Mside concludes 2020 GPAC road schedule on high note

SEWARD, NEB. – A balanced attack sent head coach Steve Ryan's Mustangs to a resounding victory Saturday, Nov. 7.

Morningside's vaunted offense nearly hit the 700 mark in total offense, finishing with 649 at Concordia University's Bulldog Stadium. Meanwhile, the defense limited the hosts to only 15 yards rushing and limited them to 12 points over the final three quarters after CU posted 10 in the first 15 minutes. These factors contributed to a 56-22 Great Plains Athletic Conference victory, moving the nine-time defending champions to 7-0 overall and in the league.

A pair of Maroon-clad athletes hit personal milestones, with one being a program record. Senior defensive lineman Niklas Gustav (SR/Hamburg, Germany) (Hamburg, Germany), dragging down Concordia quarterback Blake Culbert twice, surpassed former career sacks leader Bob McCabe by moving to 23.5. Reid Jurgensmeier (SR/Wahoo, Neb.) (Wahoo, Neb.), another member of the Class of 2021, became the second person in school history to reach 50 touchdown receptions, logging his ninth successive 100-yard-plus contest and hauling in two scoring strikes.

Morningside had a surplus of superlatives beyond that duo. Junior quarterback Joe Dolincheck (JR/Bellevue, Neb.) (Bellevue, Neb.) threw for better than 400 yards for the second time in his career, going for 442 and three touchdowns; freshman wide receiver Zach Norton (FR/Sioux Falls, SD) (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and junior wide receiver Jamal Albousafi (JR/Sioux Falls, SD) (Sioux Falls, S.D.) benefitted along with Jurgensmeier from Dolincheck's big afternoon, as Norton recorded five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, and Albousafi tallied 10 for 97; senior running back Arnijae "AP" Ponder (Omaha, Neb.) crept ever so close to 5000 career rushing yards, moving with 28 with a 157-yard, three-touchdown day. The Mustang defense totaled 11 tackles for Concordia losses to the tune of 28 lost yards and turned the home team over once with an interception.

Morningside returns to the FieldTurf on Elwood Olsen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 14. It's Senior Day 2020, as Doane University visits for a 1 p.m. kickoff.