|
Turner Receives Coaching Award
Ryan Receives National Coach Of The Year Recognition
Ten Morningside Players Named To BSN All-America Team
Mustangs Ranked 2nd In NAIA Post-Season Poll
Mustangs Drop Overtime Heartbreaker In National Title Game
Goforth Named To AFCA NAIA All-America Team
Halvorson Makes Academic All-America Team As Sophomore
Roberg And Sitzmann Named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes
Mustangs Crush Defending Champs To Advance To National Title Game
Mustangs Place Two On Academic All-America Team
Ryan Named NAIA Region 4 Coach Of The Year
Overtime Win Puts Mustangs In NAIA Semifinals
Mustangs Start Post-Season Play With Win Against Montana Tech
Nixon Named GPAC Offensive Player Of The Year
Goforth Receives GPAC Special Teams Honor
Mustangs Place Three On Academic All-District Team
McCabe Named GPAC Offensive Player Of The Week
Mustangs Raise Over $2000 For Luekemia & Lymphoma Society
Nixon Named NAIA National Offensive Player Of The Week
Boger Named National Special Teams Player Of The Week
Nixon Wins GPAC Award For Third Week In A Row
Nixon Repeats As GPAC Offensive Player Of The Week
Littzen Named NAIA National Specials Teams Player Of The Week
Mustangs Ranked No. 8 In NAIA Pre-Season Poll
Morningside Picked Second In GPAC Coaches Pre-Season Poll
Morningside College enjoyed its greatest football season in school history during the 2012 campaign by playing in its first-ever National Championship Game. The Mustangs finished the regular season undefeated at 10-0 en route to a final record of 13-1 for the most wins in school history. The Mustangs won their second consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship, were ranked second nationally in the final NAIA poll, and made their ninth consecutive post-season appearance in the NAIA Championship Series, where they lost 30-27 against Marian University in the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game on Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga.
The Mustangs have a 90-19 record for a .826 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season.
Morningside 49, Valley City State 7
Morningside 34, Northwestern 7
Morningside 35, Nebraska Wesleyan 10
Morningside 42, Midland 0
Morningside 28, Doane 3
Morningside 63, Dakota Wesleyan 7
Morningside 53, Hastings 23
Morningside 41, Dordt 0
Morningside 50, Concordia (NE) 0
Morningside 62, Briar Cliff 0
NAIA Championship Series
Morningside 40, Montana Tech 35
Morningside 47, Southern Oregon 44 OT
Morningside 47, Saint Xavier 19
Russell Athletic-NAIA National Championship
Marian 30, Morningside 27 OT
The Mustangs were the highest scoring football team in school history with 89 touchdowns and 618 points to break the former school single-season marks of 77 touchdowns and 576 points set in 2008. Morningside also set a school record with 51 touchdown passes to break the former Mustang standard of 43 TD passes that was also set in 2008. Morningside rushed for a school-record 2,744 yards to break the former mark of 2,518 yards in 2009.
Morningside’s defense set a school record with 34 quarterback sacks to break the former Mustang standard of 32 sacks in 2011.
Morningside’s special teams set a school record with an average of 26.5 yards per kickoff return to top the former standard of 23.3 yards per return in 1985. Morningside returned two punts for touchdowns and two kickoffs for touchdowns to tie school record in both categories.
The Mustangs limited their opposition to an average of 13.2 points per game to lead the nation in team scoring defense. Morningside’s defense was especially impressive against the run by allowing an average of 66.9 yards per game to rank second nationally. Morningside’s opponents averaged only 2.1 yards per rushing attempt. The Mustangs held eight of their 14 opponents to single digit scoring totals, including shutout victories against Midland University (42-0), Dordt College (41-0), and Briar Cliff University (62-0).
Morningside ranked third nationally in total offense with an average of 483.9 yards per game and fourth nationally in scoring with an average of 44.1 points per game. The Mustangs averaged 287.9 yards passing per game to rank seventh nationally. The Mustangs scored over 30 points in 12 of their 14 contests, including a season’s high 63 points in a 63-7 Homecoming victory against Dakota Wesleyan University on Oct. 13.
 Joel Nixon, a 6-0, 205 lb. senior quarterback from Wakefield, Neb., threw 49 touchdown passes to shatter the former Morningside record of 41 TD passes set by Craig Fobbe in 2005 and matched by Ian Gilworth in 2008. Nixon was the NAIA national leader in pass efficiency with a rating of 174.1. He completed 262 of 414 attempts (63.3 percent) for 3,844 yards for the second highest passing yardage total in Morningside history. Nixon, who was also the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 772 yards, ranked second nationally in total offense with an average of 329.7 yards per game and seventh in passing with an average of 274.6 yards per game.
Nixon finished his career as the sixth leading passer in Morningside history with 3,844 career yards despite playing only one season at quarterback. He caught 83 passes for 1,352 yards and 13 touchdowns as a wide receiver in his previous three seasons with the team.
Colby Henderson, a 5-11, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Wakefield, Neb., rewrote the entries in Morningside’s record book in the kickoff return department. Henderson set Morningside single-season records with 26 kickoff returns, 750 kickoff return yards, and an average of 28.8 yards per kickoff return for the third highest average in the nation. He broke the former Morningside standards of 24 kickoff returns by Jerry Steffen in 1982 and Erick Turner in 1998, and 495 kickoff return yards and an average of 27.5 yards per return set by Keith Green in 1994. Henderson had the longest kickoff return in Morningside history with a 98-yard touchdown return against Dordt on Oct. 27 to break the former record of a 93-yard return by Cody Jaminet against Briar Cliff during the 2005 season. Henderson finished his career with an average of 28.6 yards per kickoff return to break the former Morningside career record of 24.1 yards per return set by Beau Kildow from 2006-09.
 Kyle Schuck, a 6-2, 180 lb. junior wide receiver from Cherokee, Iowa, tied Morningside’s record for touchdown pass receptions in a game with TD catches of five, nine, 18, and 19 yards in the Mustangs’ 41-0 victory against Dordt on Oct. 27. Schuck’s four touchdown receptions tied a Morningside record previously set by Steve Schroeder against Missouri Western State University in 1970, Dan McClanahan against the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1971, Trae Johnson against St. Ambrose University in 2005, and Antuan Bloom against Dana College in 2007.
Schuck finished the season with 67 receptions for 1,062 yards and a team-high 20 touchdowns for an average of 15.9 yards per catch. He was the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 120 points for the eighth highest point total in the nation. His 1,062 reception yards was the seventh highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Schuck has career totals of 98 receptions for 1,589 yards and 26 touchdowns for the 15th highest reception total and 13th highest reception yardage total in school history.
Jared Goforth, a 6-0, 195 lb. senior defensive back from Polk City, Iowa, led the Mustangs with nine interceptions for the fourth highest total in the nation. He was the Mustangs’ co-leader with 51 solo tackles and ranked third on the team with 87 total tackles and 10 pass breakups.
Aside from his defensive exploits, Goforth was the Mustangs’ top punt return specialist with 35 returns for 292 yards for an average of 8.3 yards per return. He had seven punt returns against Dakota Wesleyan and Briar Cliff to tie a school record first set by Cody Jaminet against Briar Cliff in 2004.
 Joel McCabe, a 6-1, 225 lb. junior J-back from Jefferson, S.D., was the Mustangs’ top pass receiver with 88 receptions for 1,284 yards and 18 touchdowns for an average of 14.6 yards per catch. His 88 receptions were the fifth highest total in the nation and the second highest single-season total in Morningside history. His 1,284 reception yards ranked fourth nationally and third among Morningside’s all-time single-season bests.
