Morningside coach Steve Ryan
Three days after moving to the top of the NAIA football poll Morningside will take on another top ranked team when they host Wisconsin-Whitewater Thursday night in Sioux City.
The Warhawks are top ranked in the latest NCAA Division III Poll, the two-time defending national champions and a bring a nation’s best 34 game winning streak into the contest.
“It’s still early in the year so you don’t know the power of the polls at this point in time”, said Morningside coach Steve Ryan. “It’s an odd turn of events that some teams have lost ahead of us and we have been able to move up to number one and it just pits two teams currently ranked number one in the country. It just adds a little element to everything.”
Morningside is 3-0 and the average margain of victory is just over 61 points. Ryan says to have a chance against Wisconsin-Whitewater the Mustangs will need to answer the physical challenge.
“It’s a big, physical league and they are the biggest and most physical of all of them”, said Ryan. “It’s Wisconsin football from the Wisconsin Badgers on down. It’s run the ball down your throat with big, physical guys up front. Our guys better be ready.”
It will also bring added exposure to both programs. The game will be broadcast live Thursday on ESPN3 online and the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.