Titans Tug-of-War - Second half surge sends Morningside to key GPAC victory

One first down.

In Morningside College head football coach Steve Ryan's mind, it was a difference-maker of big proportions Saturday, Sept. 12.

With visiting and Great Plains Athletic Conference rival Northwestern College having come up off the mat from an early 14-0 deficit with a 31-10 run over the late stages of the first quarter and throughout the second and third periods, the tide had turned to the dismay of a partisan Maroon crowd inside Elwood Olsen Stadium for a memorable 2020 conference and home opener. However, trailing 31-24, Ryan's squad drove seven plays in 75 yards late in the third for a game-tying touchdown that sparked a 21-0 roll en route to a 45-31 Morningside decision.

All of which was started by junior quarterback Joe Dolincheck (JR/Bellevue, Neb.) (Bellevue, Neb.) finding classmate Austin Johnson (JR/Sioux Falls, SD) (Sioux Falls, S.D.) with a nifty seam route on third down that put the home team into action. "I kept telling (assistant) Coach (Andrew) Rode, our offensive coordinator, that all we needed was one first down," Ryan reflected. "We hadn't been clicking early in the half --- Northwestern had a lot of momentum --- there was concern with the rally they put on (to take the lead).

Once we got that first down established, things started to be smoother," he added. "I'm so proud of our guys tonight. They fought all the way through against one heck of a football team (in Northwestern)."

Once the tie was achieved, it was all to the nine-time defending league champions. Mside held the ball for nearly 10 minutes; rolled up almost 200 yards of offense; got themselves into Northwestern's backfield to the tune of two sacks; registered a vital block of a Red Raider field goal attempt; and turned over the opposition twice. Dolincheck's 23-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier (SR/Wahoo, Neb.) (Wahoo, Neb.) broke the deadlock for good with just over eight minutes left followed by a grinding 12-play, 80-yard drive for the final points with only 1:31 remaining as senior running back Anthony Sims (SR/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) bowled in from four yards out.

Dolincheck continued an impressive run with a 23-of-35, 364-yard, three-touchdown night, booking his 10^th 300-plus-yard passing game and fifth straight. Jurgensmeier and Johnson were key beneficiaries, with nine catches for 189 yards and two scores and nine receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown, respectively. Senior running back Arnijae "AP" Ponder (Omaha, Neb.) continued his march to 5,000 career rushing yards with his 26^th career 100-yard-plus effort, earning every one of 122 on 22 carries and two touchdowns against a stout NWC defense.

Defensive standouts were also plentiful. Senior end Seth Maitlen (SR/Creston, Iowa) (Creston, Iowa) wore out the visitors with a sack, three tackles for losses, and a fumble recovery as part of an eight-tackle evening. Junior linebacker Tyler Wingert (SR/Holstein, Iowa) (Holstein, Iowa) added the blocked field goal and a forced fumble; sophomore linebacker Garrett Hoagland (SO/Lincoln, Neb.) (Lincoln, Neb.) forced and recovered a fumble to set up a quick scoring drive; and sophomore defensive back Jamal Jones (SO/Adelanto, Calif.) (Adelanto, Calif.) and junior linebacker Jalen Portis (FR/St. Louis, Mo.) (St. Louis, Mo.) each collected interceptions.

Looking back at the entire night's worth of events on the home Fieldturf was dizzying. Seventy-six points, 44 first downs, better than 1100 yards of offense --- a back and forth, no-holds-barred battle that had Ryan thinking, and rightly so, this one might go down as one of the best in the series.

"There have been so many good ones though," he noted. "Tonight is right up there with those."

Morningside is back in action Saturday, Sept. 19, traveling to Midland University of Nebraska.