McCabe has caught 130 passes for 1,642 yards and 21 touchdowns over the past three seasons to move into 10th place on Morningside’s career pass reception yardage list and 11th place on the career reception list.
Aaron Roberg, a 6-0, 225 lb. junior linebacker from Grand Island, Neb., was the Mustangs’ leading tackler with 42 solos and a team-high 79 assists for 121 total tackles, including 12 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 43 yards. Roberg also had six pass breakups, three quarterback sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and two quarterback hurries.
Both of Roberg’s fumble recoveries came in the Mustangs’41-0 win against Dordt to tie a Morningside record for fumble recoveries in a game. Sean Elliott, a 5-11, 220 lb. senior linebacker from Spencer, Iowa, also tied Morningside’s single-game record with two fumble recoveries in the Mustangs’ 40-35 win against Montana Tech in the opening round of the NAIA Championship Series.
 Marcus Smith, a 6-0, 210 lb. junior defensive lineman from Crete, Neb., was the Mustangs’ top pass rusher with a team-high nine quarterback sacks. Smith also topped the Mustangs with 16.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 70 yards, four fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles.
Fred Jones, a 5-8, 225 lb. senior running back from Stockton, Calif., rushed for 586 yards and a team-high 13 rushing touchdowns during the 2012 campaign. Jones rushed for a season’s high 114 yards and two touchdowns in the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game for the eighth 100-yard rushing performance of his Morningside career to tie a school record first set by Jake Peterson from 2008-09.
Jones rushed for 1,743 yards and 23 touchdowns during his two-year Morningside career for the fourth highest rushing yardage total in school history.
 Nathan Turner has been named the 2012 Samson Equipment and American Football Monthly NAIA Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.
Turner, who is also Morningside’s Co-Defensive Coordinator and Outside Linebackers Coach, completed his sixth season with the Mustangs during the 2012 campaign. He was part of a coaching staff that helped guide Morningside to its most successful football season in school history this past fall when the Mustangs posted a 13-1 record, won their second consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship, and advanced to the 2012 Russell Athletic NAIA National Championship Game, where they lost 30-27 in overtime against Marian University.
Turner was previously the running backs coach and video coordinator at Eastern Oregon University before he joined the Mustangs’ coaching staff.
He graduated from Eastern Oregon in 2004 and was one of the Mountaineers’ team captains during the 2003 season. That year he was the recipient of Eastern Oregon’s Iron Man Strength award.
This is the tenth consecutive year that Samson has sponsored the awards that include nine different categories – the NFL, Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, NAIA, Junior College and two high school coaches of the year.
 Steve Ryan has been named the 2012 NAIA National Coach of the Year by both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and American Football Monthly.
Ryan guided the Mustangs to their greatest season in school history this past season when Morningside posted a 13-1 record and appeared in its first-ever national championship football game. The Mustangs finished the regular season undefeated at 10-0, won their second consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship, and made their ninth consecutive post-season appearance in the NAIA Championship Series, where they lost 30-27 in overtime against Marian University in the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship on Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga.
Ryan was named the AFCA’s 2012 NAIA Region 4 Coach of the Year in December.
He has a 98-31 record for a .760 winning percentage with the Mustangs for the highest victory rate in Morningside history. Ryan is second on Morningside’s all-time coaching victory list behind Jason Saunderson, who compiled a 118-93-11 record from 1912-41. Ryan has led Morningside to nine consecutive appearances in the NAIA Championship Series and to GPAC titles in 2005, 2011, and 2012.
Ryan was named the GPAC Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2011, and 2012 and received AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year recognition in 2005, 2011, and 2012. He was the 2004 NAIA Football.net National Coach of the Year.
This year’s other AFCA National Coach of the Year recipients are Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly in FBS, North Dakota State’s Craig Bohl in FCS, Valdosta State’s David Dean in NCAA Division II, and St. Thomas’ Glenn Caruso in NCAA Division III.
 |
Jared Goforth |
Ten Morningside College athletes have been named to the 2012 Beyond Sports Network (BSN) NAIA All-America Football Team.
The Mustangs’ headliner is Jared Goforth, a 6-0, 195 lb. senior defensive back from Polk City, Iowa, who was named a BSN First-Team All-American.
In addition to Goforth, the Mustangs placed Joel McCabe and Joel Nixon on the second team and Chris Calvillo, Colby Henderson, Aaron Roberg, and Kyle Schuck on the third team. Morningside’s Cole Albright, Austin Klett, and Marcus Smith were named honorable mention All-Americans.
Their exploits helped lead Morningside to its greatest football season in school history. The Mustangs were the 2012 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) champion, finished the regular season undefeated at 10-0, and were the NAIA national runner-up after they lost 30-27 in overtime against Marian University in the 2012 Russell Athletic NAIA Football National Championship in Rome Ga., to close the books on a 13-1 season.
Goforth led the Mustangs with nine interceptions for the fourth highest total in the nation. He was the Mustangs’ third leading tackler with a team-high 51 solos and 36 assists for 87 total tackles and was also third on the team with 10 pass breakups. Goforth had 6.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 28 yards, including one quarterback sack.
Goforth was also named to this season’s American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA All-America team.
McCabe, a 6-1, 225 lb. junior wide receiver from Jefferson, S.D., caught 88 passes for the fifth highest total in the nation. His receptions went for 1,284 yards and 18 touchdowns for an average of 14.6 yards per catch. He was the Mustangs’ second leading scorer with 108 points. McCabe ranked fourth nationally with 1,284 receptions yards and 10th with an average of 91.7 reception yards per game.
 |
 |
Joel McCabe |
Joel Nixon |
Nixon, a 6-0, 205 lb. senior quarterback from Wakefield, Neb., led the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 174.06, finished second in the nation in total offense with an average of 329.7 yards per game, and was the nation’s seventh leading passer with an average of 274.6 yards per game. Nixon completed 262 of 414 pass attempts (63.3 percent) for 3,844 yards and a school-record 49 touchdowns to shatter the former Morningside record of 41 TD passes by Craig Fobbe in 2005 and Ian Gilworth in 2008. Aside from leading the team in passing, Nixon was also the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 772 yards and four touchdowns in 165 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry.
Calvillo, a 6-2, 220 lb. senior linebacker from Sioux City, was the Mustangs’ co-leader with 51 solo tackles. He also had 64 assists to finish second on the team with 115 total tackles. Calvillo also finished second on the Mustangs with 14.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 30 yards to go along with four quarterback sacks, three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.
Henderson, a 5-11, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Wakefield, Neb., led the Mustangs with 11 pass breakups and was second on the team with four interceptions. Henderson was the Mustangs’ fourth leading tackler with 50 solos and 22 assists for 72 total tackles. Henderson was also the Mustangs’ fourth leading pass receiver with 18 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns for an average of 22.8 yards per catch.
Aside from being a third-team All-America defensive back, Henderson also received honorable mention All-America recognition as a kick return specialist. He finished third in the nation in kickoff returns with 26 returns for 750 yards and two touchdowns for an average of 28.8 yards per return. Henderson’s 750 kickoff return yards and 28.8-yard average broke the former Morningside single-season records of 495 yards and 27.5 yards per return set by Keith Green in 1994. Henderson had a 98-yard touchdown return in the Mustangs’ 41-0 victory against Dordt College on Oct. 27 for the longest kickoff return in Morningside history.
