Warriors Dominate Briar Cliff in GPAC Tilt

FREMONT, Neb. – For the second straight week, the Midland University offense looked sharp in a 56-14 victory over Briar Cliff University, on Saturday afternoon, at Heedum Field. The Warriors racked up 556 yards of total offense pushing their record to 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).

The Midland defense forced a three-and-out on Briar Cliff's first possession and Tyson Denkert returned a punt 18 yards to the Charger 31-yard line to set up the Warriors' first drive. On the third play from scrimmage, quarterback Garrison Beach connected with Kalynd Coats on a 10-yard touchdown pass. After Jared Quinonez's extra point, Midland led 7-0 with 13:39 left in the first quarter.

Beach added to the scoring late in the quarter, with his feet. The senior QB rushed the ball into the endzone from four yards away with 1:17 left in the quarter. The score capped a seven-play, 31-yard drive and made it 14-0 after Quinonez's PAT.

Midland head coach Jeff Jamrog was pleased with how the Warriors started the game. "It was a great start. I thought we really executed well. It was a great first half. We played some more players today, which is great for morale, and we're gonna need them down the road, too."

The Warriors added to the lead with the first of three second-quarter rushing touchdowns. Denkert scored his first of two straight running scores with a 15-yard sprint to the end zone. With 12:27 left in the quarter, Midland led 21-0 after Quinonez's extra point. The score capped off the Warriors longest scoring drive of the day, of eight plays for 63 yards.

Just over two minutes later, Denkert found pay dirt again. This time, he took the ball in from 20 yards out with 10:15 left in the half. The scoring drive was a short two-play march, and it was 28-0 Midland after Quinonez's PAT.

On the next Briar Cliff possession, Charger quarterback Johnny Bauser threw into coverage over the middle. Brady Martin was there to intercept the pass, setting the Midland offense up at the 40-yard line. The very next play saw Coats run a jet sweep around the right end and down the Briar Cliff sideline, 40 yards for the third Midland touchdown of the quarter. Quinonez's extra point made it 35-0, with 8:36 remaining before the half.

Briar Cliff got on the board for the first time on its next possession. Bauser completed his only pass of the first half to tight end Steven Whiting, who hauled in the pass for a 35-yard touchdown. Jacob Myers converted the PAT. The most productive drive of the day for the Chargers went six plays for 70 yards, and with 5:46 left in the second quarter, Midland led 35-7.

After a Warriors drive stalled, Briar Cliff took over the ball deep in its own territory. However, Midland's solid defense and good time management forced a Charger punt and the Warriors took over at their own 49 yard-line with 53 seconds left in the half. On the first play from scrimmage, Beach connected with Tariq Brown on a slot receiver screen that went all 51 yards, to the end zone for a Midland touchdown. Quinonez's sixth PAT of the half put the Warriors ahead 42-7, which would be the score going into halftime.

Although the Warriors' defense played strong in the third quarter, the Midland offense sputtered. Penalties and two turnovers prevented the Warriors from getting on the scoreboard in the third quarter. The latter of the two giveaways resulted in points for Briar Cliff. After Midland began a drive at its own eight-yard line, the Warriors marched down the field on 11 plays all the way to the Chargers six-yard line. However, on the next play, quarterback Jacob Jones threw a pass, intended for Denkert, near the Midland sideline. However, the pass was dropped and it was a backward lateral which was scooped up by Charger defensive back Zach Buick. He returned the fumble 94 yards, down the sideline for a Briar Cliff touchdown. Myers' extra point made it 42-14, Midland, with 2:22 left in the quarter, a score that stood until the beginning of the fourth.  

The Warriors' offense got going again in the fourth. Jones would score his first of two fourth-quarter touchdowns with a 29-yard run with 10:13 remaining. That capped a six-play 62-yard drive. Quinonez's seventh PAT of the day put Midland up 49-14.

Jones put the finishing touch on the game with another rushing touchdown on the next Warriors' possession. The QB carried the ball in from 20 yards away with 3:39 to go. Quinonez tied his own school record with his eighth PAT in a game, and Midland led 56-14, which turned out to be the final score.

The Midland offense dominated the game. The Warriors ran the ball 42 times for 282 yards and six touchdowns. Threw the air, Midland was 15-for-27 for 274 yards and two scores. On the day, the Warriors ran 69 plays for 556 yards, a season high.

