Second-half splurge guides Morningside past DWU

SIOUX CITY, IA – A 21-point third quarter managed to give Morningside College some much-needed scoreboard distance Saturday, Oct. 24.

With a game Dakota Wesleyan University squad staying within 21-7 as the teams headed to their locker rooms at Elwood Olsen Stadium, the nine-time defending Great Plains Athletic Conference champions were looking for a power surge. Enter senior running back Arnijae "AP" Ponder (Omaha, Neb.) and a menacing defense.

After a respectable 10-carry, 72-yard, one-touchdown effort in the first half, the Maroon backfield standout punched in two touchdowns in the third quarter as part of a 28-point Mside scoring run. He carried the ball 10 more times in the second half for 87 yards, concluding a 159-yard afternoon, pounding at what was an intense DWU defense throughout. Ponder's ability to soften the visiting defense enabled head coach Steve Ryan's squad to produce a 35-point second-half attack to the delight of the home crowd, leading Morningside to a 56-21 win.

While Ponder and his offensive mates produced 549 yards of total offense, co-defensive coordinators Casey Jacobsen and Nate Turner's defense made things difficult on the Tiger offense most of the afternoon. Fourteen tackles for losses, seven sacks, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery gave the home crowd many oohs and ahs over the contest. Freshman linebacker Jalen Portis (St. Louis, Mo.) had another impressive outing with 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries. Senior defensive end Zack Keller (Wilber, Neb.) was just as noteworthy with three and a half sacks, and four and a half tackles for losses. He and fellow senior front man Niklas Gustav (Hamburg, Germany) were tied for third in tackles (seven) behind sophomore defensive back Joshua Miller (Lincoln, Neb.) who turned in eight. Morningside's special teams were also on display, as sophomore Chase Carter (Knoxville, Iowa) became the fourth kicker in program history to make 100-or-more extra points by going eight-for-eight, and junior Caleb Schweigart (Omaha, Neb.) returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown, the first of his collegiate career.

Morningside (5-0 overall, 5-0 GPAC) begins two in a row on the road Saturday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Dordt University's Open Space Park.

NOTES: Personal trends were numerous in the win. Senior wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier (Wahoo, Neb.) registered his seventh straight 100-plus-yard outing; junior quarterback Joe Dolincheck (Bellevue, Neb.) threw for more than 250 yards for a 13^th straight game; Ponder moved into second on the all-time points scored list (416), and Gustav tied for second on the career sacks chart (21) to highlight the category.