GPAC Clash of the Tigers set for Saturday

MITCHELL, S.D. – There will be a pair of the Tiger football squads invading Joe Quintal Field Saturday, as No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan University plays host to the Tigers from Doane College at 1 p.m. in Mitchell, S.D.

The matchup of top teams in the Great Plains Athletic Conference figures to play a role in how the final league standings play out as both teams are fighting to climb to elite status. Currently Doane and DWU sit third and fourth in the GPAC standings, respectively.

Doane and DWU both come into play Saturday riding winning streaks, with the visitors entering after three straight victories, including a 55-29 thumping of Nebraska Wesleyan University in the 100^th meeting between the two schools last weekend in Crete, Neb. Against the Prairie Wolves, Doane amassed 435 yards passing between quarterbacks Brandon Stuart and Jack Shadley. The pair of signal callers found six different receivers for touchdowns to push the team to a 3-1 record in the GPAC. The potent Doane offense will test a DWU defense that stood tall against in-state rival Dakota State University in a win at Joe Quintal last weekend. The Tiger offense their defense in a hole a number of times with turnovers, but DWU held off the Trojans and picked up its fourth win and third at home this season. In 2013, DWU won the battle of the Tigers on the road in Crete. The win was the second straight over a Doane team that was ranked No. 20 in the nation at the time. The wins over ranked Doane teams are the lone victories for third-year coach Ross Cimpl over a team picked in the national poll. This season, it's an unranked Doane team that will be looking to break through with a road win over a ranked team against No. 18 DWU. Doane is coming into play this weekend as hot as any team in the GPAC after three straight wins over conference opponents. After falling in overtime in its conference opener to Northwestern College, the same team that handed DWU its only loss of the season, the Doane offense has come to life. The team scored just 17 points in its first two contests, but has rebounded for 123 points in its last three. DWU has relied on strong fourth quarters to start the 2014 season 4-1. The four wins for DWU have come by a combined 23 points, with three by less than one score. DWU has needed to rally late in two wins, while a late-game defensive stand was needed in the other two. Despite being limited by nagging injuries over the last three weeks, DWU senior running back Francois Barnaud continues to rank among the nation's best in total rushing. The Belle Fourche, S.D., native is currently fourth in the NAIA in total rushing yards (695) and fifth in rushing yards per game (139). The DWU passing game, which struggled through the first three  games of 2014, has shown signs of stabilization over the last two weeks as true freshman quarterback Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.) has gained confidence. Turner had 476 yards passing and three touchdowns over the last two games – both wins for DWU. On defense, Doane will need to account for DWU junior linebacker Brady Bonte (Garretson, S.D.) who enters play this weekend ranked 13^th in the NAIA in tackles for loss per game (2), while senior linebacker Jeff Maassen (Brandon, S.D.) is 22^nd in the country in total tackles per game (10). Saturday's game concludes a stretch of five out of six games at home for DWU to start the season. The team will hit the road next week to take on No. 1 Morningside in Sioux City, Iowa.