards per carry and is the NAIA national leader with an average of 156.4 yards per game. His 1,251 yards is the third highest single-season rushing total in Morningside history and just 33 yards behind the second place total of 1,284 yards by Connie Callahan in 1949. Peterson is within 74 yards of Dave Bigler’s Morningside single-season record of 1,325 yards rushing set in 1971. Aside from leading the nation in rushing and scoring, Peterson is also the NAIA national leader in all-purpose yards with an average of 198.8 yards per game.
Peterson has rushed for over 100 yards in six of the Mustangs’ eight games and has topped the 200-yard mark three times. He has three of the top five single-game rushing performances in Morningside history this season, including a school-record 284 yards in 22 carries in a 62-7 win against Dana College on Oct. 3 that garnered him GPAC and NAIA National Player of the Week laurels. Peterson also received GPAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after he ran for 225 yards in the Mustangs’ 20-7 win against nationally ranked Northwestern College on Sept. 12. He also topped the 200-yard mark when he ran for 203 yards in the Mustangs’ 46-0 win at nationally ranked Hastings College on Oct. 10.
Peterson rushed for 610 yards and 11 touchdowns in 124 attempts for an average of 4.9 yards per carry last season en route to first-team All-GPAC honors. He ran for a season’s high 109 yards in the Mustangs’ 26-21 win at Northwestern College on Sept. 13 for the Mustangs’ first 100-yard rushing performance in the regular season since the 2006 campaign. Aside from his rushing exploits, Peterson returned 13 kickoffs for an average of 23.5 yards per return and had the Mustangs’ longest kickoff return of the season with a 61-yarder against Northwestern.
Peterson has rushed for 1,861 yards and 27 touchdowns in 283 attempts for an average of 6.6 yards per carry during his Morningside career to make him the third leading rusher in school history. Peterson is only 11 yards behind the college’s second place total of 1,872 career yards by Tyler Childress from 2005-08. Peterson has rushed for over 100 yards seven times during his Morningside career, including three performances of 200 yards or more. Aside from his rushing exploits, Peterson has also returned 19 kickoffs for 459 yards for an average of 24.2 yards per return during his Morningside career.
Peterson joined the Mustangs last year as a transfer from Iowa Central Community College, where he rushed for 1,070 yards and 17 touchdowns in 248 attempts for an average of 4.3 yards per carry in 2007. He returned 10 kickoffs for an average of 26.8 yards per return.
Peterson was a first-team Class A Des Moines Register all-state running back as a prep senior at Armstrong-Ringsted High School.
 C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. junior kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, kicked a 36-yard field goal in the Mustangs’ win against Doane for the 30th field goal of his career to move within one three-pointer of the Morningside career record of 31 field goals by Chris Hogzett from 1992-95. Gradoville also made nine PATs to raise his season’s point tally to 66 points. Gradoville, who ranks fifth nationally in kick scoring with an average of 8.3 points per game, has made 48 of 53 PAT attempts and six of eight field goal attempts with a long of 39 yards. He has made 19 of his last 20 field goal attempts dating back to the 2007 season. Gradoville had a streak of 98 consecutive made PAT attempts end earlier this season.
Gradoville was a College Fanz Sports Network (CFSN) first-team All-American as well as a first-team All-GPAC selection last year when he led the nation in kick scoring with 112 points for an average of 9.3 points per game. Gradoville was a perfect 12-for-12 on field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards and converted 76 of 77 PAT attempts. His 76 PATs shattered the former Morningside single-season record of 56 PATs by Jared Small in 2005 and his 12 field goals tied his own Mustang single-season mark he had set the previous season. Gradoville was named the NAIA National Special Teams Player of the Week when he made four field goals to finish one shy of a Morningside single-game record in the Mustangs’ 26-21 victory against Northwestern College on Sept. 13. He also earned GPAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after he kicked three field goals and made seven PATs to set a GPAC single-game kick scoring record with 16 points in the Mustangs’ 58-7 win against Dana College on Oct. 4. He earned the weekly GPAC award for a third time when he converted all 10 of his PAT attempts and kicked a 30-yard field goal in the Mustangs’ 73-8 win against Briar Cliff on Nov. 8.
He earned second-team All-GPAC honors as a freshman when he made 12 of 18 field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards and was perfect on 55 PAT attempts to lead the Mustangs in scoring with 97 points.
Gradoville has made 30 of 38 field goal attempts and a school-record 179 of 185 PAT attempts, plus has one touchdown, for 275 points during his Morningside career. With 30 career field goals, Gradoville is one shy of the Morningside record of 31 career field goals by Chris Hogzett from 1992-95. He is also closing in on the Morningside scoring record of 299 career points set by Jerry Johnson from 1914-17.
Gradoville was a two-time all-stater during his prep career at Council Bluffs St. Albert High School. Gradoville earned first-team Class 1A all-state laurels from both the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register as a senior and was a second-team INA all-state selection as a junior.