Midland's defense was just as sharp. The Warriors' "D" limited Briar Cliff (0-3,0-2) to 32 carries for just 21 yards. In the passing game, the Chargers were 10-for-24 for 81 yards with one touchdown and one interception. BCU ran a total of 56 plays for just 102 yards of total offense.

The Warriors were led in the passing game by Garrison Beach. The senior signal-caller from North Logan, Utah was 14-for-23 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Jamrog commented on Beach's play to begin the year. "He's doing an excellent job. Maybe a couple of throws today, that he'd like to have back, but he's smart, he knows this offense inside and out, he collaborates great with Coach Murphy on what plays he likes, which ones he doesn't like, and which ones he has real confidence in. He's a great Field General and doing an outstanding job."

Nine different players rushed the ball for Midland on the day. The leading ground-gainer was Jacob Jones. The backup junior quarterback from Omaha carried the ball 11 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Tyson Denkert had another productive day for the second straight week. The sophomore running back from Kennesaw, Nebraska, had four carries for 51 yards and two scores. Kalynd Coats had two carries on the afternoon. The senior from Pittsburg, California had forty yards rushing, and a touchdown. Beach also found the endzone, on the ground. Although he had four carries for -4 yards, He rushed the ball in for a score, as well.

Midland spread the ball around to its receivers, too. Brown was one of eight Warriors to record a reception. The senior from Des Moines, Iowa caught four passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Coats also caught a TD pass. He ended the game with three catches for 59 yards and a score. Jamrog talked about his top two pass catchers. "Those two are really talented receivers. I think they are as talented as anyone in our league. Kalynd and Tariq are great young men and it's fun to watch them with the ball in their hands."

The Warriors' defense was led by Braxton Bates. The junior linebacker from Taylorsville, Utah had nine total tackles. He also added a sack, one of five by Midland in the game. His tackle for loss was good for five yards. Nine times on the day, the Warriors recorded a tackle for loss. Leading the way was Gabriel Van Winkle. He tallied three tackles behind the line of scrimmage for seven total yards. Van Winkle also scooped up a Charger fumble and returned it ten yards. Brady Martin recorded his first interception of the season. The junior from Waverly, Nebraska picked off a pass that set up a Midland score in the second quarter.  In the secondary, Xavier Green, Tayver Thournbrugh, and Julian Evans all recorded a pass breakup.

Briar Cliff's starting quarterback Johnny Bauser led the passing effort. He was 5-for-14 for 48 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception. Matthew Mason led the Charger ground game. One of eight players to rush the ball, Mason had 14 carries for 45 yards. The top receiver was Steven Whiting. The tight end caught two passes for 42 yards. One of seven Chargers to record a reception on the day, Whiting hauled in a touchdown for BCU's lone offense score of the game.

Angel Nava-Esparza led the Briar Cliff defensive effort. He ended with ten tackles, four of which were solo stops. The Chargers tallied three sacks. Leading the way was MJ Montgomery with 1.5 QB stops, for 13 yards. BCU had seven tackles for loss, two of which came from Montgomery, for 14 yards, total. Zach Buick had a forced fumble, plus a return for 94 yards and a score, all on the same play. He also had one of three Charger pass breakups in the game, with the other two coming from Tim McCarthy and Tulsa Janish.

Briar Cliff falls to 0-3 on the season and 0-2 in the GPAC. Dating back to last season, the Chargers have dropped eleven straight games. BCU has next week off and will host the Hastings Broncos, on Saturday, September 23 at 1:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, in Sioux City, Iowa.

Midland is 3-0 and 2-0 in the league. The Warriors will begin a stretch of two straight games on the road, when they travel to Mitchell, South Dakota, next week. Coach Jamrog talked about getting ready for some tough upcoming games. "We're off to the start that we're hoping for, going 1-0 every week. Right now, we're not even thinking past next week. We've already won on the road once, and we're looking forward to going up and playing a really, feisty team, in Mitchell." Midland plays Dakota Wesleyan and the Tigers, on Saturday, September 16 at 2:00 p.m., at Joe Quintal Field.

After a second straight road game at Morningside on Saturday, September 23, Midland returns to Heedum Field to host the defending NAIA National Champions, the Northwestern Red Raiders, on Saturday, September 30 at 1:00 p.m.