Roberg, a 6-0, 225 lb. junior linebacker from Grand Island, Neb., was the Mustangs’ leading tackler with 42 solos and a team-high 79 assists for 121 total tackles. He also had 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 43 yards, three quarterback sacks, six pass breakups, two interceptions, two quarterback hurries, and two fumble recoveries.
Schuck, a 6-2, 180 lb. junior wide receiver from Cherokee, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading scorer and second leading pass receiver with 120 points and 67 receptions for 1,062 yards and 20 touchdowns for an average of 15.9 yards per catch. Schuck’s 20 touchdowns and 120 points were the eighth highest totals in the nation. He was 10th in the nation with 1,062 reception yards.
Albright, a 6-2, 295 lb. senior offensive lineman from Bronson, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ right tackle. His blocking skills helped the Mustangs rank third nationally in total offense with an average of 483.9 yards per game and fourth in scoring offense with an average of 44.1 points per game.
Klett, a 6-3, 230 lb. junior tight end from Everly, Iowa, caught 16 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown for an average of 11.3 yards per catch.
Smith, a 6-0, 210 lb. junior defensive lineman from Crete, Neb., was a disruptive force to opposing offenses as he led the Mustangs with 16.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 70 yards, including a team-high nine quarterback sacks. Smith also led the team with four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles and was second on the team with four quarterback hurries. Smith had 22 solos and 27 assists for 49 total tackles.
Go to http://bsncollege.com/pages/allamerica for the complete 2012 BSN All-America Football Team.
 |
 |
Fred Jones |
Chris Calvillo |
Mike Josifovski kicked a 26-yard field goal to lift fifth-ranked Marian University to a 30-27 overtime victory against No. 3 Morningside in the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship held Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga.
Marian finished with a 12-1 record to win a national championship in only its sixth season of football. Morningside bowed out at 13-1 while making it’s first-ever appearance in a national championship football game.
Josifovski, who sent the game into overtime tied at 27-27 with a 35-yard field goal as time expired, was also the hero in the Knights’ 20-17 upset victory against No. 1 Missouri Valley College in the NAIA Championship Series Semifinals when he kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired.
Morningside also had some late game heroics when Joel Nixon tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Schuck with 1:04 left in regulation time to bring the Mustangs back from a 24-20 deficit to go up 27-24.
Morningside finished with 384 yards total offense compared to 349 yards for Marian and also had a 34:29 to 25:31 advantage in time of possession. However, the Mustangs lost the turnover battle 3-1 as two interceptions and a lost fumble led to three of the Knights’ scores.
Adam Wiese passed for 233 yards and a touchdown, Tevin Lake rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and Nathan Jones caught five passes for 99 yards and a touchdown to lead the Marian offense.
Fred Jones rushed for a season’s high 118 yards and two touchdowns, Joel Nixon completed 22 of 39 pass attempts for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and Joel McCabe (eight catches for 60 yards) and Kyle Schuck (four catches for 74 yards) each had touchdown receptions for the Mustangs.
Marian rallied from a 20-10 deficit in the fourth quarter and it was a turnover that got the Knights started. The Mustangs appeared on the verge of putting the game away when they drove to the Knights’ four-yard line before Ryan Hartnett intercepted a pass in the end zone.
“We had that drive where we needed to stick it in the end zone,” said Morningside head coach Steve Ryan. “They got life out of that. We had a chance to put it away and just didn’t get it done.”
“We made some great plays at the end of the game and I thought we were going to do it, but it just didn’t happen,” Ryan said. “We had a very special year just in the way the team came together and improved every week.”
The Mustangs’ 13 victories were a school record and the team won its second consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship.
After Hartnett’s fourth quarter interception, the Knights marched 88 yards in 11 plays to close within 20-17 on a four-yard touchdown run by Lake with 7:33 left in the game.
Marian got the ball back on its own 28-yard line with 6:02 left in the game and took the lead on a 61-yard touchdown bomb from Wiese to Jones with 2:46 remaining.
The Mustangs weren’t finished, though, and marched 67 yards in eight plays for a go-ahead score when Nixon flipped a seven-yard touchdown pass to Schuck with 1:04 left in the game. The Mustangs’ season was on the brink earlier in the drive when they faced a fourth-and-15 from their own 44-yard line. Nixon, under heavy pressure, threw the ball up for grabs and Schuck pulled the ball away from a crowd of Marian defenders for a dramatic 35-yard completion that put the ball on the Knights’ 21-yard line. Marian was penalized for pass interference on the next play to set up the Nixon to Schuck touchdown pass.
“I just let the ball go,” Nixon said of his fourth down heave to Schuck. “I’ve always felt that it’s a high percentage pass anytime I throw the ball to Kyle.”
“I just saw the ball leave Joel’s hand and knew I had to come down with it somehow,” Schuck said.
The seven-yard touchdown pass from Nixon to Schuck gave Morningside a 27-24 lead with just 1:04 left in the game, but the Knights had one more rally in them and drove 51 yards in 11 plays to tie send the game into overtime on a 36-yard field goal by Josifovski as time expired.
Morningside failed to score on its overtime possession. Marian ran Lake four times for 16 yards before it sent Josifovski out to kick the game winner on third-and-five from the Mustangs’ nine-yard line.
Morningside started the game by scoring on its first possession of the game when a 10-yard touchdown run by Jones put the Mustangs up 7-0 with 10:25 left in the first quarter.
Marian made the first big defensive play of the game later in the quarter to set up a game tying touchdown. Facing a third and five from his own 39-yard line, Nixon dropped back and was pressured out of the pocket and forced to retreat in a play reminiscent of when the Dallas Cowboy’s Bob Lilly sacked Miami Dolphin quareterback Bob Griese in Super Bowl VI. Marian’s Robert Palmer forced Nixon to fumble the ball and the Knights’ Billy Baker recovered on the Mustangs’ seven-yard line in a play that resulted in a 32-yard loss. Marian scored one play later on a seven-yard touchdown run by Lake to tie the score at 7-7 with 6:19 left in the first quarter.
Morningside answered with a 70-yard touchdown drive to regain the lead at 14-7 with 1:44 left in the first quarter. Thirty of the yards came courtesy of Marian when the Knights were penalized for two separate personal fouls on the same play. The touchdown came on a fourth-and-goal from the six-yard line when Nixon was again forced out of the pocket, scrambled for several seconds, and then found Joel McCabe open in the back of the end zone for his school-record 48th touchdown pass of the season.
Marian capitalized on another Morningside turnover to close within 14-10 on a 36-yard field goal by Josifovski with 3:55 left in the opening half. The score was set up after a Robert Palmer interception gave the Knights the ball on their own 43-yard line.
Morningside’s defense rose to the occasion late in the first half after a short punt set the Knights up on the Mustangs’ 30-yard line late in the first half. Marian had the ball for just one play when senior linebacker Taylor Johnson intercepted an Wiese pass to give the ball back to the Mustang offense, which used the running of Jones to run off the rest of the first half clock.
Morningside gained some breathing room to start the second half when it took the second half kickoff and marched 78 yards in 13 plays to go up 20-10 on a one-yard touchdown run by Jones with 9:34 left in the third quarter.
Jones topped the 100-yard mark for the first time this season and his 118 yards in the NAIA final enabled him to finish his career as the fourth leading rusher in Morningside history with 1,747 career yards.
