PELLA—After a weekend off, the Central College football team launches its stretch run at home against Nebraska Wesleyan University Saturday.
             
It's the first of four games left on the schedule for the Dutch (5-1 overall, 3-1 American Rivers). Nebraska Wesleyan (4-3 overall, 2-3 American Rivers) sustained a 41-38 double overtime loss at home to Loras College Saturday.
             
Game time is 1 p.m. at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.
             
The series—Central first played Nebraska Wesleyan as a non-conference opponent in 1984 and has an 11-0 lead in the series. The Dutch posted a 58-0 shutout at Lincoln, Nebraska last year.
             
The Prairie Wolves—An injury to starter Carter Terry has thrust senior Evan Johnson into the starting quarterback spot. Johnson made his first start Saturday, completing 20-of-41 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
             
"He made some big throws," McMartin said. "Their receiver (Cole Siems) looked really good, too, making plays. He's a good quarterback. He hadn't played that many games before that, but I thought he looked good. I was impressed."
             
Running back Nathan Athouris has gained 409 yards on 90 carries with five touchdowns. He had five catches for 232 yards and three touchdowns Saturday. Siems is the top receiver with 39 catches on the season for 755 yards and nine touchdowns. Linebacker Max Brinker tops the tackle charts with 38, including 26 solos with 3.5 tackles for loss. Nebraska Wesleyan is being outscored 30.4-25.7 and outgained 409.4 yards to 354.0.
             
"They have a new defensive coordinator so they look different than they did last year," McMartin said. "They're a four-man front a majority of the time. They're going to be really sound and solid in what they do and not beat themselves. Their linebackers are very active."
                         
On the air and online—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, calls Saturday's action on KRLS-FM (92.1), with 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. And it can be heard as part of the video webcast through the Central athletics website at athletics.central.edu, which also provides access to live stats, or via the Central Dutch Network at centraldutchnetwork.com.
             
Midterms—McMartin sees progress in his squad thus far.
             
"I think defensively we've been really solid all year," he said. "We do some things really well. We've been able to get the ball back and let our offense be patient. I think we've improved our defensive line and we've improved our pass rush; we're getting sacks. And I think we've improved at linebacker. In our secondary, it's been really nice to see our corners take another step. We have a really solid secondary.
             
"Our offensive line continues to get better each week, both in pass blocking and in the running game. And we've done a good job of taking care of the football."
             
The progress needs to continue for the Dutch to remain in contention.
             
"If you measure yourself against a really high standard, there's always room for improvement from both sides and special teams," McMartin said. "We want to continue being good in the red zone on offense. That is something we want to continue to improve on. We want to score touchdowns every time we go down there. And we want to be better on first down.
             
"Defensively, I think we want to continue to get takeaways and really limit teams in the running game. I think we've done that well but there's been a few games where we can be better."
             
Those areas drew the team's focus during the off week.
             
"It was good," McMartin said. "We rested up a few people that needed to rest coming off injuries. We were able to keep getting a lot of reps in some areas that we needed to improve. And with some people sitting out, that gave some other guys opportunities to get a better look and I think it was beneficial for everybody."                                                                                                            
             
National numbers—Central is ranked 18th in the NCAA Division III in first downs with 148 through six games. The Dutch are also third in interceptions with 13, fifth in turnovers gained with 19, seventh in fewest fumbles lost with one, while ranking 11th in turnover margin at plus-1.6 per game. Central is ninth in defensive touchdowns with five.
             
Individually, cornerback Gavin Smith (sophomore, Audubon) is second in passes defended (breakups and interceptions) with 2.0 per game linebacker Reid Pakkebier (junior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) is sixth in blocked kicks with two. Logan Sunvold (senior, Monroe, Southeast Polk HS) is 10th in field goals per game with 1.1. Receiver Ryan Neu (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) is 16th in touchdown catches with eight.
             
Central is outscoring opponents 36.1-17.0 and outgaining them 409.2 yards to 349.2. Quarterback Hunter Hoffman (sophomore, Pecatonica, Ill.) has completed 110 of 166 passes (.602) for 1,10 yards with four interceptions and 15 touchdowns. Quarterback Keegan Glover (sophomore, Benton, Ill.) is the top rusher with 222 yards on 54 carries. Jeff Herbers (5th-year, Urbandale, Des Moines Christian HS) has 29 pass receptions for 327 yards and five touchdowns. Pakkebier is the team's top tackler with 49, including 6.5 tackles for loss with two sacks. Linebacker Brody Klein (senior, Rainier, Wash.) has 44 tackles with 6.0 for loss and 1.5 sacks, as well as two interceptions and five breakups.
             
Staying healthy-- Central's projected starting lineup is unchanged since its last outing, a 38-14 win at Loras College Oct. 7. McMartin said the team is in good health. That's partly good fortune, but there are other factors also at play.
             
"I give (head athletic trainer) Frank Neu and (strength and conditioning coordinator) Kyle Johnson a lot of credit," McMartin said. "They do a great job with our players, keeping them healthy and helping them make good decisions."
             
The Dutch also make good use of Catapult GPS accelerometers, which allow tracking of players' key performance indicators during competition and practices, providing insights into the stresses players are experiencing. Katelin Valster, lecturer of kinesiology, assists in compiling and interpreting the data.
             
"That's helped us know where we are from a physical standpoint," McMartin said. "Katelin Valster has been really helpful with that.
             
"And you have to credit our players. They put in a lot of work in the offseason and have been able to see that work come through with how they've stayed healthy."
                 
Notes—Sunvold is now tied for second in school history in career field goals with 36, matching Kevin Sheldon (2011-14). The record of 38 was set by Jake Viggers (2007-10). Earlier he set the Central's career extra points mark (173). He's 26-of-26 this season and has missed just once over the last two seasons. His career percentage of .977 (173-177) currently ranks second behind Sheldon's .979 (141-144)…The Dutch have allowed just 10 first-quarter points in six games…With five wins, Central is now assured of completing its 63rd consecutive season without a losing record. The Dutch haven't been sub-.500 since going 3-6 in 1960 in Babe Tysseling's final season as head coach…ESPN writer Bill Connelly somehow produced a combined ranking of all 665 NCAA football teams. Michigan is No. 1 while the Dutch check in at No. 363. North Central College (Ill.) is the highest-rated Division III school at No. 222, ahead of several Division I FCS squads. Ferris State (Mich.) is the top-rated Division II school at No. 175. An expanded playoff system that included all 665 schools would require 10 rounds, the same length as Central's regular season.