 Chad Buchholz, a 6-1, 195 lb. senior wide receiver from Newell, Iowa, had the best game of his Morningside career when he caught six passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 78-14 victory against Doane. Buchholz, who had his first 100-yard game as a collegian, caught touchdown passes of 24, 25, and 17 yards from Tim Richard. He also had a 51-yard reception for the longest catch of his Morningside career. He moved into third place on the Mustangs’ receiving chart with 16 receptions for 243 yards for an average of 15.2 yards per catch.
Buchholz led the Mustangs’ receivers with an average of 16.1 yards per catch last season when he caught 16 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
He has caught 43 passes for 631 yards and six touchdowns during his Morningside career.
Buchholz received first-team Class A all-state honors from both the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register as a prep senior at Newell-Fonda High School after he set school scoring records with 25 touchdowns and 152 points. He caught 29 passes for 533 yards for an average of 18.4 yards per catch with eight touchdowns, plus rushed for 957 yards and 12 touchdowns in 104 attempts for an average of 9.2 yards per carry. Buchholz returned five punts for touchdowns and finished the season with 20 returns for 470 yards for an average of 23.5 yards per return.
 Joe Don Hunter, a 6-0, 215 lb. senior running back from Council Bluffs, Iowa, rushed for over 100 yards for the second time this season when he ran for 103 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries in the Mustangs’ win against Doane. His touchdown run was a two-yard burst with 5:10 left in the third quarter. He had the Mustangs’ longest run from scrimmage in the contest with a 26-yard dash in the third quarter and also had a 24-yard run in the second stanza. Hunter is the Mustangs’ second leading rusher with 446 yards and six touchdowns in 77 attempts for an average of 5.8 yards per carry. He rushed for 105 yards in the Mustangs’ 56-21 win against Dakota Wesleyan in the season opener.
Hunter was the Mustangs’ leading rusher last season when he ran for 759 yards and 13 touchdowns in 138 attempts and set a school record with an average of 5.5 yards per carry to top the former Morningside single-season standard of 5.1 yards per carry by Dave Bigler in 1971. Hunter topped the 100-yard mark twice last season, including a season’s high 137 yards and three touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 34-31 loss against Lindenwood University in the NAIA Quarterfinals. He also topped the 100-yard mark with 133 yards in the Mustangs’ 38-7 win against Midland Lutheran College on Oct. 25. Hunter earned honorable mention All-GPAC recognition last year.
Injuries limited Hunter to 34 carries for 93 yards in 2007 after he had joined the Mustangs as a transfer from NCAA Division II Northwest Missouri State University.
Hunter has rushed for 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns in 249 attempts for an average of 5.2 yards per carry during his Mustang career.
 Jared Goforth, a 6-0, 180 lb. freshman defensive back from Polk City, Iowa, scored the first touchdown of his collegiate career in the fourth quarter of the Mustangs’ 78-14 win against Doane when he picked up a fumble and ran 31 yards to the end zone.
Goforth was a first-team Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) Class 4A all-stater last year when he had 69 tackles and six interceptions for an Ankeny High School team that reached the semifinals of the state playoffs. Goforth also rushed for 873 yards and 10 touchdowns in 92 attempts for an average of 9.5 yards per carry and caught five passes for 244 yards for an average of 48.8 yards per reception. He also averaged 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 14.2 yards per punt return.
Brett Nickolite, a 5-11, 230 lb. senior linebacker from Stanton, Neb., intercepted an Anthony Dunn pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of the Mustangs’ win against Doane. The interception was his team-high third of the season. Nickolite has returned his interceptions 75 yards for an average of 25.0 yards per return. Nickolite was the Mustangs’ leading tackler in the Doane game with five solos and three assists for eight total tackles. Nickolite is the Mustangs’ second leading tackler this season with 25 solos and 27 assists for 52 total tackles. He also ranks second on the team with four pass breakups.
Nickolite was the Mustangs’ leading tackler last season when he racked up 51 solos and 58 assists for 109 total tackles, including a team-high 15 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 67 yards. Nickolite also led the Mustangs with three forced fumbles and two blocked kicks to go along with five pass breakups and 2.5 quarterback sacks en route to honorable mention All-GPAC honors. He had four double figure tackle performances, including a career-high 18 tackles against the University of Sioux Falls.
He was a Victory Sports Network (VSN) honorable mention All-American and a first-team All-GPAC performer in 2007 when he had a school-record 17.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 68 yards to go along with a team-high six quarterback sacks, two blocked kicks, and two fumble recoveries. He also had four interceptions and four pass breakups and was the Mustangs’ second leading tackler with 35 solos and 38 assists for 73 total tackles.
Nickolite has 10.5 quarterback sacks and 37 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 159 yards during his Morningside career. He also has career totals of 248 tackles, seven interceptions, and 13 pass breakups.
Nickolite was a two-time all-stater during his prep career at Stanton Community High School. Nickolite amassed over 100 tackles each of his last three seasons, including a career-high 199 stops as a junior. Aside from his defensive exploits, Nickolite rushed for 1,090 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior and 1,521 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior.
 Marshall Tuttle, a 6-1, 220 lb. junior linebacker from Sioux City, is the Mustangs’ leading tackler this season with 23 solos and 35 assists for 58 total tackles as well as the team leader with 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 23 yards and with two fumble recoveries.
