Two of the top offenses in the NAIA set to battle on Saturday

MITCHELL, S.D. – Last season when No. 5 Morningside College and No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan University went head-to-head on the gridiron, more than 1,000 yards of total offense was accumulated between the two teams. It will be a similar story on Saturday as both teams square off on Senior Day at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell, S.D.

 The Tigers (6-2, 2-1 GPAC) will enter Saturday's contest with the seventh-best scoring offense in the NAIA, averaging 40.6 points per game. DWU also is ranked fifth in the total offensive yards per game with 534. Leading the charge for the Tigers is junior quarterback Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.) who has been leading the country for most of the season in total offensive yards with 3,111.

 Dustin Livingston (Irene, S.D.) has been a large factor in the passing game for Turner and second-year offensive coordinator Zach Parks. The senior has hauled in 40 catches for 729 yards and nine touchdowns, ranking eighth in receiving yards per game with 163.

 The Mustangs (6-1, 5-0 GPAC) are no stranger to offensive production, ranking No. 1 in the NAIA with 583 offensive yards per game. Running back Tyler Kavan has been a staple at running the ball for Morningside, totaling 603 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns. Last week in a 70-0 win over Briar Cliff University, Kavan passed former Mustang and current NFL running back Brandon Wegher for total touchdowns in a career with 55. Quarterback Trent Solsma is 105-of-162 passing with 1,612 yards, 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Tanner Ver Steeg and Jason Vander Kooi have been steady outlets for Solsma at the wide receiver position. Ver Steeg has 30 catches for 650 yards and five touchdowns, while Vander Kooi has tallied 31 receptions for 431 yards and two touchdowns.

 Morningside's lone loss was to NCAA Division III power University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 35-21. The 21 points are the most given up by the Mustangs this season.

 Both teams stack up fairly even on the defensive side of the ball. Dillon Rork (Grand Island, Neb.) leads the Tigers with 55 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Brady Mudder (Garretson, S.D.) leads DWU in total sacks with six, while recording 41 tackles and 12 tackles for loss.

 For Morningside, Caden McDonald leads Morningside with 42 total tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss to go along with two sacks. Luke Gibbs has tallied 24 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Dakota Wesleyan head coach Ross Cimpl is in his fifth season leading the Tigers. His career record is now 36-15 overall, putting him third on the DWU all-time wins list, passing Brad Pole recently. Cimpl is now two wins behind DWU great Bud Dougherty. Steve Ryan enters his 15th season as the head coach of Morningside with a 138-38 overall record heading into today's contest. Ryan has led the Mustangs to 12 consecutive postseason appearances in the NAIA National Championship series. Ryan was named the NAIA National Coach-of-the-Year, posting a 13-1 record and an appearance in the Mustangs' first-ever national championship game.

Saturday is the 32nd meeting between Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside College on the football field. The series is heavily in favor of the Mustangs at 6-24-1. Last season, Morningside defeated the Tigers 76-20 in Mitchell.

Randy Hagedorn, referee; Steven Blocher, umpire; Cory Mueller, head linesman; Doug Hartner, line judge; Ty Starks, side judge; Thomas Kos, field judge; Ryan Freese, back judge.

Tiger fans can watch live at www.dwuathletics.com or by following on Twitter @dwusports for all the news related to DWU athletics. Fans can also tune in on their radio dial to 105.9 FM KMIT as the voice of the Tigers Tim Smith and former coach Bob Sprang bring you live play-by-play coverage.

 Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell, S.D.