STORM LAKE, Iowa (Oct. 17, 2025) - The Buena Vista football team (2-3, 1-2 A-R-C) is on the road this Saturday at the University of Dubuque (2-4, 2-2 A-R-C) and looking to string together back-to-back conference victories for the first time since 2021.

GAME NOTES

INSIDE THE SERIES:
Dubuque has won the last six meetings in the series, including a 56-21 margin from a game played last season in Storm Lake…BVU's last triumph over the Spartans came in 2017 (44-41 in Dubuque)…Prior to last year's meeting, the Beavers had been held under 20 points by Dubuque in five straight match-ups..BVU is 28-15 against Dubuque since 1981 and won 15 straight over the Spartans from 1991-2005.

LAST TIME OUT:
Buena Vista: The Beavers scored 24 unanswered second half points last week against Luther College and went on to defeat the Norse at home for Family Weekend, 31-7. BVU generated 460 yards of total offense in the game which was only the second time it surpassed 400 total yards under head coach Austin Dickinson. Senior running back Meven Obregon had a career day with 165 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. Johnny Messerly also hauled in his team-leading third touchdown catch. Defensively, the Beavers held the Norse to only 206 yards of total offense with junior safety Drew Volkmann intercepting a pair of passes.

Dubuque: The Spartans had a tough road test last week on the road at No. 8 Wartburg College. In that game, the Knights exploded for 21 first quarter points and led 31-7 at the half. The only second half points came via a safety by the Wartburg defense in the third quarter. Dubuque's only score of the day came on a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joey Rhomberg to receiver Kali Freeman that made it 28-7 just over two minutes into the second quarter. Freeman had six grabs for 115 yards in the game. The Spartans finished with 324 yards of total offense with 279 of those yards coming through the air. Rhomberg completed 29-of-45 attempts for 279 yards with the one touchdown but was intercepted twice. The Knights outgained Dubuque 189-45 on the ground.

ABOUT BUENA VISTA: The Beavers continue to push forward on both sides of the ball this season. Offensively, the team surpassed 400 yards of total offense for only the second time in Coach Dickinson's tenure. They used one of it's strongest rushing performances in recent memory with 165 yards and two touchdowns from senior running back Meven Obregon, who became the team's first back to register consecutive 100+ yard rushing games since Keaton Huebner back in 2021. BVU currently ranks fourth in the league in rushing offense at 127.8 yards per game. Zy Gravitt attempted a career-high 44 passes and added 204 yards through the air. Two of his three interceptions were tipped passes. sophomore receiver Johnny Messerly caught his third touchdown pass of the season versus the Norse and is ninth in the A-R-C by averaging 65.4 yards per outing. Defensively, junior safety Drew Volkmann continues to lead the way. He intercepted two more passes last week and now has three overall. He also leads the team and ranks 16th in the league with 7.0 tackles per game. Josh Eilers has the third-most pass breakups in the league with five. Senior placekicker Tyler Pennington converted his only field goal attempt last week and is now 3-for-5 on the year while converting all seven PAT's. As a team, the Beavers are looking to win back-to-back conference games for the first time since chalking up three straight late in the 2021 campaign.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS: Dubuque, picked to finish fourth in the A-R-C Preseason Coaches Poll, is looking to rebound following a tough 33-7 road loss last week at No. 8 Wartburg College. Both wins for the team this season have come on their home turf (Loras and Neb. Wesleyan). Through four conference games, the Spartans rank seventh in scoring throughout the league at 19.7ppg and sit right in the middle at fifth in scoring defense (26.3ppg). As it did last week, the team is generating most of its offensive production this season through the air. It ranks second in A-R-C play at 264.0ypg compared to seventh in rushing at 70.8ypg. Quarterback Joey Rhomberg is leading the A-R-C at 264.0 passing yards per game and Blake Heffron is second in receiving at 101.0ypg. Defensively, Tristen Villanueva's 8.8 stops per game against league foes leads the team and ranks fifth in the A-R-C. The team has generated 10 sacks in conference play which is third most in the league. It is vulnerable against the pass, however, by ranking seventh at 241.5 yards allowed through the air per game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

LOOKING AHEAD: The Beavers return home on Oct. 25 to host Loras College for its fourth home game of the year at 1 p.m. inside of J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.