He led the Mustangs with 5.5 quarterback sacks last season en route to honorable mention All-GPAC honors. Tuttle had 24 solos and 53 assists for 77 total tackles and ranked third on the team with 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 36 yards. He also had two interceptions, two blocked kicks, and three pass breakups.
Tuttle ranked second on the Mustangs with five quarterback sacks in 2007 despite playing only sparingly until the second half of the season.
He is the Mustangs’ active leader with 12.5 quarterback sacks during his career. Tuttle’s career totals also include 163 tackles, 25 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 101 yards, and two interceptions.
Tuttle earned third-team Class 4A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) in addition to second-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a senior at Sioux City East High School when he ranked second on the team with 69 tackles despite missing the first four games of the season with an injury.
Ben Haugen, a 6-2, 245 lb. senior defensive lineman from Estherville, Iowa, is the Mustangs’ top pass rusher with four quarterback sacks and five quarterback hurries. He leads the Mustangs’ defensive linemen with 27 tackles, including 6.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 40 yards.
Haugen went into the 2008 season as a starter before he suffered a season ending injury in the first game.
 Morningside’s 78 points in last Saturday’s win against Doane was its highest scoring total since a 79-0 victory against Western Union College in 1933. The Mustangs also scored over 70 points earlier this season in a 72-0 win against Dordt College on Sept. 19. Morningside is the second highest scoring team in the nation with an average of 53.8 points per game and has scored 38 points or more in seven of its eight games, including each of the last six contests. Morningside led the nation in team scoring offense last season with an average of 48.0 points per game. Morningside has scored over 30 points in 24 of its last 27 contests dating back to the 2007 season. Morningside has scored in 38 consecutive games since it was shut out 24-0 by the University of Sioux Falls on Oct. 14, 2006.
Morningside ranks fourth nationally with an average of 516.8 yards total offense per game and fifth nationally in team rushing offense with an average of 250.8 yards per game. The Mustangs are averaging 6.2 yards per rushing attempt and had two players rush for over 100 yards in the same game for the first time since the 1999 season when Jake Peterson and Joe Don Hunter rushed for 146 and 105 yards, respectively, in a 56-21 victory against Dakota Wesleyan University in the season opener.
Along with ranking second nationally in team scoring offense, the Mustangs also rank second nationally in team scoring defense with an average of 10.4 points per game. Morningside has held five of its eight opponents to single digit scoring totals and has shut out two of its opponents with a 72-0 win against Dordt College and a 46-0 win against nationally ranked Hastings College. The Mustangs have held 14 of their last 25 opponents to single digit scoring totals dating back to the 2007 season.
The Mustangs are 10th in the nation in team total defense by allowing an average of only 262.0 yards per game.
Morningside has intercepted at least one pass in 31 of its last 32 games dating back to the 2006 campaign.
Morningside has a 56-12 record for a .824 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season and has qualified for the NAIA Championship Series each of the past five seasons. The Mustangs finished 10-2 in 2008 for their second highest victory total in school history and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA playoffs.
Morningside has a 29-3 record for a .906 winning percentage at Elwood Olsen Stadium since the start of the 2004 season.
Morningside has a 52-6 mark when it has scored first and a 12-18 record when its opponent has scored first during the Steve Ryan era. Since the start of the 2004 season the Mustangs are 46-4 when they have scored first and 10-8 when their opponent has scored first.
 Bradley Norwood, a 6-3, 195 lb. junior wide receiver from Runnells, Iowa, caught a touchdown pass for the second game in a row when he caught a 14-yard scoring pass from Tim Richard with 5:38 left in the second quarter of the Mustangs’ 78-14 win against Doane. Norwood finished the contest with three receptions for 43 yards. He is the Mustangs’ fourth leading receiver with 15 catches for 173 yards.
He has caught 30 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns during his Morningside career.
Norwood received third-team Class 2A all-state honors from the INA as a prep senior at Prairie City-Monroe (PCM) High School when he caught 33 passes for 463 yards and five touchdowns. His 33 receptions tied a school single-season record. Norwood graduated from PCM as its all-time leader with 1,085 career pass reception yards.
Mike Buckley, a 6-2, 185 lb. senior free safety from Sioux Falls, S.D., picked off an Anthony Dunn pass and returned the theft 20 yards in the second quarter of the Mustangs’ win against Doane. It was Buckley’s team-high third interception of the season. Buckley also had two solo tackles, two assisted tackles, and a pass breakup in the victory.
Buckley ranked second on the Mustangs with four interceptions and five pass breakups to go along with 46 tackles last season.
He was the Mustangs’ co-leader with seven interceptions and their third leading tackler with 32 solos and 36 assists for 68 tackles in 2007 to earn second-team All-GPAC honors. Buckley tied a Morningside single-game record when he had three interceptions in the Mustangs’ 33-7 victory against Northwestern College.
Buckley had 34 tackles and two pass breakups when he started as a true freshman during the 2006 campaign.
Buckley has 187 tackles, 14 interceptions, and 13 pass breakups during his Morningside career.
