The Truman Bulldogs will venture to central Nebraska to face the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers for the first time on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams will be looking to get back into the win column as Truman has lost their last two games while the Lopers are winless this season, their first in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Bulldog quarterback Conrad Schottel threw for a career-high 384 yards on 34 completions but two costly redzone turnovers and big plays generated by Fort Hays (Kan.) State led to a 37-23 loss last Saturday at home.
Schottel’s 384 yards was the most by a Bulldog since Matt Ticich’s 493 yard performance against Upper Iowa in 2007.
The Lopers were victims of another gun slinger in the MIAA as Lindenwood (Mo.) University’s Ben Gomez threw for a school-record 480 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-28 win for the Lions to keep UNK winless on the season.
The Lopers five previous opponents have a combined record of 22-3. Sean Flanagan rushed for 99 yards and threw for another 167 for the Lopers.
This is the first and most likely final meeting between the two schools. Nebraska-Kearney joined the MIAA from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this season and has been to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2002, 2005, 2009 and 2001.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are departing the league after being a charter member of the conference following this season for the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
MIAA “Game Of The Week”
The Bulldog/Loper game is the fifth of nine scheduled MIAA Network games of the week with the final two games being “flexed” games in the package.
The broadcast is slated to start at 2:30 p.m. and is available in Kansas City on KSMO (Channel 62 or 10 on most cable systems).
The game is also available on Eagle Cable (Channel 15), Cox Cable System (Channel 22 in Kansas, 3 in Oklahoma), Mediacom (Channel 22) and Suddenlink (Channel 19).
It will not be available through CableOne in Kirksville or DirectTV/Dish Network systems.
Bulldogs Quick Glance:
Truman (3-2; 2-2 MIAA) has had a balanced offense through the first half of the season with junior quarterback Conrad Schottel passing for 1,113 yards and 10 touchdowns while a pair of running backs have gained over 500 yards on the ground.
Senior Will Mosquera has 75 rushes for 302 yards while sophomore Garrett White has 44 rushes for 268 yards and a team leading five touchdowns. Junior Dallas Grier has been the top target for Schottel with 31 catches for 456 yards.
Defensively, senior Richie Schumacher leads the team with 39 tackles and senior Patrick Blackwell has five sacks and eight tackles for loss.
The Bulldogs have picked off nine passes and recovered six fumbles through five games.
Truman won their first three games to start the season defeating Southwest Baptist 24-14, Lincoln 42-12 and non-conference Northwestern Oklahoma State 63-21 before dropping consecutive games at Central Missouri 38-17 and Fort Hays State 37-23.
Lopers Quick Glance:
Nebraska-Kearney (0-5; 0-5 MIAA) has had a tough draw in their first weeks in the MIAA with three nationally ranked teams plus Emporia State and a long road trip to Lindenwood.
The Lopers have also experienced injury problems especially at quarterback where they were looking to replace Harlon Hill candidate Jake Spitzlberger from last season.
Aric Kaiser entered the season as the starter and was 51-of-91 for 426 yards in the first three games before being knocked out against Missouri Western in week three.
Matt Berry and Sean Flanagan took over with Flanagan keying a 21-point fourth quarter last week against Lindenwood.
Tommy Flanagan leads the team in rushing and receiving with 277 yards on the ground and 19 catches for 113 yards through the air. Adam Lehner has 13 catches for 203 yards.
Sam Kuck has 49 total tackles with 2.5 for loss and Greg Sherwood paces the Lopers with 3.5 of the team’s seven sacks.
The Lopers have just four forced turnovers this season, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Courtesy Truman State University
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