Posted: Sep 15, 2017
Preview: Eureka Gears Up For Minnesota Morris
MORRIS, Minn. -- The Eureka College football team will travel to Minnesota in consecutive weekends for just the fourth time in program history when the Red Devils return to The North Star State for an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game Saturday at Minnesota Morris. Kickoff on the artificial surface at Big Cat Stadium in Morris, Minn. is scheduled for noon.
ABOUT EUREKA
Eureka is 0-2 overall, 0-1 in UMAC competition and will take its third shot at a 2017 victory on Saturday. The Red Devils dropped their season opener to Knox, 28-21, and fell in their UMAC opener last weekend at reigning league champion Northwestern (Minn.), 19-13. Last Saturday's loss to the Eagles in St. Paul, Minn. was Eureka's first overtime game since 2004.
Despite the two unsuccessful outcomes, the Red Devils have plenty to be positive about. Eureka has churned out 447.5 yards of total offense per game, second-most in the UMAC and enough to rank 51st among NCAA Division III teams. EC also ranks among the national leaders in first downs allowed (24th), total defense (54th) and rushing defense (69th).
Eureka returns 19 starters from last season's 8-2 team that competed for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championship on the final day of the regular season. Six All-UMAC honorees return from 2016 -- three on offense and three on defense.
In all, more than 40 letterwinners are back from last season's team. More than 40 newcomers will join the program in 2017 to give the Red Devils' their largest football roster of the Kurt Barth coaching era.
BIG PLAYS, MISCUES DOOM RED DEVILS AT NORTHWESTERN
A pair of long touchdown plays and a critical penalty in the overtime period spoiled a valiant comeback by the Red Devils in a 19-13 overtime loss at Northwestern (Minn.) last Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Field in St. Paul, Minn.
Northwestern quarterback Taylor Lindahl found Gavin Welch with a 92-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. Lindahl pushed the UNW lead to 13-0 later in the quarter with another big play. His 50-yard completion to Trevor Lundburg gave the Eagles their second long touchdown play of the quarter. The 2-point try missed and the score remained 13-0 until halftime.
Eureka finally broke through midway through the third quarter when sophomore Tanner Kuhne made a 25-yard field goal that pulled EC within 13-3 with 8:16 left in the third period. The Red Devils inched closer on Barth's 23-yard touchdown throw to Jeremiah Vance with 13:49 left in the fourth quarter. Kuhne's extra point made the score 13-10. The Red Devils ultimately forced a 13-13 deadlock in the final minute of regulation when Kuhne connected on a 26-yard field goal.
The Red Devils had possession first in the overtime period, but Barth's throw near the end zone was intercepted. Eureka appeared to force a second overtime on a blocked 42-yard field goal try from UNW, but a penalty on the Red Devils gave the hosts new life and a first down at the Eureka 12. Nate VanBeusekom ultimately punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to give UNW a 19-13 victory.
TANNER KUHNE COLLECTS UMAC SPECIAL TEAMS AWARD
Eureka sophomore kicker Tanner Kuhne was voted UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week, according to a Monday afternoon announcement from the league office. Kuhne made a pair of field goals Saturday at Northwestern.
EC got on the board Saturday thanks to Kuhne's first collegiate field goal, a 25-yard try midway through the third quarter. His second successful try of the day from 26 yards away in the final minute of regulation forced a 13-13 tie and Eureka's first overtime game since a 27-21 win over Rockford on Sept. 4, 2004.
Kuhne is Eureka's first UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week since Antonio Greenwood received the honor on Sept. 15, 2015 after returning a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown in a victory over Martin Luther. Additionally, Kuhne is the first Red Devil to make multiple field goals in the same game since Tyler Winders drilled two field goals at Westminster on Oct. 8, 2016.
VOGEL STANDS ALONE
Senior defensive end Ray Vogel assisted on a tackle for loss late in the first quarter of Saturday's game at Northwestern, bumping his career total to 33.5 tackles for loss. That number is the most by any EC defender since the stat was tracked accurately beginning in 2000.
Vogel entered the season third on the list behind Jacob Carls (33.0) and Matt Knake (31.0). The Bartonville, Ill. native logged 16.0 tackles for loss a year ago, the most by a Red Devil since Stew McGinnis registered 17.0 in 2013 and third-most since 2000.
Vogel ranks second on the team in 2017 with 13 tackles and shares the team lead with Chris Friend with 3.0 tackles for loss.
REASNOVER MOVES UP THE LIST
Junior LeAnthony Reasnover ran for 151 yards last Saturday at Northwestern -- his 10th career 100-yard game and his third career game of 150 yards or more. The effort improved Reasnover's career rushing total to 2,213 and vaulted the Momence, Ill. native into fourth place on the Red Devils' modern-era rushing list. Next on the list is Eric Leiser, who ran for 2,779 career yards and anchored the running game on EC's 1991 NAIA playoff team.
Reasnover will enter Saturday's game ranked third in the UMAC and 17th nationally in career rushing yards among active NCAA Division III players. His 2017 total of 239 rushing yards is second-most in the UMAC and 26th in Division III.
BARTH'S BIG DAY
Sophomore Drew Barth produced his biggest day yet as the Red Devils' quarterback last Saturday. The Minonk, Ill. native made his 12th career appearance and set a personal best with 242 passing yards. He also became the first EC quarterback to complete 25 passes in a game since Conrad Schumann connected 25 times at MacMurray on Sept. 26, 2015.
