SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It wasn't what the No. 22 Dakota Wesleyan University football team had in mind on Saturday.
Offensive powerhouse, No. 4 Morningside College (6-0, 3-0 GPAC) scored early and often, defeating DWU 76-21 in Great Plains Athletic Conference action in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Mustangs (6-0, 3-0 GPAC) took a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
DWU answered when Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.) found Hayden Adams (Villa Park, Ill.) for a six-yard touchdown pass to put the Tigers (4-3, 2-2 GPAC) on the scoreboard as time expired in the first half. However, Morningside took a 42-7 lead heading into the break.
The second half saw much of the same as the Mustangs scored 21 points during the third quarter. DWU scored their second touchdown of the game when Turner found Adams again, this time for a 72-yard touchdown pass.
Turner added his third touchdown of the game when he found Tre Hobbs (Detroit, Mich.) for a 52-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. But the Morningside offense proved to be too much for the Tigers.
Turner finished 18-of-38 with 309 passing yards and three touchdowns. Luke Loudenburg (Canova, S.D.) rushed 11 times for 24 yards, while Gaige Marshall (North Platte, Neb.) added 14 yards on five carries. Hobbs led the DWU receivers with four catches for 117 yards and a score, while Adams tallied 85 yards on three catches for two touchdowns.
Defensively, Charlie LaRoche (Lower Brule, S.D.) finished with 10 total tackles and a pass breakup, while Trey DeCrook (Sioux Falls, S.D.) notched eight tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup. Bailey Schriever (Harrisburg, S.D.) recorded three tackles and a pass breakup.
The Tigers hit the road for a GPAC battle as they take on No. 19 Northwestern College at 7 p.m. Saturday in Orange City, Iowa.