SCOUTING THE DUTCH
The Dutch begin their A-R-C road schedule in search of their first conference win of the year after a loss to No. 13 Wartburg 10-6 this past week. The team began the season by beating Illinois Wesleyan and California Lutheran over the first two weeks. The Dutch, which were picked third in the 2024 A-R-C Preseason Coaches Poll, are coming off an 8-2 record (6-2 A-R-C) from a year ago.
Starting quarterback Brady Ketchum helps lead the Dutch offensively along with running back Keegan Glover. Through the first three games this season, Ketchum has completed roughly 70 percent of his pass attempts for 693 yards. He's thrown for eight passing TD’s and has been intercepted only three times. Glover is the team’s leading rusher and receiver to this point. The team is looking to get the ground game going, as it's gained 354 total yards rushing and averaging 105.33 yards per game.
Linebacker Cael Fiderlein has already registered 26 total tackles for the Dutch and has added a pair of tackles for loss. Linebacker Cole Clark is right behind with 24 total stops. The unit has eight sacks on the year for 50 yards and has four interceptions.
Austin Burns has punted so far 15 times for 579 yards, averaging 38.6 yards per punt, with his long of 75. He has also added two touchbacks and put five inside the 20. The team has not attempted a field goal yet this season, and Logan Sunvold has 16 kickoffs for 983 yards, averaging 61.4 yards per kick with seven touchbacks.
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
BVU opens its American Rivers Conference home schedule against the Dutch. The Beavers are coming off a tough 20-17 win last Saturday at Loras.
The Beavers are looking for consistency on the offensive side of the ball where it is only averaging 13.3 points and 216.0 yards per game. Senior quarterback Zach Herrera has completed 62 percent of his pass attempts for a combined 363 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Blaine Peebles has been among his favorite targets in the early going by catching fifteen passes for 133 yards and two scores. Nine receivers have hauled in multiple receptions through two games.
On the ground, senior Eman Alaniz, has gotten the majority of the touches with 47 of the 74 overall rushing attempts. He's averaging 4.1 yards per carry and has rushed for 195 yards and two scores. He's also caught eight passes for 39 yards. Meven Obregon has the team's longest run from scrimmage this season at 52 yards on just his second carry of the year. That scamper resulted in the team's first touchdown of the game against WLC.
Defensively, junior linebacker Troy Reynolds has helped lead the way with 23 total tackles, including 15 solo stops. Defensive back Austin Smith and linebacker Nick Moorshead are next with 19 and 16 tackles with Smith also recording one of the team's six interceptions of the year. As a unit, the Beavers have 12 TFL's overall and two sacks so far. It is also looking to get off the field on third downs as opponents are converting nearly 50 percent of the time on third down (18-of-39).
Matthew Beisswenger has a team-leading three pass breakups and has also gotten the job down with his leg. Through three games, he has 16 punt attempts for an average of 34.31 yards per attempt. Five of those have been fair caught with his long to this point in the year going for 57 yards. He's also averaging nearly 53.0 yards per kickoff attempt, has made 2-of-3 field goal attempts, and coming off weekly A-R-C honors.
