The battle of the last two undefeated teams in the Great Plains Athletic Conference? Yeah, it was all Midland University on Saturday. No. 18 Midland absolutely shut out the Dakota Wesleyan Tigers 49-0 at Heedum Field, racking up an insane 612 yards of total offense. With that kind of performance, it’s no surprise Midland, now 5-0 overall and 4-0 in GPAC play, has snatched sole possession of first place in the conference. What a statement win!
Warriors Offense Was Just Untouchable
Midland’s offense was straight up unstoppable. Quarterback Brodey Johnson was a surgeon out there, picking apart the Tigers’ pass defense for 234 yards in just the first half alone. He finished the day 21-for-31 passing for 306 yards and four touchdowns. Talk about putting up numbers! And he wasn’t doing it alone. The dynamic duo of receivers, T.J. Covington and reigning NAIA player of the week Jurrion Dickey, were on fire. Covington snagged seven passes for 144 yards and two scores, including a massive 53-yard slant right through the heart of the defense to go up 14-0. Dickey caught six passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns himself, including a nine-yard grab right before halftime that made it 28-0. These guys were just carving up the field!
The ground game was also crushing it, with the Warriors rushing 37 times for 282 yards, averaging an insane 7.5 yards per carry. Elliot Beister had seven carries for 126 yards, and Fred Hunter added 80 yards on 10 carries and a score, including a 34-yard run on a 4th-and-1 that extended their lead to 21-0. Midland was also clutch on money downs, going 7-for-11 on third down and 2-for-3 on fourth downs. When you put up 612 yards of offense and 27 first downs, you know you’re doing something right.
Tigers Couldn’t Get Anything Going
For the Tigers, it was a rough day at the office. Dakota Wesleyan, now 3-2 overall and 3-1 in GPAC play, finished with a season-low 160 yards of total offense and only 10 first downs. Their rushing game was completely stifled, managing just one yard on 26 carries, which included five Midland sacks for a loss of 21 yards. Seriously, one yard on the ground! Landon Iverson led their backfield with 10 carries for just 11 yards. Their best chance to score came early in the second quarter when they got the ball at the Midland 35-yard-line, but a 41-yard field goal attempt was blocked. They didn’t even reach the red zone until the fourth quarter, and that drive ended with an interception at the five-yard line by Luke Carritt. Midland’s defense is legit, only allowing less than nine points per game to GPAC opponents. That’s a wall.
Next up, the Dakota Wesleyan Tigers are gonna have to bounce back fast when they hit the road to face No. 7 Morningside on October 3. That 1:30 p.m. game in Sioux City, Iowa, is going to be a huge test for them, especially after getting absolutely dominated like this. They’ve gotta figure out how to generate some offense and quick if they want to get back on track in the GPAC.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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