UD vs. Central Football Gameday Preview
Nov 14, 2014
Game Info
vs Central College Dutch – 2:00 PM
Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium
November 15, 2014
Pella, Iowa
WATCH LIVE HERE
Twitter-sphere
Spartans - @UDubuqueSports
Dutch- @CentralDutch
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Spartans aim to spoil Central’s five game-winning streak on the road this Saturday. It won’t be easy against a Dutch team that has been on a roll since losing their Iowa Conference opener to Wartburg in October.
They have averaged 36.4 points per game during their streak thanks to efficient quarterback play and a solid run game led by RB Josh Osborn, who is second in the IIAC in rushing with 700 yards and eight touchdowns during conference play. QB Aaron Eiseler commands the offense with the third-highest efficiency (142.3) in IIAC play after tossing 11 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
Spartan LB Blaine Snitker welcomes the challenge after his game-winning deflection prevented a 2-point Coe conversion in the waning minutes last weekend. Snitker anchors a UDefense that features three of the IIAC’s top-10 tacklers and a pair of active defensive backs. Osborn and Co. will be a tough test as the Spartans rank seventh in the IIAC vs. the run.
On offense, UD will counter with a one-two punch of their own in QB Zach Fry (14 TDs – 7 INTs) and leading WR Tyler Rutenbeck (38 rec, 508 yds, and 7 TDs in IIAC play). They’ve been on a mini-streak of their own after defeating rival Loras, 34-7, in the Key City Clash and escaping Coe, 29-27, a week ago. Rutenbeck needs two receiving TDs in his final game to break the all-time UD record.
The Spartan offensive will face off against a Dutch defense that is one of the league’s best. Led by LB Jessie Peterson’s 71 tackles and a pair of IIAC Player of the Week honorees, DB’s Jacob Edleman and Jordan Wachter, the Dutch defense is ranked second against the pass and third against the run. They come in hot after shutting out Simpson on November 1st and holding Buena Vista’s prolific offense to just 25 points last week.
UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE
Record: (4-5, 3-3 IIAC)
Head Coach: Stan Zweifel (6th year, 32-28, .533)
Rankings: nr/nr (D3football.com/AFCA)
CENTRAL
Record: (7-2, 5-1 IIAC)
Head Coach: Steve Staker (11th year, 86-29, .748)
Rankings: nr/nr (D3football.com/AFCA)
Central |
Common Opponents |
UD |
47-7 |
W Luther L |
14-28 |
17-0 |
W Simpson W |
44-10 |
14-35 |
L Wartburg L |
9-42 |
32-25 |
W Buena Vista L |
39-44 |
41-14 |
W Loras W |
34-7 |
45-21 |
W Coe W |
29-27 |
Summary
STAT |
CENTRAL |
UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE |
Home Record |
3-2 |
3-2 |
Road Record |
4-0 |
1-3 |
Avg. Points |
34.8 |
23.8 |
Avg. Points Allowed |
16.6 |
24.2 |
Pass O ypg (IIAC rank) |
197.3 (6) |
235.7 (5) |
Pass D |
170.1 (2) |
211.2 (4) |
Rush O |
188.3 (3) |
139.0 (6) |
Rush D |
137.6 (3) |
196.6 (7) |
Last game
Central | W at Buena Vista, 32-25
-Beavers fought back from 21-0 deficit
-BVU outscored Central in the 4th, 12-11, but wasn’t enough
-CEN RB Osborn’s 1-yd run with 3:49 sealed the deal
-Turnovers: CEN 0, BVU 3
University of Dubuque | W vs Coe, 29-27
-UD scored 16 straight points after 14-10 halftime deficit
-Held on until COE QB Rekers 43-yd TD pass with 1:03 left in game
-UD LB Snitker deflected pass to break up 2-point conversion
-Turnovers: COE 4, UD 2
-UD had 3 INTs for 64 returnage yards
-Senior UD TE Dobratz sets a season-high 6 rec, 69 yds, 1 TD
-Freshman UD RB Vance-Jenkins breaks out with 153 yds, 2 TDs
Statitude Adjustment
Season Stat Leaders |
CENTRAL |
UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE |
Passing |
#9 QB Eiseler |
#12 QB Fry |
Rushing |
# 28 RB Osborn |
#5 RB Arvanitakis |
Receiving |
#5 WR Markham |
#14 WR Rutenbeck |
Defense |
#31 LB Peterson |
#27 LB Stauner |
Kicking |
#16 K Sheldon |
