STORM LAKE, Iowa (Oct. 19, 2023) - The Buena Vista University football team (1-5, 1-3 A-R-C) is going after its second straight win this season when it travels to the University of Dubuque this Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Chalmers Field.

GAME COVERAGE

Radio: 97.5FM KBVU (local)
Live Audio: https://www.kbvu975.com/
Live Video: https://udspartans.com/sports/2020/7/15/live-video-and-highlights
Live Stats: https://udspartans.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

INSIDE THE SERIES: This year marks the 83rd overall meeting between the two programs...They have met on the gridiron every since 1946 with the exception of the 1950 and 2020 seasons...BVU leads the all-time series 50-32 but the Spartans have won four straight, including a 46-16 win last season in Storm Lake...The Beavers last win over Dubuque was a 44-41 thriller in Dubuque back in 2017...The last shutout by either team was a 19-0 BVU win in 2004.

2023 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing yds per game
BVU: Eman Alaniz (40.7)
DUB: Devin Moore (46.5)

Passing yds per game
BVU: Zach Herrera (112.3)
DUB: K.C. Moore (290.8)

Receiving yds per game
BVU: Eman Alaniz (57.5)
DUB: Za'Cameron Brice (85.7)

Total Tackles
BVU: Trey Ortman (31.0)
DUB: CJ Dean (47.0)

Total Sacks
BVU: Dylan Berens (3.0)
DUB: Ben Rashid (4.0)

Interceptions
BVU: Three tied (1.0)
DUB: De'Vaughn Bell (2.0)

KO Return Avg.
BVU: Dolan Pospichal (18.0)
DUB: Devin Moore (21.7)

Punt Return Avg.
BVU: Eman Alaniz (18.0)
DUB: Torre Butts Jr. (7.0)

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS

The Spartans led No. 3 Wartburg at halftime last Saturday, 10-7, but the Knights outscored Dubuque 24-0 in the second half. The team dropped its first two games of the year before moving into the win column for the first time to begin conference play with a 35-23 victory over cross-city rival Loras College. It began the year with three straight home contests. It also has a home victory this season over Nebraska Wesleyan two weeks ago. The Spartans are 0-2 away from Chalmers Field.

The team is ranked right in the middle of the A-R-C in both scoring offense (27.2ppg) and scoring defense (33.3ppg). It has allowed at least 23 points in all six games this season and was held to a season-low 10 points against the Knights. Junior tailback Devin Moore is ranked seventh in the league in rushing yards per contest while Dubuque is sixth as a team at just over 100.0ypg. Through the air, the Spartans rank third among all league teams at 302.7 passing yards per contest but only Nebraska Wesleyan (294.6ypg) allows more yards passing than Dubuque (293.7ypg). Senior quarterback K.C. Moore is third in the league in passing yards per game (290.8) and his four interceptions are tied for the fewest. He's completing 64.8 percent of his attempts which is the second-best percentage among all A-R-C signal callers. 

Senior linebacker CJ Dean helps lead the defensive unit with 47 total tackles, including 26 solo stops. His 7.8 per game average is currently seventh in the A-R-C with junior strong safety Dalton Wood (6.5) close behind in 11th. Wood ranks second on the team with 39 total tackles. The Spartans have also intercepted seven passes on the year which is tied for third-most in the conference. Fifth-year defensive end, Ben Rashid, has been a force up front, registering a team-leading four sacks and is tied for the team-lead with six tackles for a loss. He is also second on the team with four QB hurries. 

Junior Conner Halla is a weapon on special teams as he leads the conference in average yards per punt attempt this season at 37.7. He has 27 attempts on the year with three going for over 50 yards, including a long of 62. Five of kicks have landed inside the 20. Sophomore Liam Smith is a perfect 2-for-2 in field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards. He's also 14-of-16 in PAT's and leads the team with 20 points scored this season.

ABOUT BUENA VISTA

The Beavers look to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this season after picking up their first victory last Saturday over Luther, 17-10, on Homecoming weekend inside of J. Leslie Rollins Stadium. In that contest, BVU rushed the ball a season-high 40 times and chalked up a season-best 143 yards and two touchdowns.

BVU is currently ranked ninth in the A-R-C in scoring offense this season at 12.5ppg and is last in total offense per outing at 206.0ypg. Junior running back Eman Alaniz is coming off a season-high 117 yards and 23 carries against the Norse, and was responsible for both rushing scores. It was his 40-yard burst in the third quarter that put BVU in front and proved to be the game's final score. He also went out and hauled in three catches for a team-leading 43 yards. For the year, Alaniz ranks eighth in DIII in all-purpose yards per game with an average of 166.2. Keaton Huebner has added a one-two punch for BVU with 54 rushing attempts and is averaging over 20 yards rushing per game. He's added the final two rushing touchdowns on the year. Junior quarterback Zach Herrera is passing for just over 112.0 yards per game this season and completing just under 54 percent of his attempts. Alaniz has been the top receiver with 23 catches for 345 yards and two TD's as no other pass-catcher has yet to reach double digits in grabs this season.

Defensively, BVU is ninth in the league, allowing 484.5ypg of total offense. The Beavers have seven players with at least 25 total tackles this season, led by senior Trey Ortman's 31. Ortman also has one of the team's three interceptions. Matthew Beisswenger is third on the team in total stops with 27, while intercepting one pass and leading the way with five pass breakups. Dylan Berens is among those tied with Beisswenger with 27 tackles, but leads the way with four tackles for a loss, including three sacks. Keaton Bindel is right with Berens with 26 tackles, three for a loss, to go along with a pair of QB sacks.

Beisswenger has also produced with his leg, averaging 34.4 yards per punt attempt this season. Of his 40 overall attempts, four have gone for more than 50 yards, including a 71-yard boot which is currently tied for the longest kick in the A-R-C this season. He's landed seven attempts inside the 20-yard line with seven kicks resulting in a fair catch. He's made the team's lone field goal of the year last week against Luther and is 1-for-3 overall this season and sits at a perfect 10-for-10 in PAT's.