Taylor Smith, a 6-0, 180 lb. sophomore defensive back from Le Mars, Iowa, had the first interception of his collegiate career to go along with a solo tackle when he picked off a Reid Rando pass in the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s 78-14 win against Doane.
 John Sievert, a 5-11, 180 lb. sophomore quarterback from Akron, Iowa, saw his most extensive playing stint of the season when he quarterbacked the Mustangs for all but one offensive series in the second half of last Saturday’s 78-14 win against Doane. Sievert completed seven of 10 pass attempts for 47 yards and ran the ball three times for 22 yards. Sievert completed a 22-yard pass to Colby Rohde in the fourth quarter for his longest completion of the season. He has completed 16 of 27 pass attempts (59.3 percent) for 166 yards with one touchdown and one interception as the Mustangs’ backup quarterback.
Sievert earned third-team Class 1A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and was a Sioux City Journal third-team All-Northwest Iowa selection as a prep senior at Akron-Westfield High School.
Colby Rohde, a 6-3, 210 lb. sophomore running back from Wathena, Kan., had the first pass receptions of his collegiate career when he caught four passes for 37 yards in the Mustangs’ win against Doane. His longest reception went for 22 yards.
Kyle Christensen, a 6-3, 200 lb. junior wide receiver from Carroll, Iowa, had the first reception of his collegiate career when he caught an 11-yard pass from John Sievert in the fourth quarter of the Mustangs’ win against Doane.
Christensen earned second-team Class 3A all-state honors as a quarterback from the INA and first-team all-state laurels as a defensive back from the Des Moines Register as a prep senior at Carroll High School. He was one of Iowa’s top passers in the state as a senior when he completed 59.0 percent of his attempts and threw for 2,217 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Joel Nixon, a 6-0, 170 lb. sophomore wide receiver from Wakefield, Neb., caught three passes for 37 yards in the Mustangs’ win against Doane. His longest reception went for 31 yards. Nixon is the Mustangs’ second leading receiver with 22 receptions for 344 yards and four touchdowns for an average of 15.6 yards per catch. Sixteen of his receptions have come in the last three games.
Nixon quarterbacked Wakefield High School to back-to-back Nebraska Class C-2 state titles in 2006 and 2007. Nixon finished his career as Wakefield’s all-time leading career rusher and passer with 1,999 yards rushing and 1,973 yards passing. He also set school records with 29 career rushing TDs and 19 career passing TDs. As a senior, Nixon passed for a school-record 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 859 yards and 14 touchdowns en route to first-team Class C-2 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star and was named Huskerland Prep Report’s Class C-2 Player of the Year. Nixon also had six interceptions for Wakefield’s defensive unit. Nixon was also an Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star first-team all-stater and the Huskerland Prep Report’s Class C-2 Player of the Year as a junior. That season he rushed for 1,043 yards and 14 touchdowns, passed for 777 yards and nine touchdowns, and intercepted nine passes.
 Austin Todd, a 5-11, 205 lb. junior linebacker from Holstein, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ second leading tackler against Doane with four solos and three assists for seven total tackles. Todd was named the GPAC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs’ 72-0 victory against Dordt College on Sept. 19 when he was the Mustangs’ leading tackler with five solos and three assists for a career-high eight total tackles. He also intercepted a pass and ran it back 17 yards for a touchdown with 9:57 left in the game. With 40 tackles so far this season, Todd has already surpassed his entire 2008 production of 20 tackles.
Todd was a first-team Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and Des Moines Register Class A all-stater and a second-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa selection as a senior at Galva-Holstein High School following a campaign where he had 72 tackles, nine quarterback sacks, and two interceptions.
Justin Shideler, a 6-1, 230 lb. junior linebacker from Dakota Dunes, S.D., had six tackles with three solos and three assists to go along with a forced fumble in the Mustangs’ win against Doane. Shideler is the Mustangs’ co-leader with two fumble recoveries to go along with 29 tackles and an interception.
Shideler joined the Mustangs last season as a transfer from NCAA Division III Wartburg College.
Marshall Barney, a 5-11, 200 lb. sophomore linebacker from Logan, Iowa, had a forced fumble to go along with four tackles, including three solo stops, in the Mustangs’ 78-14 win against Doane. He dropped Eamonn Feeney in the backfield for a loss of six yards in the third quarter to raise his season’s total to 9.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 35 yards to rank second on the team.
Barney earned first-team Class 1A all-state honors from the Des Moines Register as a linebacker and first-team all-state laurels from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) as at running back as a senior at Logan-Magnolia High School. Barney rushed for 2,089 yards and 30 touchdowns during his senior campaign. He was a second-team Des Moines Register all-state linebacker and a second-team INA all-state running back as a junior.
 Justin Taylor, a 6-0, 230 lb. senior linebacker from Underwood, Iowa, had three solo tackles and an assist in the Mustangs’ win against Doane. Taylor is the Mustangs’ third leading tackler with 21 solos and 26 assists for 47 total tackles to go along with two quarterback sacks and a team-high three forced fumbles.
