Passing The Test – Mustangs aerial attack sends them to semifinals

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – Morningside University scored touchdowns on its first five drives Saturday, Nov. 27, and didn't look back en route to a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Championship Series quarterfinal round victory.

Riding the arm of senior quarterback Joe Dolincheck (Bellevue, Neb.) throughout 60 minutes on the home FieldTurf at Elwood Olsen Stadium, head coach Steve Ryan's Mustangs, the number two national postseason seed, opened up a 38-7 halftime advantage towards a 58-21 victory over 10^th-seeded Kansas Wesleyan University. Dolincheck, surpassing the 12,000-yard and 125-touchdown career milestones to spotlight Offensive Player of the Game honors, went for 417 yards and five scores, topping an offense that collected more than 550 yards to highlight a fifth straight advancement to the national last four.

Senior wide receiver Austin Johnson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) returned to the field in a big way with two touchdowns as part of a seven-catch, 153-yard afternoon. Fellow senior wideout Reid Jurgensmeier (Wahoo, Neb.), becoming only the second receiver in program history to reach 70 touchdowns with one end zone visit, also hauled in seven catches, with his yardage total sitting at 77. Sophomore Zach Norton (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and senior Caleb Schweigart (Omaha, Neb.) also collected four-or-more receptions with four each.

Ryan's crew, improving to 12-0, needed every bit of the aerial circus. The home side's running attack was limited to 137 yards. However, senior running back Matt Strecker (Columbus, Neb.) and freshman backfield mate Ryan Cole (St. Ansgar, Iowa) managed to crash into the visiting end zone three times.

The Mustangs defense proved stout again, too. Kansas Wesleyan didn't generate two of their scoring drives until the late stages, as four sacks, five tackles for losses, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, three pass breakups, and three opposing quarterback hurries kept the usually-potent Coyote offense off schedule. Senior linebacker Jalen Portis (St. Louis, Mo.) was tabbed Defensive Player of the Game, compiling two sacks and two tackles for losses among his eight total tackles. Tyler Wingert (Holstein, Iowa), Portis' position and classmate, also was part of eight tackles. Defensive linemen Zack Keller (Wilber, Neb.) and Dominick Barrett (Baltimore, Md.), also Class of 2022 members, added to the sack totals with one apiece.

NOTES: Morningside's tradition-rich history continued along within the offensive totals. It was the fifth time they've reached 50-or-more quarterfinal round points further to celebrate the program's 30th all-time playoff triumph… Despite missing an extra point, junior placekicker Chase Carter (Knoxville, Iowa) ran his current string of made field goals to nine.