Mustang senior linebacker Chris Calvillo bowed out with one of his top performances of the season. He topped the Mustangs with 12 tackles and had two of the Mustangs’ three quarterback sacks. Marcus Smith had the other sack. Cole Boger had eight tackles, while Sean Elliott, Jared Goforth, and Aaron Roberg all had six. Taylor Johnson had four tackles to go along with his interception.
Box
 Morningside College is ranked second nationally in the NAIA Football Coaches Post-Season Poll released Tuesday, Dec. 18.
The Mustangs, who were ranked third in the final regular season poll, posted a 13-1 record this season and lost 30-27 in overtime against Marian University in the Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship on Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga. Morningside led all of NAIA football with its 13 victories. The Mustangs finished the regular season undefeated with a 10-0 record, including a 9-0 mark in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) to win their second consecutive GPAC title.
Morningside is one of three teams from the GPAC ranked in the NAIA Post-Season Top 25. In addition to Morningside, Northwestern College is ranked 12th and Doane College is ranked 20th.
Click here for the complete NAIA Post-Season Top 25.
 Jared Goforth, a 6-0, 195 lb. senior defensive back from Polk City, Iowa, has been named to the 2012 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Coaches All-America Team.
Goforth is a defensive standout for a Morningside team that will take a 13-0 record and a No. 3 national ranking into the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship against No. 5 Marian University on Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga.
Goforth leads the Mustangs with nine interceptions for the fourth highest total in the nation in the NAIA ranks. He is two pass thefts shy of the Morningside single-season record of 11 interceptions set by Colby Henderson last season.
Aside from leading the Mustangs in interceptions, Goforth is second on the team with 10 pass breakups and is their third leading tackler with a team-high 49 assists to go along with 32 assists for 81 total tackles. He also has six tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 26 yards, including a quarterback sack.
Goforth is the Mustangs’ top punt return specialist with 35 returns for 292 yards for an average of 83 yards per return.
Goforth has 231 tackles, 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 57 yards, 21 pass breakups, and 16 interceptions during his Morningside career.
Earlier this year Goforth was named to the second team of the 2012 Capital One College Division Academic All-America Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Goforth was named a Victory Sports Network (VSN) honorable mention All-American as a sophomore and a Beyond Sports Network (BSN) honorable mention All-American as a junior. He is a three-time first-team All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) selection.
Morningside has placed a player on the AFCA NAIA All-America team for seven straight seasons for the second longest streak in the NAIA behind Carroll College, which has placed a player on the AFCA All-America teams each of the last eight years.
The AFCA has selected All-America teams since 1945. The association selects All-America teams for the NAIA and all divisions of the NCAA. The AFCA started selecting an NAIA only team in 2006.
Click here for the complete 2012 AFCA NAIA All-America Football Team.
 Jon Halvorson was named to the second-team of the 2012 Capital One College Division Academic All-America Football Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Halvorson, a 5-11, 190 lb. running back from Sioux Falls, S.D., was one of just six sophomores named to the 48-player honor squad comprised predominately by juniors and seniors.
He has a 3.87 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in business administration and a minor in physics. On the field he is the second leading rusher for a Mustang football team that will take a 13-0 record into the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship against Marian University on Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga.
“It’s great to be recognized for accomplishments off the field,” Halvorson said. “It’s not the first thing people look at a lot of times, but academic recognition is really a great honor.”
Time management is essential for achieving high grades, especially when football is in season.
“It’s definitely more difficult to get good grades when we are in season,” Halvorson said. “In a typical day I have about three hours of classes, another three hours of football, and then do my studies at night. I just try to keep up with all of my assignments each night. Time management is really the key to doing that.”
Halvorson said he will schedule his classes differently in the fall semesters when football is in season.
“During the fall I try to avoid night classes and I schedule my classes earlier in the day to make sure I get to practice on time and have my evenings off to study,” he said.
Halvorson is still two years away from graduation, but has a career choice in mind.
“I would like to work in the alternative energy field, whether windmills in Iowa or geothermal energy on the coast because something like that would be really interesting,” Halvorson said.
Halvorson has rushed for 556 yards and nine touchdowns in 115 attempts this season for an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Halvorson had never carried the ball in a varsity game entering the season, but injuries to several of the Mustangs’ veteran backs pressed him into service in the season opener and he responded with 158 yards to help lead the team to a 49-7 romp against Valley City State University. The 158 yards was the Mustangs’ top rushing performance of the season.
“I wasn’t expecting to play much in that game and was just hoping to get in for a couple of snaps,” Halvorson said. “I went into the game pretty early and I don’t think I had ever been that nervous before in my entire life.”
The adrenaline rush may have helped Halvorson when he broke loose for a 59-yard run on the very first carry of his collegiate career.
Halvorson said team chemistry and preparation have been the keys to the Mustangs’ success.
“Our team is about as close as you can be,” he said. “I have great teammates and we work together well. The way we prepare and come out ready to play every week has been unmatched. Getting to the national championship game was in the back of our minds when the season began because we knew we had a shot if we put things together. As the season went along and we kept winning, it became a real obtainable goal that we all had.”
“This entire season has just been an amazing experience,” said Halvorson, a 2009 graduate of Sioux Falls Lincoln High School. “I haven’t been to a championship game since my sophomore year in high school, so I guess I’m kind of following the same path.”
Sioux Falls Lincoln made it to South Dakota’s Class 11 AA State Championship Game when Halvorson was a sophomore and the Patriots came away with a 27-20 victory against city rival Sioux Falls Washington.
Another championship game victory as a sophomore would suit Halvorson and Mustang faithful just fine.
 |
 |
Aaron Roberg |
Jordan Sitzmann |
Aaron Roberg and Jordan Sitzmann have been named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes in the sport of football.
Roberg, a 6-0, 225 lb. junior linebacker from Grand Island, Neb., has a 3.65 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in business administration. He is the Mustangs’ leading tackler with 41 solos and a team-high 74 assists for 115 total tackles to go along with 11.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 40 yards, four pass breakups, 2.5 quarterback sacks, and two interceptions.
Sitzmann, a 6-1, 180 lb. junior punter from Le Mars, Iowa, has a 3.86 cumulative grade point average with a major in business administration. Sitzmann is averaging 36.4 yards per punt with a long of 65 yards. Sixteen of his 54 punts have resulted in a fair catch and 12 others have been downed inside the 20-yard line.
Student-athletes must be of at least junior academic status and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Morningside will take a 13-0 record into the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship against Marian University on Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga.
Click here for the complete list of 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar-Athletes.
 |
 |
Joel Nixon |
Jared Goforth |
Third-ranked Morningside blew out reigning national champion Saint Xavier University 47-19 in the semifinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series at Olsen Stadium.
The victory put the 13-0 Mustangs into the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game to be played Thursday, Dec. 13, in Rome, Ga.
The Mustangs’ title game opponent will be Marian University, which advanced to the final with a 20-17 upset win at No. 1 Missouri Valley College in Saturday’s other semifinal. Marian shared this year’s Mid-States Football Association Mideast League title with Saint Xavier and the University of Saint Francis.
The Mustangs, champion of the Great Plains Athletic Conference, had too much offense, more specifically too much Joel Nixon, for the defending national champions. Nixon shredded the Cougars’ defense for 367 yards total offense and played a role in five of the Mustangs’ seven touchdowns. Nixon completed 22 of 34 pass attempts for 335 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 32 yards and a touchdown to win the Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game award for the third post-season victory in a row.
Nixon threw touchdown passes of four yards to Joel McCabe, two and seven yards to Kyle Shuck, and 44 yards to Colby Henderson to raise his season’s total to a school-record 47 touchdown passes. Nixon capped the game’s scoring with a four-yard touchdown run with 9:42 left in the game.