Taylor earned first-team All-GPAC honors last season when he collected 33 solos and 45 assists for 78 total tackles, including 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 20 yards. Taylor led the Mustangs with four quarterback hurries and ranked second on the team with five pass breakups.
He was a second-team All-GPAC performer as a sophomore when he had 27 solos and 39 assists for 66 tackles, including 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 12 yards.
Taylor has 205 tackles and four quarterback sacks during his Morningside career.
Taylor earned second-team Class 1A Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and Des Moines Register all-state honors as a senior at Underwood High School. Aside from his defensive exploits, Taylor also rushed for 914 yards and 14 touchdowns as the team’s starting fullback.
Matt Muschall, a 6-1, 230 lb. sophomore defensive lineman from Omaha, Neb., had a career-high four tackles with three solos and one assist in the Mustangs’ win against Doane.
Ryan Klein, a 5-10, 175 lb. sophomore strong safety from Wakefield, Neb., is the Mustangs’ fourth leading tackler with 44 tackles to far surpass his entire 2008 production of 14 tackles.
Klein helped lead Wakefield High School to back-to-back Class C-2 state championships during his prep career. He averaged a whopping 10.5 yards per rushing attempt as a senior with 77 carries for 807 yards and nine touchdowns.
 Kane Kuehl, a 5-11, 220 lb. junior punter from Sioux City, is averaging 36.8 yards per punt for the season with a long of 57 yards.
Kuehl had to sit out the Mustangs’ 2008 season after he joined the team last year as a transfer from GPAC rival Briar Cliff University. Kuehl earned first-team All-GPAC honors in both of his seasons with the Chargers. He was the GPAC’s leading punter as a freshman with an average of 39.0 yards per punt and then topped the GPAC again as a sophomore when he punted 69 times for 2,743 yards for an average of 39.8 yards per punt to rank 14th nationally. His longest punt of the season was an 81-yarder.
Ben Rickord, a 5-11, 180 lb. freshman defensive back from Dakota Dunes, S.D., has a team-high three interceptions and also leads the team with six pass breakups.
Rickord was a defensive standout last year for a Sioux City Bishop Heelan Catholic team that won Iowa’s Class 3A state championship by allowing an average of only 8.4 points per game. Rickord received second-team All-Northwest Iowa honors from the Sioux City Journal.
Vernon Moore, a 5-10, 250 lb. junior defensive lineman from Houston, enjoyed a breakout season last year to garner first-team All-GPAC laurels. Moore ranked second on the team with 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 35 yards. Moore, who led the Mustangs’ defensive linemen with 19 solos and 34 assists for 53 total tackles, had three quarterback sacks and a team-high four quarterback hurries.
John Kirwan, a 6-2, 265 lb. sophomore defensive lineman from Sioux City, had a team-high four quarterback hurries to go along with two quarterback sacks last season after he joined the team as a transfer from NCAA Division I-AA South Dakota State University, where he was a redshirt in 2007.
Kirwan earned first-team Class 4A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) as an offensive lineman and was a second-team Des Moines Register all-state defensive lineman selection as a prep senior at Sioux City East High School. Kirwan, who was the Black Raiders’ leading tackler as a sophomore and senior, also received first-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa and first-team Omaha World-Herald Class 4A/3A All-Western Iowa laurels as a senior.
 Pete Lewis, a 5-9, 185 lb. senior defensive back from Grand Island, Neb., was moved to the defensive secondary this season after he had played running back for the previous three seasons. Lewis has 13 tackles and has carried the ball five times for 65 yards for an average of 13.0 yards per carry this season.
Lewis was the Mustangs’ leading rusher in 2007 when he ran for 599 yards and four touchdowns. Lewis rushed for 122 yards for the Mustangs’ only 100-yard rushing performance of the season in the Mustangs’ 45-14 win against Jamestown College in the NAIA National Playoffs.
He rushed for 550 yards and six touchdowns in 129 attempts for an average of 4.3 yards per carry as a freshman in 2006. Lewis topped the 100-yard mark three times with 169 yards against Hastings College, 104 yards against Briar Cliff University, and 138 yards against Dana College. His 169 yards against Hastings was the ninth highest single-game rushing yardage total in Morningside history.
Lewis has rushed for 1,302 yards and has four 100-yard rushing performances during his Morningside career.
Lewis rushed for a school-record 2,420 yards and scored 30 touchdowns during his prep career at Grand Island High School. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in both his junior and senior campaigns. Lewis was named to the second-team of the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star all-state teams as a senior when he rushed for 1,188 yards. He ran for 1,123 yards as a junior.
Cody Fisher, a 5-11, 250 lb. senior offensive center from Downey, Calif., earned second-team All-GPAC honors last year. He played for Cerritos Junior College earlier in his career.
Travis Uleman, a 6-1, 265 lb. senior defensive lineman from Elkhorn, Neb., has earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors each of the last two seasons. Uleman had 41 tackles last season.
Peter Olsen, a 6-1, 220 lb. senior punter from Newell, Iowa, averaged 38.3 yards with a long of 56 yards as the Mustangs’ regular punter last season.
He earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors as a freshman when he ranked fourth in the conference with an average of 37.2 yards per punt. His longest punt of the season went for 63 yards.
Olsen was a first-team Des Moines Register and second-team INA Class A all-stater as a senior at Newell-Fonda High School when he scored 50 points as a kicker and averaged 39.9 yards per punt. Olsen, who made a school-record 10 field goals during his career, had a school-record seven field goals as a junior, including a long of 40 yards, en route to first-team all-state honors from both the INA and Des Moines Register.
 Briar Cliff has limited its opposition to a scoring average of 20.4 points per game and it held No. 1 ranked University of Sioux Falls to its lowest GPAC scoring total of the season in a 41-8 Cougar triumph on Oct. 8. Briar Cliff has held three opponents to single digit scoring totals this season, including this past Saturday when the Chargers defeated Dordt College 30-3 in Sioux Center, Iowa. .Dordt managed only six first downs and a minuscule 29 yards total offense against the Chargers’ defense. Stavhn Leavy rushed for 104 yards and Charger teammate Andre Prochaska ran for 82 yards and three touchdowns. Charger quarterback Lehi Tonga completed 14 of 21 pass attempts for 176 yards, including five completions to Luke Roder for 72 yards. . . .Briar Cliff’s top player is Jarrod Makovicka, a 6-2, 211 lb. senior linebacker from Ceresco, Neb., who has earned second-team All-GPAC honors each of the past two seasons. He tops the Chargers’ tackle chart with 48 solos and 44 assists for 92 total tackles, including six stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 10 yards, to go along with three pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Makovicka led the Chargers with a whopping 125 tackles last season, including 71 solo stops. He also topped the team with 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 33 yards and with four fumble recoveries. Makovicka had 105 tackles, including 18.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 49 yards, during his sophomore campaign. Makovicka earned honorable mention All-GPAC laurels as a freshman when he had 70 tackles. . .Taylor Schumacher, a 5-10, 199 lb. senior free safety from Crofton, Neb., ranks among the NAIA national leaders with five interceptions. He is the Chargers’ second leading tackler with 45 solos and 23 assists for 68 total tackles. Schumacher did not have an interception all last season when he ranked sixth on the team with 53 tackles. . .Eric Bolin, a 5-11, 232 lb. junior linebacker from Machesney Park, Ill., leads the Chargers with 9.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 23 yards and ranks third on the team with 67 total tackles. He was Briar Cliff’s second leading tackler last season when he collected 78 tackles. Bolin was the Chargers’ co-leader with 3.5 quarterback sacks as a freshman to go along with 74 tackles, including 10 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 73 yards. . .Cecil Milton, a 5-8, 180 lb. sophomore defensive back from North Richland Hills, Texas, has a team-high eight pass breakups and ranks second on the team with two interceptions. Milton collected 56 tackles last season and led the Chargers with 12 pass breakups and four interceptions. . .Brady Summers, a 6-5, 233 lb. sophomore defensive end from Houston, Texas, has a team-high 3.5 quarterback sacks and has seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 38 yards. . .Steve Urquidez, a 6-1, 282 lb. junior defensive tackle from Cathedral City, Calif., has 39 tackles after joning the team as a transfer from Central Methodist University, where he had four tackles in three games last season. . .Lehi Tonga, a 5-10, 188 lb. freshman quarterback from Hurst, Texas, is enjoying a solid season as a rookie starter. Tonga has completed 59.8 percent of his attempts with 73 completions in 122 attempts for 1,013 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. . .Ryan Hajek, a 5-8, 204 lb. senior quarterback from Remsen, Iowa, started earlier this season and has completed 88 of 164 attempts (53.7 percent) for 797 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Last season he completed 26 of 68 pass attempts (38.2 percent) for 268 yards with three interceptions. . .Stavhn Leavy, a 5-10, 197 lb. sophomore running back from Rockford, Ill., is the Chargers’ leading rusher with 149 carries for 505 yards and four touchdowns. Last season he ran for 361 yards in eight games. . .Andrew Prohaska, a 5-8, 174 lb. junior wide receiver from Prague, Neb., is averaging 153.1 all-purpose yards per game. He has rushed for 240 yards and four touchdowns and leads the Chargers with an average of 5.1 yards per carry. He is the team’s top pass receiver with 40 catches for 362 yards and is also Briar Cliff’s top kick return specialist with averages of 9.6 yards on punt returns and 26.5 yards on kickoff returns. Prohaska caught 35 passes for 370 yards, rushed for 52 yards in 18 carries, and had averages of 20.0 yards on kickoff returns and 5.1 yards on punt returns last season. . . .Chase Colvin, a 6-3, 194 lb. junior wide receiver from Big Pine, Calif., has caught 34 passes for a team-high 547 yards and six touchdowns for an average of 16.1 yards per reception. He was the Chargers’ leading receiver last season with 56 catches for 551 yards and three touchdowns. . .Luke Roder, a 6-4, 222 lb. senior wide receiver from Sioux City, has caught 31 passes for 384 yards and four touchdowns. Roder had 49 receptions for 603 yards and led the team with an average of 12.3 yards per catch last season while rebounding from a knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2007 season. He was the Chargers’ top offensive threat in 2006 when he caught 36 passes for 648 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns en route to honorable mention All-GPAC honors. He averaged 18.0 yards per catch. . .David Shepard, a 5-9, 247 lb. senior running back from Tacoma, Wash., has carried the ball 13 times for 49 yards this season. He set a school record when he rushed for 187 yards against Dordt last season. . .Jon Smith, a 5-10, 187 lb. junior defensive back from Omaha, Neb., has 41 tackles and five pass breakups. He led the team with 11 pass breakups last season. Smith led the Chargers with three interceptions and ranked second on the team with six pass breakups in 2007. . .Josh McKean, a 5-11, 212 lb. junior kicker from Bellevue, Neb., has made five of seven field goal attempts with a long of 32 yards and is 20-for-22 on PATs.
