The GPAC Football Season is certainly turning towards the home stretch as this week marks week eight of conference action.  Sioux Falls and Morningside remain atop the standings at 6-0, while Hastings, Northwestern, and Midland Lutheran look to push for the playoffs.  All 12 teams take to the field this weekend in six conference games.  B. Lynn Fouts breaks down the contents in this week's College Fanz GPAC Football Preview.

#12 Northwestern (6-1) at Briar Cliff (2-5, 2-4) - 1PM

  The Red Raiders are riding a 5 game win streak and normally might be excused for peeking at the calendar a week early. But this week, Coach Achterhoff's squad will need to bring its best game to Sioux City Saturday. NWC averages almost 230 yards on the ground and just 112 through the air. They face a Chargers defense, led by GPAC leading tackler Jarrod Makovicka that allows less than 100 yards rushing a game. If forced to the air, Northwestern will need to put together a serious effort. Briar Cliff put their best game together last week and scored a 33-7 win on the road. The offense is moving the ball through the air three times better than on the ground (200 ypg to 78). This game will be closer than most in the series as BCU seems to be warming up and catches NWC just before Sioux Falls goes to Orange City for a Halloween showdown next weekend.

  The Tigers are still passing the ball on everyone and putting up some points, (other than last weekend's 7-spot), but they are allowing 34 points a game. Jon Doom and Russell McGuire shared quarterbacking duties last Saturday and combined for 60 passing attempts, with Bubba Slaba latching in to 15 of them. Sioux Falls completed a trip to North Dakota by tripping the Sioux by two touchdowns. Lorenzo Brown increased his td to interception ratio to 21/1. The Coo defense allowed its most yards in the past 2 seasons, but kept the  Sioux out of the endzone on all but one possession. This game could be competitive if the North Dakota victory hangover is still in the air at "The Bob."

 

#5 Morningside (6-0) at RV Midland Lutheran (5-2, 5-1) - 1PM
  A battle for second place shapes up in Fremont between two power-house running attacks. The Mustangs lead the league at 283 ypg and MLC ranks 4^th with 212 ypg. The difference in the teams lies in the aerial games. Morningside, behind senior Qb Tim Richard, averages 248 yards in the air while the Warriors throw for less than 80 per game. On defense, Morningside is second in the GPAC, allowing less than 232 ypg. Midland Lutheran is 7^th at 306 per game. This one should come down to balance; can the host Warriors move the ball effectively enough to keep the Mustangs off-balance? Will Morningside keep MLC guessing? A fun matchup for week eight.

Nebraska Wesleyan (3-3) at Concordia (2-5) - 1PM
  The Prairie Wolves can be allowed to think "what if" even if it is only mid-season. 4-point losses to both #12 Northwestern and #21 Hastings have stymied a potential playoff campaign in Lincoln. Rb Kory Kahlandt is enjoying a stellar senior season with 644 yards and 11 touchdowns in 6 games. Concordia captured its second victory two weeks ago and is finished with a tough stretch; playing Sioux Falls, Northwestern and Morningside in the past 4 weekends. The Bulldogs are 2-2 in games against teams with similar talent and experience. This will be a defensive match-up than could see both teams score less than 20.

 

Dana (0-7, 0-6) at #21 Hastings (6-2,5-2) - 1PM
  The Vikings come in with a 9-game losing streak dating back to last November and to keep it from reaching double-digits, Coach Danenhauer will need his defense to step up quickly. Dana has allowed over 400 ypg and 46 points an outing. The offense has improved recently, averaging 17 ppg the past 4 weekends. Hastings is coming in off a tough, hard fought defensive struggle, a 7-3 win over NWU. With the offense reeling from injuries to the top 2 quarterbacks, the Broncos may need to circle the wagons as they focus on the stretch drive. Lb Mackenzie Hemje garnered 14 tackles to lead the great defensive effort last Saturday.

Dordt (1-6, 0-6) at Doane (1-6, 1-5) - 1PM
The Defenders will be pulling out all the stops in an effort to escape the conference cellar. To do so, the offense needs to kick it up several notches; they scored more in the lone non-conference win (32) than in all 6 GPAC games (24). The defense is averaging 36 ppg allowed, the same as 2008. Doane has put up points regularly, 23 or more points in four of the last 5 games, but the defense has not been as solid, giving up over 47 ppg over the past 4 Saturdays. The Tigers may be able to get back on the winning track if they get out to a fast start on the Defenders who have been outscored 147-30 in the first half this fall.

B Lynn Fouts