Morningside’s Jared Goforth was the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Game after he collected six tackles, including five solo stops, and intercepted two passes to give him nine for the season to close within two of the Mustangs’ school-record total of 11 interceptions in a season set by Henderson last year.
After giving up 16 points in the first quarter, the Mustangs’ defense toughened up and gave up only three more points the rest of the way, and shut the Cougars out in the second half.
Saint Xavier’s defense was never able to slow down the Mustangs as the Cougars yielded 476 yards total offense and a season’s high 47 points.
Morningside led at the end of each break with leads of 21-16 after the first quarter, 27-19 at the intermission, and 41-19 after the third quarter.
The Cougars gave the Mustangs some anxious moments at the start when they took the opening kickoff and drove 71 yards for a touchdown in seven plays while using up only 1:23 on the clock to take an early 7-0 lead on a 41-yard TD pass from Jimmy Coy to Chase Catton.
Morningside answered with an eight-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to tie the score at 7-7 on a seven-yard touchdown run by Fred Jones with 10:34 left in the opening quarter.
The Mustangs, who scored touchdowns on each of their first four offensive possessions, took the lead for good when a four-yard TD pass from Nixon to McCabe put the hosts in front 14-7 with 8:58 left in the first quarter.
After the Cougars closed within 14-10 on a 26-yard field goal by Spencer Nolan, the Mustangs scored again on a two-yard touchdown pass from Nixon to Schuck to go up 21-10 with 1:45 left in the quarter.
Saint Xavier narrowed the difference to 21-16 after an eight-yard touchdown pass from Coy to Wes Gastel, but the Mustangs answered again with their fourth straight touchdown drive when Nixon hurled a 44-yard TD pass to Henderson to stretch the margin to 27-16 with 4:43 left in the first half.
The Cougars drove to the Mustangs’ nine-yard line late in the first half before they were forced to settle for another 26-yard field goal by Nolan to make it 27-19 at the intermission.
The second half was all Morningside as the defense limited the Cougars to just 111 yards total offense after the break.
Morningside put the game away in the second half with a three-yard touchdown run by Fred Jones, a seven-yard touchdown pass from Nixon to Schuck, and a four-yard touchdown run by Nixon.
Schuck finished as the Mustangs’ leading receiver with eight catches for 112 yards, while McCabe was right behind with seven catches for 93 yards.
Jones paced the Mustangs’ rushing attack with 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 15 carries.
Coy provided most of Saint Xavier’s offense by passing for 369 yards on 29 completions in 48 attempts. Catton was his favorite target with nine receptions for 145 yards, while Gastel had eight catches for 81 yards and Shane Zackery had eight receptions for 80 yards.
Aaron Roberg topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart with seven solos and two assists for nine total tackles, followed by Henderson with seven tackles and three pass breakups. The Mustangs pressured Coy with three quarterback hurries from Elliott and a quarterback sack by Bret Doorenbos.
Jacob Ghinazzi collected a game-high 13 tackles for Saint Xavier with nine solos and four assists. Clayton Fejedel had 11 tackles, while Dave Marciano and Greg Hayward each had 10. Jimmy Sandling and Josh Perkins each had quarterback sacks.
Saint Xavier, which reached the national semifinals for the fifth year in a row, bowed out with an 11-2 record.
Box
|
 |
Jared Goforth |
Jon Halvorson |
Jared Goforth and Jon Halvorson have been named to the second team of the 2012 Capital One College Division Academic All-America Football Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Goforth, a senior defensive back from Polk City, Iowa, has a 3.35 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in business administration. He leads the Mustangs with nine interceptions and is the team’s third leading tackler with 49 solos and 32 assists for 81 total tackles. Goforth is second on the team with 10 pass breakups.
Halvorson, a sophomore running back from Sioux Falls, S.D., has a 3.87 cumulative GPA with a major in business administration. Halvorson is the Mustangs’ second leading rusher with 556 yards and nine touchdowns in 115 attempts for an average of 4.8 yards per carry. He also has 14 pass receptions for 104 yards.
Athletes must be of at least sophomore academic status, be a starter or significant reserve, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher to be eligible for Capital One Academic honors.
Morningside will take a 13-0 record into the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game on Dec. 13 in Rome, Ga.
Click here for the complete 2012 Capital One College Division Academic All-America Football Team.
 Morningside College head football coach Steve Ryan has been named the 2012 American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) 2012 NAIA Region 4 Coach of the Year.
Ryan’s Mustangs will be playing in the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game against Marian University on Thursday, Dec. 13, in Rome, Ga. Ryan has guided the Mustangs to a 13-0 record, a No. 3 NAIA National ranking, and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship this season.
Ryan has a 98-30 record for a .766 winning percentage with the Mustangs for the highest victory rate in Morningside history. Ryan, who ranks second in the Morningside annals with his 98 victories, has led the Mustangs to nine consecutive appearances in the NAIA Championship Series. Ryan trails only Jason Saunderson, who had a 118-93-11 record from 1912-41, on Morningside’s all-time coaching victory list.
He was named the GPAC Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2011, and 2012 and has led the Mustangs to three GPAC championships with titles in 2005, 2011, and 2012. Ryan also received AFCA NAIA Region 4 Coach of the Year recognition in 2005 and 2011 and was the 2004 NAIA Football.net National Coach of the Year.
The 2012 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized at the 2013 AFCA Convention on Jan. 8 in Nashville, Tenn.
|
 |
Joel Nixon |
Cole Boger |
In a game for the ages, Morningside defeated Southern Oregon 47-44 in overtime in the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Football Championship Series to move on to next Saturday’s semifinals.
The Mustangs, ranked third in the nation with a 12-0 record, are in the semifinals for the second time, joining the college’s 2005 team that finished 12-1.
The contest was the high scoring shootout it was expected to be as two of the nation’s most prolific offensive attacks squared off. Southern Oregon amassed 587 yards total offense, the most yards the Mustangs have allowed all season, while Morningside rolled up 505 yards total offense.
Morningside quarterback Joel Nixon fired a four-yard touchdown pass to Joel McCabe for the winning margin in the overtime. The Mustang touchdown came after Southern Oregon was forced to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Colin Amsler on its overtime possession.
Amsler had sent the game into overtime when he kicked a 17-yard field goal with five seconds left to tie the score at 41-41, but the Mustangs were glad to escape allowing only the field goal. Trailing 41-38, Southern Oregon appeared to have Morningside on the ropes after driving 83 yards to face a third and goal from the Mustangs’ one-yard line with 30 seconds left before Aaron Roberg and Billy Awtry stopped Raider touchdown leader Mike Olson short of the goal line and forced the guests to settle for the tying field goal.
The Mustangs had to hold off the Raiders in the second half after taking a 35-21 lead into the intermission. Southern Oregon, which scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to erase a 28-17 deficit in an opening round win against St. Ambrose, scored 17 unanswered points to start the second half to go up 38-35 with 11:53 left in the game.
Southern Oregon’s lead was short lived when Nixon led the Mustangs on an 80-yard touchdown march capped by an eight-yard TD pass to Kyle Schuck to regain the lead at 41-38 with 7:44 left. Nixon completed six passes during the touchdown march, including screens of 14 and 13 yards to Jon Halvorson along with 17-yard strikes to McCabe and Schuck.
 |
 |
Joel McCabe |
Kyle Schuck |
Nixon, named the game’s Outstanding Offensive Player, amassed 452 yards total offense with 346 yards passing and 106 yards rushing. He had a six-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and threw TD passes of 19 yards to Josh Gaedke and nine yards to Jared Masterson in the second quarter, eight yards to Schuck in the fourth quarter, and four yards to McCabe in the overtime.