Morningside will wrap up the regular season with a home game against nationally ranked University of Sioux Falls on Saturday, Nov. 14. The defending NAIA National Champion Cougars have been ranked No. 1 in every NAIA poll this season.
 Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. senior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., has been named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-District VII Football First-Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
As a first-team all-district selection, Kildow will go on the ballot for the ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America Team.
Kildow has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and is majoring in chemistry and biology. He is one of 16 national finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to the best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Kildow is the Mustangs’ leading pass receiver with 49 receptions for 959 yards and 11 touchdowns for an average of 19.6 yards per catch. He is also averaging 27.7 yards on kickoff returns and 9.8 yards on punt returns.
He is Morningside’s all-time leader with 33 career touchdown pass receptions and 34 career touchdowns and ranks third in the Morningside record book with 181 career receptions for 2,853 yards.
Student-athletes must be of at least sophomore athletic and academic status, be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials, and have a minimum GPA of 3.30 in order to be eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic honors.
 Tim Richard, a 6-2, 220 lb. senior quarterback from Underwood, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs’ 78-14 victory against Doane College last Saturday.
Richard had one of the greatest passing displays in Morningside history by completing 21 of 22 pass attempts for 339 yards and a career-high six touchdowns to finish one TD shy of a school record. Richard completed his first 15 pass attempts of the game and finished with a completion percentage of 95.5 percent to shatter his own Morningside single-game record. Richard set the Mustangs’ previous single-game completion percentage record earlier this season when he completed 16 of 19 attempts for 84.2 percent in a 56-21 victory against Dakota Wesleyan University in the season’s opener.
He threw touchdown passes of 24, 25, and 17 yards to Chad Buchholz, 17 yards to Beau Kildow, 14 yards to Bradley Norwood, and 10 yards to Jake Peterson in the win against Doane.
Richard is the NAIA national leader with a passing efficiency rating of 222.8. He has passed for 1,962 yards and 25 touchdowns and is on pace to break the Mustangs’ single-season completion percentage record of 67.6 percent set by Ian Gilworth last season. Richard has completed 115 of 159 attempts for 72.3 percent and has thrown only four interceptions.
Morningside will take an 8-0 record and a No. 4 national ranking into a 1 p.m. game against city rival Briar Cliff University this Saturday at Memorial Field.
 Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. senior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., is one of 16 college football players named to the 2009 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete class announced by the NFF and College Hall of Fame.
The 16 players are the finalists for the 20th anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth. They were selected from a nationwide pool of 154 semifinalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA.
The Campbell Trophy, formerly known as the Draddy Trophy, recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. The award was renamed this fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, and former player and head coach at Columbia University.
Each finalist will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The recipient of the Campbell Trophy will receive a 25 lb. bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 16 National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients will be honored at the 2009 NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, where the winner of the 2009 Campbell Trophy will be announced.
Aside from Kildow, the other 2009 National Scholar-Athletes are: Jon Asamoah of the University of Illinois, Matt Bauman of Brigham Young University, Eric Decker of the University of Minnesota, Moses Harris of Fresno State, Tim Hiller of Western Michigan University, Paul Jasinowski of Brown University, Josh Mahoney of the University of Northern Iowa, Colt McCoy of the University of Texas, Jarrell Smith of Tusculum College, Joe Pawelek of Baylor University, Todd Reesing of the University of Kansas, ZaVious Robbins of Hardin-Simmons University, Tim Tebow of the University of Florida, Blaine Westemeyer of Augustana College (Ill.), and Reed Williams of West Virginia University.
Kildow has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in chemistry and biology. He has twice been named a Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar-Athlete, is a two-time ESPN The Magazine All-District selection, and has made Morningside’s Dean’s Honor List after each of his first six semesters.
He was a first-team College Fanz Sports Network All-American last season when he caught 64 passes for 977 yards and 14 touchdowns. Kildow tied a Morningside single-game record earlier this season when he had 287 pass reception yards in a 56-21 win against Dakota Wesleyan University and is Morningside’s all-time leader with 32 career touchdown receptions. He ranks third in Morningside history with 174 career receptions and 2,755 career reception yards.