#31 K Prull |
Last Meeting
FINAL SCORE: UD 23-21
UD RB Kyle Acker 29 car, 111 yds
UD WR Tyler Rutenbeck 7 rec, 65 yds, 1 TD
UD K Curtis Prull 3-3, Long – 37 yds
CEN QB Aaron Eiseler 25-43, 232 yds, 3 TDs
CEN WR Brandon Boerm 6 rec, 58 yds, 2 TDs
-UD escaped after Central scored TD with 0:55 remaining
-Prull’s 3 FGs and UD LB Blaine Snitker’s 31 yd INT return played big roles
-Yardage battle as close as score: UD 291-288
-Combined 9-37 on 3rd down
-Turnovers: Central 3, UD 0
History Books
Series record: Central, 54-18-2 (.730)
Last 5 |
Score |
2013 |
UD 23-21 |
2012 |
Central 31-24 |
2011 |
UD 56-28 |
2010 |
Central 34-8 |
2009 |
Central 41-27 |
-75th meeting between the two dating back to 1930
-2013 2-point win matched closest margin of victory since 1987 (UD W 18-16)
-Series has been played every year from 1945-present
-Central owns longest win streak at 23 spanning 1988-2010
-Coach Moco Mercer owns best record against Central (10-10-1 from 1939-1961)
-Average margin of defeat last five years: 15.4 points
Fourth and INts
-They rank 1st (CEN) and 2nd (UD) in 4th down conversion in IIAC play
-CEN has converted 8-11 (72.7%) while UD has converted 7-13 (53.8%)
-Both UD and CEN are tied for 1st with 9 INTs each during IIAC play
- CEN’s Edleman (3 INTs), UD’s White and Snitker (2 each) lead the charge
I’ll Take That!
-Central leads the way with an IIAC-high, 34:12 average possession time, in 6 IIAC games
-CEN RB Josh Osborn factors into that equation with 700 yds (116.7 avg) and a league best 8 TDs
-He’s rushed for over 100 yds+ in every game except two weeks ago vs Simpson
-CEN WR Sam Markham eats up clock by leading IIAC in rec with 47 (7.8 avg)
-Caught 9+ passes in 3 IIAC games
Keep On Prull-in
-UD senior #31 K Curtis Prull is perfect on field goals, 9-for-9, on the year
-Connected from an average of 29.6 yds with a long of 37
-2nd in UD history in both FG made (15) and XP made (68)
-His streak of 55 XP made was snapped in the 4th Q against Simpson (October 11)
And the Oscar goes to …
-UD’s IIAC Defensive Player of the Week #23 CB Oscar White and IIAC Special Teams Player of the Week
-CEN’s IIAC Defensive Players of the Week #3 FS Jacob Edleman and #32 DB Jordan Wachter
-Mr. White won for his performance in the Spartans win over Pacific (Ore.) in week 3
-Resume: 2 INTs, 1 PB, and 8 TKLs (4 solo)
-Defining moment: One-handed pick in the end zone during final minute to stop possible GW Pacific drive
-Mr. Prull also won for his contributions in win over Pacific (Ore.)
-Resume: 3-3 on FG attempts with 1 XP
-Defining moment: Put the finishing touches on drives of 65, 70, and 67 yards that elapsed a total time of 12:57
-Mr. Edleman won for his performance in Central’s dominant 41-14 win over Loras in week 7
-Resume: 3 INTs, 5 TKLs (3 solo)
-Definining moment: The trio of interceptions gave him 13 career INTs and moved him into 5th place all-time in Central history
-Mr. Wachter won for his stellar defensive play in win over rival Simpson, 17-0, last week
-Resume: Career-high 16 TKLs (9 solo), 1.0 TFL
-Defining moment: Big part of Central’s 1st shutout since a 52-0 win over Cornell in 2010
Legion of UDoom
-The UDefense is spearheaded by 3 of the top-10 tacklers during IIAC play (6 games) and a pair of top-3 DBs as well:
#27 LB Trevor Stauner – 2nd with 80 TKLs
#48 LB Blaine Snitker – 6th with 58 TKLs
#8 S Vincent Whipple – 10th with 52 TKLs
Passes Defended
#25 DB Oscar White – 1st with 10 BU and 2 INT
#21 DB Dylan Ramsey – 3rd with 8 BU and 1 INT
On the Brink
#14 WR Tyler Rutenbeck
-He still sits 2 TDs away from career receiving TD record after his 2 catch, 10 yd performance last weekend vs. Coe
-3rd in career receiving TDs with 41 | 1 away from record held by Plummer ’99 and Zweifel ‘11
-3rd in career receiving yards at 2,655
-4th in career scoring at 248 pts | 34 pts away from record held by QB Jermar Jackson ‘07
-5th in career receptions with 159