Nixon’s four touchdown passes raised his season’s total to 43 TD passes to break the former Morningside single-season record of 41 touchdown passes first set by Craig Fobbe in 2005 and matched by Ian Gilworth in 2008.
McCabe led the Mustangs with 10 catches that went for 97 yards, while Schuck worked himself open in the Raiders’ secondary all afternoon and finished with nine catches for 154 yards.
Southern Oregon also had some impressive offensive numbers, most notably a 19-catch, 265-yard performance by Cole McKenzie, who scored two of his team’s six touchdowns. McKenzie’s 19 receptions and 265 reception yards were the highest individual totals ever against the Morningside defense. Patrick Donahue also had a big day with 11 catches for 96 yards, while Raider quarterback Austin Dodge passed for 444 yards and three touchdowns and Manny Barragan rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Morningside’s Cole Boger received the game’s Outstanding Defensive Player award. Boger collected 10 tackles and made one of the biggest defensive plays of the game in the first quarter when he intercepted a Dodge pass and returned the theft 46 yards for a touchdown to give the Mustangs an early 14-0 lead.
Colby Henderson also had an interception, the 20th of his Morningside career, to go along with 11 tackles. Ben Rickord led the Mustangs with 15 tackles, including 12 solo stops, and a pair of pass breakups. Mustang linebackers Aaron Roberg, Taylor Johnson, and Sean Elliott also finished with double figure tackle totals of 12, 11, and 10, respectively.
Box
 |
|
Sean Elliott |
Joel Nixon |
Third-ranked Morningside prevailed 40-35 in a high scoring shootout with No. 14 Montana Tech at Elwood Olsen Stadium to advance to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
The Mustangs are in the NAIA Quarterfinals for the seventh time in the last nine years.
The 11-0 Mustangs had some anxious moments in their opening round victory, especially when Oredigger quarterback Nick Baker broke loose for an apparent go-ahead 47-yard touchdown run that would have put the guests in front 41-40 with less than four minutes left, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty.
Montana Tech finished with 517 yards total offense against the nation’s No. 1 defense that had shut out each of its last three regular season opponents. The Orediggers’ 517 yards and 35 points were the most surrendered by the Mustangs all season.
The Mustangs did much of their offensive damage in the second quarter when they reeled off 34 points to erase a 13-0 first quarter deficit. Morningside scored 27 unanswered points to go up 27-13. The Mustangs scored their first points on eight-yard touchdown run by Fred Jones and tied the score at 13-13 when Defensive Player of the Game Sean Elliott intercepted a Baker pass and returned the theft 25 yards for a touchdown.
Morningside took a 20-13 lead when Offensive Player of the Game Joel Nixon found Kyle Schuck open in the end zone with a 10-yard scoring pass and the Mustangs made it 27-13 on a 38-yard TD pass from Nixon to Joel McCabe with 3:55 left in the opening half.
Montana Tech regained some momentum when a 22-yard touchdown run by Pat Hansen capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive to pull the guests within 27-20 with 57 seconds left in the half, but the Mustangs got the points right back when Colby Henderson returned the kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to cap the Mustangs’ 34-point second quarter barrage.
Montana Tech outscored the Mustangs 15-6 in the second half, but was never able to take the lead. The Orediggers used a safety and a six-yard touchdown run by Hansen to close within 34-29 with 12:57 left in the fourth quarter before the Mustangs gained some breathing room when a one-yard touchdown run by Jones stretched the lead to 40-29.
The Orediggers closed within 40-35 on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Baker to James Roberts with 7:36 left in the game.
Montana Tech’s final hopes were dashed by the holding penalty that wiped out Baker’s 47-yard touchdown dash and when Baker coughed up the ball while being sacked by Keith Chvatal and Elliott recovered to give the Mustangs the ball on the Orediggers’ eight-yard line with 2:10 left in the game.
Montana Tech turned the ball over four times and Elliott was involved in three of them with an interception and two fumble recoveries. The Orediggers’ other turnover was an interception by Henderson.
Aside from the interception and two fumble recoveries, Elliott also had nine tackles and blocked a Montana Tech PAT attempt. Jared Goforth led the Mustangs with a career-high 16 tackles, including 11 solo stops, while Cole Boger, Henderson, and Chris Calvillo had double figure totals of 11, 10, and 10 tackles, respectively. Calvillo, Chvatal, Marcus Smith, and Andrew Broocks all had quarterback sacks.
Nixon rushed for 116 yards in 19 attempts and completed 10 of 20 pass attempts for 156 yards and two touchdowns to finish with 272 yards total offense. Jones rushed for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Schuck caught four passes for 41 yards and McCabe had three catches for 64 yards.
Hansen carried the ball 29 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns and had three pass receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown to become the first back to rush for over 100 yards against the Mustangs this season.
Baker completed 28 of 51 pass attempts for 300 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 45 yards to finish with 345 yards total offense. Trent Thomas led the Oredigger receivers with 10 catches for 81 yards.
Box
|
 |
Joel Nixon |
Steve Ryan |
Joel Nixon, a 6-0, 205 lb. senior quarterback from Wakefield, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Year to highlight the Mustangs’ representatives on the 2012 All-GPAC Football Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.
Morningside’s Steve Ryan was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to a perfect 10-0 regular season record and a second consecutive GPAC championship. Ryan, who also received GPAC Coach of the Year honors in 2004, 2005, and 2011, has a career record of 95-30 for a .760 winning percentage at Morningside and has led the team to nine consecutive appearances in the NAIA Championship Series. The Mustangs will host Montana Tech in a first round contest.
Nixon, a converted wide receiver, has excelled in his first season as the Mustangs’ starting quarterback and was named the GPAC Offensive Player of the Week four times during the regular season. He is the NAIA national leader with a pass efficiency rating of 185.1 and is second in the nation with an average of 328.3 yards total offense per game and sixth with an average of 276.7 yards passing per game. He has completed 180 of 279 pass attempts (64.5 percent) for 2,767 yards and 37 touchdowns. His 2,767 yards passing is the sixth highest single-season total in school history and his 37 touchdown passes are four shy of the Morningside record of 41 TD passes in a season set by Craig Fobbe in 2005 and matched by Ian Gilworth in 2008. Aside from his passing exploits, Nixon is also the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 516 yards in 94 attempts for an average of 5.5 yards per carry.
Nixon is one of 10 Morningside players named to the All-GPAC first-team. He is joined on the first team by Kyle Schuck, Joel McCabe, Austin Klett, Cole Albright, Marcus Smith, Jared Goforth, Colby Henderson, Chris Calvillo, and Aaron Roberg.
Henderson, a 5-11, 180 lb. senior from Wakefield, Neb., received first-team All-GPAC honors as both a defensive back and as a kick return specialist. He has 40 tackles, five pass breakups, and two interceptions for a Morningside defense that leads the nation in scoring defense with an average of 5.7 points per game. Henderson has 11 kickoff returns for 391 yards for an average of 35.5 yards per return. He had a 98-yard touchdown return against Dordt College for the longest kickoff return in Morningside history.
Schuck, a 6-2, 180 lb. junior wide receiver from Cherokee, Iowa, has 42 pass receptions for 679 yards and a team-high 15 touchdowns for an average of 16.2 yards per catch. Schuck, the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 90 points, tied a school record with four touchdown receptions in the Mustangs’ 41-0 victory against Dordt.
