PELLA—Seeking to launch a late-season surge, the Central College football team must do so at the home of the defending Iowa Conference champions.
           
The Dutch are at Coe College Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids.
           
Central slipped to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in league play at Pella last Saturday, getting outslugged by Wartburg College 44-20. Coe was off last weekend and is 3-2 overall with a 1-2 conference mark.

On the air and online—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, will call Saturday's action on KRLS-FM (92.1), along with analyst Cory Houser and sideline reporter Libbie Randall, a Central senior. The KRLS pregame show will air at 12:35 p.m. The broadcast can also be accessed through www.kniakrls.com or directly at rdo.to/krls. It's also accessible via mobile device with the KRLS app available through iTunes and other outlets.
On Mondays, Castle plays host to coach Jeff McMartin on the KRLS Coaches' Corner broadcast live from Fred's dining establishment inside Central's Maytag Student Center at 7 p.m. Those broadcasts are also available on demand through www.kniakrls.com.
Twitter users can follow Saturday's action through the Central football account @CUI_Football.

The series—Central was toppled at Coe last year, 33-30, but holds a 16-9-2 advantage in the teams' all-time series. The series began in 1925 but the teams seldom met until Coe joined the conference in 1997. The Kohawks are 101-48 (.678) in league games and have claimed five league titles. Central holds the record with 19 conference crowns. The Dutch have notched 31 first- or second-place finishes in the past 37 years.

The Kohawks—Coe's championship lineup took a big hit from graduation as just seven starters returned, including five on offense. But McMartin cautions that the Kohawks have a familiar look and are trending upward.

"They've got some returners up front, both in the offensive line and defensive line," he said.

Sophomore Quention White took over at quarterback. He's completed 64 of 108 passes (59.3 percent) with eight touchdowns and six interceptions, averaging 197.8 yards per game. Sophomore running back Tyler Dralle is the top rusher with 416 yards and two scores on 98 carries, an 83.2-yard average. And a freshman, Tyler Schamel, is the receptions leader with 24 for 247 yards and two TDs. Senior Demetrius Harper has 19 catches for 346 yards and three touchdowns.

"They've got a real good running back, their quarterback is playing well and they've got a dangerous wide receiver in Harper, he's very good," McMartin said. "They're one of those teams that keeps getting better. They do a good job of playing to their strengths."

Senior linebacker Dalton Schade ranks third in the league in tackles with 51, including 23 solos, an average of 10.2 per game. Junior linebacker Terrence Hall and sophomore defensive back Jacob Elsbury are tied for fourth in the conference, averaging 9.8. Senior defensive lineman is the league's best in tackles for loss with 9.5, including 4.0 sacks. Junior defensive back Kentrel Smith has a team-high eight pass breakups.

"Their front four have a lot of experience, they're really good at linebacker and they've got a cornerback who's playing really well," McMartin said. "They all run well. They're tough to move the ball on. They throw a lot of coverages at you.

"They've had two weeks to prepare for us. We have to be smart and be ready for changes. They do a good job of making adjustments."

The Kohawks are outscoring opponents 29.4-25.4, but getting outgained 411.0 yards to 388.2. They're averaging 218.8 passing yards.

Coe is the league's least-penalized squad with 24 for 179 yards while opponents have been flagged a conference-high 37 times for 306 yards.

Freshman punter Evan Ellis was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week last week after averaging 44.7 yards per punt on seven punts against Wartburg Sept. 30. His 73-yard boot in that game was the third longest this year in Division III.

Stretch run—McMartin said the Dutch are eager to put the Wartburg setback behind them, but first they need to learn from it.

"We have to look at what we didn't do well, then really quickly get focused on our next game," he said. "If there are changes that we need to make, we have to get guys the reps they need and then focus on Coe. We're not going to let this linger. We don't have the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves. We've got to get better and stay focused."

The Dutch have a dedicated class of more than 30 seniors to answer the challenge.

"This is when seniors have to step up and leaders have to step up," he said. "They have to get the other players to rally, have good practices and move in the right direction.

"Your window as a football player in college football is pretty small. You need to take advantage of every opportunity you have to be on the field. For us not to do that would be a mistake. At Central College, we're going to love playing football, focusing on today and doing the best we can."

Film critic—In watching the video from Saturday's loss, McMartin didn't see a lot he liked. But he was encouraged by the promise shown by rookie quarterback Blaine Hawkins (Ankeny). Hawkins became the first Central freshman in 27 years to start back-to-back games at quarterback. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 141 yards with one interception and two touchdowns. He also rushed 14 times for 40 yards and a score—actually gaining 65 yards but getting sacked four times. In three appearances, Hawkins has completed 47 of 75 passes (62.7 percent) for 613 yards with three interceptions and five touchdowns. He's rushed for 240 yards on 39 carries with six TDs.

"For a freshman making the second start of his career, I thought he hung in there and made plays," McMartin said. "He took another good step. Each day and each snap are learning experiences for him."

Several players saw action in the Dutch secondary, including another freshman, cornerback Tanner Schminke (Boone). McMartin said Central will continue to use its bench.

"Overall, the secondary has improved," he said. "They made some good things happen Saturday. They had some chances at interceptions and just missed. But we'll continue to look to keep guys fresh and keep trying to find the right combination."

Dutch numbers—Linebacker Sam Norgaard (senior, Naperville, Ill., Neuqua Valley HS) had a season-high 16 tackles Saturday and took over the conference lead with 11.7 per game. He's notched 70, including 24 solos, with one sack. Linebacker Josh Scheible (senior, Kansas City, Mo., Liberty HS) ranks ninth with 51 stops (8.5 per game). Defensive lineman Justin Dilks (senior, Mount Pleasant) shares the conference sacks lead with 4.5. He's tied for second in tackles for loss with 8.0.

Wartburg did some damage to Central's team numbers. The Dutch are now getting outscored 34.2-31.8. Their total offense and defense averages are identical: 451.2 yards per game. Despite Saturday's struggles, the Dutch remain most effective on the ground, averaging 258.3 rushing yards per game while yielding just 138.3 yards.

Central, which hadn't given up a sack all season, yielded four Saturday, slipping to third in the league.
           
Notes—Coe is the league's best on fourth down, converting six of eight opportunities. Central's converted just one of six…Central is still first in the league in first downs with 24.0 per game…Punter Tyler Bryant (junior, Donnellson, Central Lee HS) is averaging 36.4 yards on 28 kicks, but uncorked a career-long 69-yarder Saturday. It was his first over 50 yards…It's a frustrating season for opening-game starting quarterback Nate Boland (junior, Iowa City, West HS). He's been sidelined since then by injury and his return remains uncertain…Sophomore Hunter Robinson (Lisbon) is now listed as Central's primary punt returner…Central is off next week, leaving just one other October game remaining on the schedule…Tight end P.J. Norem (senior, Iowa Falls), who caught his second TD pass Saturday, is back in the starting lineup.