Kildow traveled to Louisiana as part of a mission trip to help in the restoration efforts in New Orleans and surrounding areas following the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. He participated in “Build a House for Blake,” a volunteer project for a person who had been recently paralyzed, and is a Goodwill Thanksgiving volunteer.
The NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program, launched in 1959, is the first initiative in history to award scholar-athletes post-graduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic, and leadership abilities.
Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least a 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Past winners of the Campbell Trophy have included actor Mark Harmon, NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club Billy Payne, former NFL quarterback Steve Young, current NFL standout Derrick Brooks, and Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker, Gary Beban, Doug Flutie, and DannyWuerffel.
 Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. senior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs’ 38-27 victory against Midland Lutheran College last Saturday in Fremont, Neb.
Kildow had three kickoff returns for 99 yards, including a 50-yarder for his longest return of the season, to raise his season’s average to 27.7 yards per return to lead the GPAC. He is also averaging 9.4 yards per punt return.
Aside from his kickoff return exploits, Kildow also caught six passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in the Mustangs’ win against Midland Lutheran. The touchdown reception went for 48 yards and was the school-record 32nd TD reception of his Morningside career.
Kildow is the third leading pass receiver in Morningside history with 174 career receptions and 2,755 career reception yards.
Morningside will take a 7-0 record and a No. 4 national ranking into a 1 p.m. home game against Doane College this Saturday at Elwood Olsen Stadium.
 Morningside’s Jake Peterson, a 5-11, 200 lb. junior running back from Armstrong, Iowa, has been named the NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week and the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in last Saturday’s 62-7 Homecoming victory against Dana College.
Peterson, who received the GPAC Offensive Player of the Week honor for the second time this season, rushed for a school-record 284 yards and four touchdowns in 22 carries against Dana to break his previous Morningside single-game record of 225 yards rushing he set earlier this season in the Mustangs’ 20-7 win against Northwestern College on Sept. 12. Peterson averaged 12.9 yards per carry in the contest to break the previous Morningside single-game record of 10.6 yards per carry by Nick Reigle against Doane College in 2005.
He broke loose for a 68-yard touchdown run on Morningside’s second offensive play of the game against Dana and had touchdown runs of 35, 10, and one yards later in the contest.
Peterson is the NAIA national rushing leader with an average of 195.2 yards per game. He also leads the nation in scoring with an average of 15.0 points per game and ranks third in all-purpose yards with an average of 212.0 yards per game. He has rushed for 781 yards and 10 touchdowns through the Mustangs’ first four games.
Morningside will take a 4-0 record into a game against Hastings College this Saturday in Hastings, Neb.
 Austin Todd, a 5-11, 205 lb. junior linebacker from Holstein, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs’ 72-0 victory against Dordt College last Saturday.
Todd was the Mustangs’ leading tackler with five solos and three assists for a career-high eight total tackles. He also intercepted a pass and ran it back 17 yards for a touchdown with 9:57 left in the game.
Morningside, ranked fifth nationally in the NAIA with a record of 3-0, limited Dordt to eight first downs and 120 yards total offense.
The Mustangs’ next game will be Saturday, Oct. 3, when they host Dana College to a 2 p.m. kickoff as part of Homecoming 2009.
 Jake Peterson, a 5-11, 200 lb. senior running back from Armstrong, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Football Offensive Player of the Week.
Peterson rushed for a school-record 225 yards in 22 carries in the Mustangs’ 20-7 win against Northwestern last Saturday. Peterson, who had a 30-yard touchdown run as well as non-scoring dashes of 57 and 81 yards that set up field goals, averaged a whopping 10.2 yards per carry in the contest. He broke the previous Morningside single-game rushing record of 224 yards set by Kevin Wright against Peru State College during the 2002 season.
Peterson’s record breaking performance came one week after he had rushed for 146 yards in the Mustangs’ 56-21 victory against Dakota Wesleyan University. He has rushed for 377 yards and three touchdowns in 41 attempts and is averaging 9.2 yards per carry so far this season. Peterson is averaging 206.5 all-purpose yards per game and is the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 24 points.
 Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. senior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week after he caught nine passes for a career-high 274 yards and three touchdowns in Morningside’s 56-21 football victory against 19th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan University last Saturday in Mitchell, S.D.
Kildow’s 274 reception yards was the second highest single-game total in Morningside history. Kildow, who had touchdown catches of 66, 65, and 78 yards, posted his third consecutive 100-yard game dating back to last season. Kildow has six 100-yard reception games during his career, including four in his last six games dating back to last season. Aside from his receiving exploits, Kildow also had a 20-yard run against Dakota Wesleyan to finish with 294 all-purpose yards.
Kildow is one of the all-time leading receivers in Morningside history with career totals of 141 catches for 2,168 yards and 25 touchdowns. He is only one touchdown catch shy of the Morningside record of 26 career touchdown receptions set by Mitch Allner from 1996-99. Kildow ranks fourth in Morningside history with his 2,168 career reception yards and sixth with his 141 career receptions.
Morningside, ranked fifth nationally in the NAIA pre-season poll, will host No. 23 Northwestern College this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Elwood Olsen Stadium.
|