McCabe, a 6-1, 225 lb. junior J-back from Jefferson, S.D., is the Mustangs’ leading pass receiver with 60 catches for 970 yards and 14 touchdowns for an average of 16.2 yards per catch.
Klett, a 6-3, 230 lb. junior tight end from Everly, Iowa, has nine pass receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown for an average of 9.8 yards per catch.
Albright, a 6-2, 295 lb. senior offensive lineman from Bronson, Iowa, is a blocking standout for a Morningside offense that is averaging 45.7 points, 207.1 yards rushing, and 503.4 yards total offense per game.
Smith, a 6-0, 210 lb. junior defensive lineman from Crete, Neb., has 32 tackles and leads the Mustangs with 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 33 yards, 4.5 quarterback sacks, three quarterback hurries, and four fumble recoveries.
Goforth, a 6-0, 195 lb. senior defensive back from Polk City, Iowa, has 53 tackles and leads the Mustangs with seven interceptions and nine pass breakups to go along with three tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 22 yards and a quarterback sack.
Calvillo, a 6-2, 220 lb. senior linebacker from Sioux City, has 84 tackles, including a team-high 36 solo stops. He has 10.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 19 yards, one quarterback sack, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
Roberg, a 6-0, 225 lb. junior linebacker from Grand Island, Neb., is the Mustangs’ leading tackler with 29 solos and a team-high 57 assists for 86 total tackles. Roberg also leads the team with 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 35 yards to go along with two quarterback sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.
Morningside’s Josh Gaedke, Josh Steinberg, Bret Doorenbos, and Taylor Johnson were all named to the All-GPAC Second-Team.
Gaedke, a 5-10, 200 lb. junior running back from Colo, Iowa, is the Mustangs’ third leading rusher with 89 attempts for 339 yards and two touchdowns for an average of 3.8 yards per carry.
Steinberg, a 6-4, 325 lb. junior from Osage, Iowa, is a standout in the Mustangs’ offensive line. He is in his first season with the Mustangs after he earned special mention all-region honors at Iowa Central Community College last season.
Doorenbos, a 6-2, 255 lb. junior defensive lineman from Boyden, Iowa, has 27 tackles, including 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 33 yards. He has a team-high three quarterback hurries and is second on the team with four quarterback sacks.
Johnson, a 6-0, 215 lb. senior linebacker from Arlington, Neb., has 23 tackles, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, and a team-high three quarterback hurries.
Morningside had an additional seven players named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list. They are Keith Chvatal, a 5-10, 230 lb. senior defensive lineman from Wahoo, Neb.; Sean Elliott, a 5-11, 220 lb. senior linebacker from Spencer, Iowa; Trevor Strong, a 5-10, 170 lb. junior defensive back from Fremont, Neb.; Ben Rickord, a 5-11, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Dakota Dunes, S.D.; Cole Boger, a 5-11, 195 lb. junior defensive back from Battle Creek, Iowa; Jon Halvorson, a 5-11, 190 lb. sophomore running back from Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Jake Allen, a 5-10, 160 lb. freshman wide receiver from Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Click here for the complete 2012 All-GPAC Football Team.
 Jared Goforth, a 6-0, 195 lb. senior defensive back from Polk City, Iowa, 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’ 62-0 victory against city rival Briar Cliff on Nov. 10.
Goforth had seven punt returns for 73 yards. His longest return went for 20 yards.
Aside from his special teams exploits, Goforth also had an interception, two pass breakups, and three tackles to help the Mustangs’ defense post its third straight shutout. The interception was his seventh of the season for the fourth highest total in the NAIA.
 |
 |
 |
Jared Goforth |
Jon Halvorson |
Aaron Roberg |
Three Morningside College athletes have been named to the 2012 Capital One College Division Academic All-District 5 Football Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The players are Jared Goforth, a senior defensive back from Polk City, Iowa; Jon Halvorson, a sophomore running back from Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Aaron Roberg, a junior linebacker from Grand Island, Neb. They will be placed on the national ballot for selection of the 2012 Capital One College Division Academic All-America Team.
Goforth has a 3.35 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in business administration.
Halvorson has a 3.87 cumulative GPA with a major in business administration.
Roberg has a 3.65 cumulative GPA with a major in business administration.
Athletes must be of at least sophomore academic status, be a starter or significant reserve, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher to be eligible for Capital One Academic honors.
 Joel McCabe, 6-1, 225 lb. junior J-back from Jefferson, S.D., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Morningside's 50-0 victory against Concordia University on Nov. 3.
McCabe had career highs of nine pass receptions for 161 yards and three touchdowns. He caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Joel Nixon with 10:58 left in the first quarter for the game’s first score. McCabe added a 32-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter and scored the Mustangs’ final touchdown on a 12-yard reception with 12:12 left in the third quarter.
McCabe is the Mustangs’ leading pass receiver with 56 catches for 907 yards and a team-high 13 touchdowns for an average of 16.2 yards per catch. He has been the Mustangs’ leading receiver in six of their nine games and has five 100-yard games this season.
Morningside secured sole possession of the 2012 GPAC Championship with last Saturday’s win against Concordia. The Mustangs have a 9-0 record and are ranked third nationally in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Morningside will wrap up the regular season against city rival Briar Cliff University on Nov. 10 at Memorial Field.
The Mustang football team and the Morningside community presented the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with a check for $2,200 from funds raised for "Fight Leukemia Day" that was held on Nov. 3 in conjunction with that day’s home football game against Concordia University.
The event was held in honor of Austin Granatowicz, a sophomore linebacker on the Mustangs’ football team from Firth, Neb., who was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) earlier this fall.
Members of the Morningside football team sold raffle tickets for an autographed football signed by the Mustang football team. Orange wristbands were also sold in the days leading up to the event. All proceeds were presented to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for research of the disease.
Doris Henry, a representative from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society office in Des Moines, Iowa, attended the game and spoke at halftime. Fans in attendance were encouraged to wear orange, the color associated with leukemia awareness. The Morningside football players wore orange colored spat shoe accessories and the Mustang coaches wore orange hats.
Granatowicz discovered he had CML after blood tests were done earlier this fall because injuries he suffered in a scrimmage and junior varsity game weren’t healing properly. CML is an uncommon type of cancer of the white blood cells that leads to an abnormal growth of white blood cells that multiply uncontrollably and crowd out all the other types of necessary blood cells.
Granatowicz, who is being treated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, was originally prescribed oral chemotherapy to reduce his blood count levels so he could start regular treatments of Tasigna, a chemotherapy drug that targets a specific protein within cancer cells and stops the cells from growing.
“I just finished my oral chemo treatment a couple weeks ago,” Granatowicz said. “I had to take 12 pills a day for two weeks while I was on that. Now I’m taking two Tasigna pills in the morning and two more at night.”
Granatowicz, who is enrolled at Morningside as a full-time student and working towards degrees in chemistry and biology, said there haven’t been any side effects from the medication.
“As of right now, my appointments for seeing my oncologist in Omaha have been reduced from once a week to once every other week, and after a couple months it could drop to once every three weeks,” Granatowicz said.
Granatowicz said his treatments have been going well and that he eventually hopes to make a return to the football field.
“I had to stop playing football because my spleen is enlarged due to the abnormally high white blood cell count,” Granatowicz said. “As long as my spleen goes down and I react well with my medication, I should be able to return to football sometime next season.”
