College football: Morningside scores in all 3 phases in win
SIOUX CITY — All three phases chipped in touchdowns for the Morningside football team in another lopsided win for the Mustangs.
The third-ranked Mustangs' 48-17 Great Plains Athletic Conference win on Saturday night over Midland at Elwood Olsen Stadium was the 223rd career victory for head coach Steve Ryan, which ranks sixth-most in NAIA history.
"We put away the game when we needed to," said Ryan, who is in his 22nd season as Mustangs head coach. "I thought our defense played really well, because Midland has an outstanding offense. They have a lot of playmakers."
In defeating the visiting Warriors, Morningside scored four offensive touchdowns -- all of which included sophomore quarterback Lennx Brown in some fashion -- two pick-6s on defense and a special teams touchdown.
Morningside's Lennx Brown is tripped up by a Midland defender in a Sept. 23 game. Brown ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter Saturday …
Morningside's KJ Williams carries the ball during Saturday night's game vs. Midland.
Redshirt juniors Isaac Pingel and Lonnell Boyd Jr. returned interceptions for Morningside scores. Pingel's went for and Boyd's came from on the other side of midfield, going down as a 59-yard return to the house.
"Not only do those plays make the offense's job easier, but the energy on the sideline after the defense makes a play is like no other," Brown said.
Redshirt freshman Malik Hampton also nabbed an interception for the Mustangs (4-0, 3-0 GPAC). Hampton's pick came at a crucial time in the game early on.
When the Warriors (3-2, 2-2) tried a double pass just outside the red zone, Hampton sniffed it out and picked off a Desmond Prusia heave after Prusia got a lateral from quarterback Garrison Beach.
The Mustang defense also stopped Midland three times when the Warriors went for it on fourth and short, and added a fourth Midland turnover on downs late.
"I thought those fourth down stops were a big part of the game," Ryan said.
"(The defense) prides itself on being physical up front," said redshirt junior defensive lineman Colton Dreith, who ended the game with two tackles for loss (one sack) and three QB hurries. "We feel like we kind of start it, then behind us, the linebackers and secondary do a great job. That was a great source of momentum for us.
"We want to be the best pass-rushing defense in the nation, and hopefully that will create opportunities for us to score defensive touchdowns, too."
Morningside's Lennx Brown is brought down by Midland's Zane Stenger (4) and Noah Ethen, right, during a two-point conversion attempt Saturday …
Morningside's KJ Williams is taken down by Midland's Xavier Green during Morningside University vs. Midland University football action in Siou…
After Brown tossed two TD passes (one each to Joshua Simmons and reigning GPAC Offensive Player of the Week Zach Norton), he ran in from three yards out to give Morningside 20-10 lead with 9:14 left in the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Caden Ochsendor forced the Midland returner to fumble, and Blake Brown was there for the scoop and score.
All wasn't perfect on special teams for the Mustangs, however, as punter Justin McElligott went down with a leg injury on a roughing the punter call against the Warriors and could miss significant time. And when backup Trevor Paulsen came on for McElligott, a bad snap forced Paulsen to fall on the ball rather than get a kick off.
That led to the first of two Midland touchdown passes from Beach to Tariq Brown.
In the first quarter, the Warriors took a 3-0 lead when Jared Quinonez knocked through a 36-yard field goal on Midland's opening possession.
Along with McElligott, Morningside also lost running back K.J Williams, who saw 12 carries for 75 yards, but went down with an injury and didn't return.
Brown finished with an equal number of passing yards as rushing yards (129) on 12-20 passing and 16 carries, and he finished with two passing touchdowns and two rushing scores, which more than made up for the interception he threw as time wound down in the first half and he tried to get the Mustangs in scoring position before the end of the half.
His final touchdown went for a 76-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Morningside's Lennx Brown is brought down by Midland's Tray Kingsland during Morningside University vs. Midland University football action in …
Morningside's KJ Williams dodges away from Midland's Brady Martin during Morningside University vs. Midland University football action in Siou…
Although not a conventional approach to the QB position, Morningside has found a good 1-2 punch at quarterback that can keep opponents off balance and allows the Mustangs to play with leverage and adaptability.
Brown is an elusive, dual-threat who moved in from wide receiver due to positional need at the end of last season, while freshman Cash Parker can operate from the pocket and create rhythm to the Mustangs' pass attack.
"Every week, every practice, we make each other better," Brown said. "There's some things I'm better at than him, some things he's better at than me. We're using those tools to make each other better and, depending on the situation, we can pick who we want in, and hopefully whoever that is, it gets us points on the board."
The duo split snaps almost equally through the first two weeks of the season. Week 3 went mostly to Parker, who was 16-23 for 270 yards and three TDs in dominating 55-18 win over Mount Marty.
Parker did see the field Saturday (4-7, 43 yards), but it proved to be Brown's show.
"We have a lot of momentum right now," he said. "We don't like being underdogs, and feel like we're the underdogs here for the first time in a while. We're letting everyone know who we are."