Barth eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for passing yards in his career and now has 1,067 yards, 20th-most by a Eureka quarterback in the modern era. His 105 career completions rank 13th and he can crack Eureka's top-10 with another 45 completions.
ROAD WARRIORS
Saturday's game in Morris represents Eureka's longest road trip of the 2017 season. Morris, Minn., approximately 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis and less than an hour from the North Dakota-South Dakota border, is a 609-mile journey from the Reagan Athletic Complex.
In all, Eureka will take three trips to Minnesota this fall. The Red Devils will play their regular-season finale at Martin Luther in New Ulm, Minn., a 465-mile trek on Nov. 4. The current campaign marks the fourth time (2011, 2013, 2015) Eureka will travel to Minnesota in three separate weekends.
In addition to visits to Martin Luther, Minnesota Morris and Northwestern in 2011, the Red Devils made a fourth lengthy trip to Presentation College in Aberdeen, S.D., the furthest voyage west in the 127-year history of Eureka College football. Eureka beat the Saints that night, 55-27, on eight touchdown throws and 478 passing yards from then-junior Sam Durley. Presentation never made the return trip to McKinzie Field, leaving the UMAC for the NAIA after just one season.
ABOUT MINNESOTA MORRIS
Minnesota Morris is winless in 2017, losing its opener to UMAC rival Martin Luther on Sept. 2, 14-7. The Cougars followed with the lengthy trip to Fulton, Mo. last Saturday and lost a 23-7 UMAC decision to Westminster.
The UMM offense, limited to only two touchdowns thus far in 2017, has sputtered to just 176.0 yards of total offense per game, last in the UMAC and 225th nationally. The attack has produced only 131.0 passing yards per game and 45.0 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Justin Maloski, a sophomore from Underwood, Minn., leads the Cougars with 262 yards through the air and 36 rushing yards. Eight different players have made a reception, including a team-high nine grabs by sophomore Nathan Sheridan.
While the Cougars have struggled to move the football, the UMM defense has been outstanding. Minnesota Morris leads the conference and ranks 46th in Division III, allowing only 275.5 yards per game. Sophomore linebacker Drew Shipley leads the group with 24 total tackles. Additionally, the Cougars rank second in Division III with 22 tackles for loss through two games. Sophomore linebacker Taylor Snow leads that charge with 5.0 tackles for loss totaling 11 yards lost.
The University of Minnesota, Morris is part of the University of Minnesota system. UMM opened in 1960 and has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 1,900 students. UMM competes as one of two public schools that are full-time members of the UMAC, joining the league in 2003.
MEET THE HEAD COACHES
Eureka College Athletics Hall of Famer Kurt Barth is in his ninth season as the head coach at Eureka. The winningest head coach in program football history, Barth has led EC to a pair of eight-win seasons and molded the Red Devils into an annual contender in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
In all, Eureka has received 53 All-UMAC selections in eight seasons under Barth's direction. Additionally, Barth's strategies have put a dent in the Eureka football record book, as the Red Devils have broken 16 program records, including eight passing records, since his arrival in 2009.
Minnesota Morris employs the unique scenario of co-head coaches. Marty Hoffman and Matthew Johnson share head coaching responsibilities after Rob Cushman resigned just days before the start of preseason practice.
Hoffmann has served UMM as defensive and strength/conditioning coordinator for four seasons. He returned to Morris after coaching defense, special teams and cornerbacks at Minnesota State-Moorhead, Carleton and South Dakota State. A four-year football starter as a linebacker and defensive back at UMM, Hoffmann was a two-time All-UMAC selection and UMAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Johnson has spent the previous 13 seasons as an assistant coach at Morris where he most recently served as the offensive line coach. He also serves as associate athletic director and coordinator for the Sport Studies and Athletics academic discipline at Morris. Johnson was a four-year starter and two-year captain at UMM, starting all 44 games of his college career on the offensive line. He earned his B.A. from Morris AND holds his M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Eureka leads the all-time series with Minnesota Morris that dates back to 2010, 4-3. The Cougars won the first three meetings from 2010 through 2012, but the Red Devils have recovered to win four straight since 2013, including a pair of victories at UMM's Big Cat Stadium. Eureka has held the Cougars to 13 points or less in each of its previous four victories.
EUREKA IN MINNESOTA
This Saturday's game in Morris represents Eureka's 22nd game in the state of Minnesota in program history. The Red Devils are 10-11 in their previous 21 trips to The North Star State, including last week's overtime loss at Northwestern.
Prior to the beginning of the Red Devils' associate membership in the UMAC 2009, Eureka took only one road trip to Minnesota in nearly 120 years of competition, a 21-16 triumph over Bethel on Oct. 17, 1970 in St. Paul, Minn.
Since joining the UMAC, Eureka has taken at least one trip to Minnesota each season. The Red Devils swept their Minnesota slate in 2013, earning road wins at Northwestern (26-9), Minnesota Morris (21-13) and Martin Luther (50-14).
FOLLOW THE ACTION ONLINE
Minnesota Morris will provide a live video broadcast and live statistics of Saturday's game. The links will be available at both morriscougars.com and eurekareddevils.com.
Frequent updates via Twitter will be available at @EurekaGameDay.