This June Granatowicz plans to do volunteer work for Camp Hope, located at Camp Aldrich near Claflin, Kan. Camp Hope, offered by the American Cancer Society, provides a place for children in treatment or remission to become kids again through the summer camp experience and to allow the children to see they are not alone in their struggle and provide peer support for everyone involved.
 Joel Nixon, a 6-0, 205 lb. senior quarterback from Wakefield, Neb., has been named the NAIA National Player of the Week and the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs' 63-7 Homecoming victory against 19th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan University on Oct. 13.
Nixon amassed 435 yards total offense to lead No. 4 Morningside to its sixth victory in as many outings. He completed 20 of 28 pass attempts for a career-high 395 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 40 yards in nine attempts. The 395 yards passing was the eighth highest single-game total in Morningside history. Nixon threw touchdown passes of 75 yards to Colby Henderson, 69 yards to Jake Allen, 20 yards to Kyle Schuck, and 17 and eight yards to Joel McCabe.
Nixon, who received the GPAC Offensive Player of the Week award for the fourth time this season, is averaging 322.2 yards total offense and 271.2 yards passing per game to rank third and eighth, respectively, in the NAIA national ranks. He has completed 100 of 168 pass attempts (59.5 percent) for 1,627 yards and 20 touchdowns and has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of the Mustangs’ six victories. His 1,627 yards passing through six games is already the 12th highest single-season total in the Morningside record book.
 Cole Boger, a 5-11, 195 lb. junior strong safety from Battle Creek, Iowa, has been named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in No. 4 Morningside’s 28-3 victory against No. 18 Doane College in a matchup of nationally ranked teams on Oct. 6 in Crete, Neb.
Boger was also named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Special Teams Player of the Week.
Boger scored the first touchdown of the game when he blocked a Doane punt and had a three-yard TD return just three minutes into the contest. It was the first touchdown of Boger’s collegiate career and the first time the Mustangs blocked a punt for a TD since John Kirwan accomplished the feat against Dordt College during the 2009 season.
 Joel Nixon, a 6-0, 205 lb. senior quarterback from Wakefield, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week for the third week in a row.
Nixon, a converted wide receiver who had never played a collegiate down at quarterback prior to this season, enjoyed his most impressive performance to date when he racked up a season’s high 456 yards total offense in the Mustangs' 42-0 victory against previously unbeaten Midland University on Sept. 22. He completed 20 of 28 pass attempts for 344 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown. Nixon threw touchdown passes of 79 yards to Jake Allen and 63 yards to Joel McCabe. His touchdown run was a 63-yard dash.
Nixon finished the contest with a streak of eight straight completions, including a 46-yard bomb to Kyle Schuck on his final throw before he was removed from the game in the fourth quarter.
Nixon is fifth nationally in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in total offense with an average of 318.5 yards per game and is seventh in passing with an average of 260.3 yards per game. Nixon has completed 68 of 112 pass attempts for a completion rate of 60.7 percent with 12 touchdowns and only one interception.
Nixon’s exploits have helped lead the Mustangs to a 4-0 record and a No. 4 NAIA national ranking.
 Joel Nixon, a 6-0, 205 lb. senior quarterback from Wakefield, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row.
Nixon enjoyed his best performance to date since becoming the Mustangs’ starting quarterback this season by amassing 402 yards total offense in a 35-10 victory against Nebraska Wesleyan University on Sept. 15 in Lincoln. Nixon passed for 374 yards and four touchdowns for the 12th highest single-game passing yardage total in Morningside history. He completed 17 of 31 pass attempts, including touchdown strikes of 82 yards to Colby Henderson, nine yards to Joel McCabe, and 33 and 45 yards to Kyle Schuck. Nixon also completed a 60-yard pass to McCabe in the first quarter and a 41-yard bomb to Henderson in the second quarter that set up the nine-yard TD pass to McCabe. Aside from his 374 yards passing, Nixon was also the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 28 yards in eight attempts.
Nixon was also named the GPAC Offensive Player of the Week after he accounted for 224 yards total offense in the Mustangs’ 34-7 victory against 10th-ranked Northwestern on Sept. 8.
He is averaging 272.7 yards total offense and 232.3 yards passing per game to rank among the NAIA national leaders. Nixon has completed 48 of 84 pass attempts (57.1 percent) for 697 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 121 yards in 31 attempts. Nixon has thrown only one interception through the first three games.
 |
 |
Ty Littzen |
Joel Nixon |
Ty Littzen, a 5-6, 140 lb. freshman kicker from Fort Dodge, Iowa, has been named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Morningside's 34-7 victory against Northwestern College on Sept. 8.
Littzen was also named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Special Teams Player of the Week, while teammate Joel Nixon, a 6-0, 205 lb. senior quarterback from Wakefield, Neb., is the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Littzen accounted for the first two scores of the game in the Mustangs’ lopsided victory over a Northwestern team that was ranked 10th nationally in the NAIA Pre-Season Poll. Littzen made a 51-yard field goal to put the Mustangs on top 3-0 with 7:14 left in the first quarter and added a 45-yard field goal with one second left in the opening stanza to put the Mustangs in front 6-0.
Littzen kicked four PATs later in the game to make him a perfect 11-for-11 for the season.
Nixon accounted for 224 yards total offense against Northwestern. He completed 16 of 29 pass attempts for 160 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards in 14 attempts. Nixon threw touchdown passes of 32 yards to Joel McCabe and three and 15 yards to Tyler Sinsabaugh.
Nixon, a converted wide receiver who is playing quarterback for the first time in his collegiate career, has directed a Morningside offense that has yet to turn the ball over through the first two games of the 2012 season.
 Morningside is ranked eighth nationally in the 2012 NAIA Pre-Season Football Poll released Monday, Aug. 6.
The Mustangs return 12 starters from a team that posted a 9-2 record last season and won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship en route to an eighth consecutive post-season appearance in the NAIA Championship Series. Morningside has a 77-18 record for a .811 winning percentage over the past eight seasons.
Morningside is one of three teams from the GPAC ranked in the NAIA Pre-Season Top 25. Northwestern College is ranked 10th and Doane College is ranked 21st.
The Mustangs will open the 2012 season with a 7 p.m. home game against Valley City State University on Thursday, Aug. 30. The Vikings, coming off a 9-2 campaign, are ranked 17th in the NAIA Pre-Season Poll.
Click here for the complete NAIA Pre-Season Top 25.
 Morningside finished first in the first-ever GPAC Media Pre-Season Football Poll and second in the annual GPAC Football Coaches’ Pre-Season Poll announced at the 2012 GPAC Football Media Day held Aug. 2 in Lincoln, Neb.
The Mustangs received five of the eight first place votes from the members of the media in attendance to top the GPAC Media Poll with 76 points for a two-point edge over Northwestern. The Red Raiders received six of the 10 first place votes from the league’s head coaches to top the GPAC Coaches’ Poll with 78 points and a two-point margin over Morningside.
The poll results set up a key early season matchup when Morningside and Northwestern will square off in their GPAC openers in a 7 p.m. contest at Elwood Olsen Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8. The Mustangs will open the campaign with a 7 p.m. home game against Valley City State on Thursday, Aug. 30.
Morningside is the defending GPAC champion and returns 12 starters, including seven on the defensive side of the ball, from a team that posted a 9-2 record last season en route to an eighth consecutive post-season appearance in the NAIA Championship Series.
The Mustangs have a 77-18 record for a .818 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season.
Click here for the complete poll results.
|
