PELLA—A pivotal game on the Central College football schedule for several years is likely to be so again when Wartburg College visits Saturday for an American Rivers battle of nationally ranked teams.
             
It's homecoming at Central with a 1 p.m. kickoff set at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.
              Wartburg (5-0 overall, 3-0 conference) is No. 20 in both the AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll and the D3football.com Top 25 while Central (3-1 overall, 2-0 conference) is No. 24.
             
Since 1980, Wartburg or Central has won or shared the conference championship in 32 seasons. Wartburg claimed the 2017 and 2018 titles before sharing the 2019 crown with the Dutch, who then took the championship outright last season.
             
Wartburg thumped Loras College 42-3 last Saturday. Loras had ended Central's 19-game regular-season win streak with a 38-35 upset at Pella Sept. 17. Central rebounded with a 58-0 whitewashing of Nebraska Wesleyan University at Lincoln, Nebraska.
             
Downs gets starting shot—Saturday's game is crucial for the Dutch to remain in the league title chase and they'll enter it with a quarterback making his first Central start. Cooper Downs (sophomore, Ames), who transferred to Central last January, has seen just over one quarter of action thus far but made quite a statement in doing so. Downs played most of the third quarter at Nebraska Wesleyan Saturday and all he did was tie an NCAA Division III record with five touchdown passes in the period before being lifted.
             
Downs completed 12 of 19 passes for 174 yards, hitting five different players for touchdowns. He was named the conference male athlete of the week.
             
"Cooper performed very well," McMartin said. "He executed the things we wanted to execute and got the offense in a good rhythm. He had a really good week of practice last week, too, and that carried into the game."
             
Central used four quarterbacks in the game and each saw some success. Starter Brady Ketchum (sophomore, Mount Vernon) completed 6 of 12 passes for 64 yards and for the season, has completed 76 of 120 passes (.633) for 1,026 yards with three interceptions and 11 touchdowns. Freshman Keegan Glover (Benton, Ill.) rushed for a game-high 144 yards and two touchdowns. And another freshman who has caught the coaches' eye, Hunter Hoffman (Pecatonica, Ill.), entered late in the game and completed 3 of 5 passes for 24 yards.
             
"You saw Saturday the ability of four guys at quarterback," McMartin said. "All four moved the team and all four are able to put points on the board."
             
On the air and online—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, is starting his 22nd season of calling the action on KRLS-FM (92.1), with Central's NFCA Hall of Fame softball coach George Wares providing the color. The KRLS pregame show will air at 12:35 p.m. The broadcast can 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.
Castle also hosts "Coaches' Corner" with coach Jeff McMartin each Monday at 6 p.m. on KRLS and is available on demand online.
The series—Central won last year's meeting at Pella 49-24 and holds a 45-25 lead in the teams' series. In a scheduling quirk partially due to the global pandemic and the reduced schedule for the 2020-21 year, Central has not played in Waverly since 2018.
             
The Knights--Wartburg is overwhelming opponents by an average of 38.0-2.0, ranking second in Division III in scoring defense. The Knights defense is putting up frightening numbers, posting three shutouts in five games. Wartburg has not allowed a touchdown since a 34-7 win at Monmouth College (Ill.) in the opener Sept. 3 and in the first three quarters of games has outscored opponents 170-0.
             
The Knights are outgaining opponents 408.0 yards to 180.6, surrendering just 31.0 yards rushing, which ranks fourth in Division III. They've allowed third-down conversions on just 17 of 82 tries, which ranks sixth nationally, and are third in red zone defense (167). Wartburg is seventh in sacks with 21. Senior defensive lineman Riley Konrady leads the nation individually with 5.0 and fifth-year defensive lineman Jordan Downing is second with 4.0. Sophomore defensive back Parker Rochford is third in passes defended with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. The Knights are third in interceptions overall with 12. Freshman defensive back Owen Grover is the team tackles leader with 33.0, including 18 solos with 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions.
             
"They're not allowing anyone to score," McMartin said. "They're doing a great job against the run and the defensive secondary is really solid. They have a very experienced front seven and are strong at fast. They get good pressure."
             
Executing on first down is critical, he said.
             
"What they've done really well over the years is win on down and distance," he said. "They put you in tough situations."
             
Senior running back Hunter Clasen is averaging 7.7 yards per carry, which ranks 11th nationally. He's gained 456 yards on 59 carries with five touchdowns. Against Loras Saturday, senior quarterback Nile McLaughlin completed 27 of 41 passes for 307 yards with three TDs and two interceptions. For the year he's completed 85 of 146 passes (.582) for 986 yards and 10 touchdowns with five interceptions. Junior receiver Drake George has 17 catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
             
"They've got a wealth of riches at running back," McMartin said. "They run the ball really well. The quarterback is very efficient and where they really stand out is at tight end (6-foot, 5-inch senior Tom Butters). He's a big target who catches the ball very well and has really impacted the team."
             
The Knights are effective in all three phases of the game, McMartin said.
             
"Another thing that jumps out on film is how good they are on special teams," he said.
             
Dutch numbers--Central ranks 18th in Division III in passing offense (316.8 yards per game), 19th in total offense (489.8), 22nd in scoring offense (42.0), 24th in pass efficiency defense (96.93) and 12th in tackles for loss 12 (9.2).
             
Individually, kicker Logan Sunvold (junior, Monroe, Southeast Polk HS) is fifth in field goals per game (1.25), receiver Ryan Neu (junior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) is seventh in touchdown receptions with six, eighth in receiving yards with 127.2 per game and 20th in yards per catch at 24.2. Cameron Bannister is ninth in interceptions per game with 0.8 (three in four games).
             
Sophomore linebacker Reid Pakkebier (Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) tops Central's tackle chart with 44, including 18 solos, 6.5 for loss and one sack. He also has one interception, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
             
Bounce back—Quarterback is not the only spot where the Dutch are relying on a new face and McMartin thought his younger players showed some resilience with a better effort at Nebraska Wesleyan.
             
"I thought the team played with a lot of energy and a lot of focus, which are two things you have to have," he said. "On the sideline, it felt good to play with that. That's what we need to play with each week. Our players need to work really hard to attack, not wait for someone else to attack but to go out and make plays. We saw a lot of people making plays on both sides of the ball."
             
But the Dutch are nowhere near their performance ceiling.
             
"There are a number of areas we watch on film where we can say we were good, but we can be better," McMartin said.
             
Notes—According to research from Central history major and men's tennis player Michael Turnley (senior, Manhattan, Kan.), the Dutch are 69-18-4 in homecoming games. Central's last homecoming loss was against the University of Dubuque in 2016. Wartburg is serving as the homecoming opponent for the 14th time. The first homecoming game at Central was played in 1927…Much like Central did a year ago, Wartburg is getting a boost from players who received an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA due to the global pandemic. The Knights have seven fifth-year players in the starting lineup. Central has three this year. …The next touchdown an American Rivers opponent scores against Wartburg will be the season's first. The only points the Knights have yielded in three league games came on a fourth quarter Loras field goal last week…Central's shutout Saturday was its first since a 33-0 win over Buena Vista University Sept. 17, 2016. The most shutouts Central has posted in a season is five (1971, 1974 and 1987). Since 1960, the Dutch have recorded 108 shutouts…More evidence of Central's highly touted recruiting success was evident last week at Nebraska Wesleyan as 17 freshmen saw action.