DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Saturday brings about a fresh slate for the Loras football team that enters with an 0–3 record following last week's loss to Coe. For the first time since opening week, the Duhawks will be in front of their home crowd and look to right the ship.

MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
Those in attendance on Saturday will be witness to Loras' annual Military Appreciation Day. Beginning in 2014, the Duhawks host one football game a season where members of the military are encouraged to attend, and in some cases, participate in the festivities. Prior to kickoff, fans will have the opportunity to visit the Iowa National Guard display and rock wall that will be in the Smyth Turnaround. Saturday's pre-game festivities continue with the Knights of Columbus as the color guard and a Wounded Warrior will be honored.

SCOUTING THE DUTCH - OFFENSE

To say that Central's offense has been clicking would be a fair statement, given their scoring margin of 20.7 points per game against opponents through week three. Both facets of the offense has been clicking, with the ground game averaging 227.7 yards per game and the aerial attack averaging 310.3 yards per game. In last week's conference opener, the Dutch split time under center, with Nate Boland completing 13-of-19 for 122 yards and Riley Gray totaling 113 yards on eight completed passes. On the ground, it was Donny Groezinger who carried the ball 22 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. Sam Markham remains the primary target through the air, leading Central with 29 catches for 311 yards and four touchdowns. Twenty-six of the 128 points that the Dutch have scored this year have come off turnovers, including 20 against Buena Vista, an area that Loras has struggled with through the early goings.

SCOUTING THE DUTCH - DEFENSE

Central's defense has been suffocating, holding opponents to 66 total points through three weeks, including a shutout of Buena Vista last Saturday. Despite forcing four turnovers, the Dutch have capitalized on the opportunities presented on Saturday. Chris Neeld leads all tacklers with 26 total, while Sam Norgaard has added 23 tackles and one interception, which resulted in a 20-yard return. In total, eight players have accumulated 10 tackles or more, which includes 5.5 tackles for loss among the eight. Against Buena Vista, Central held the Beavers outside of the end zone, which included an 0-for-3 mark in the red zone.

SCOUTING THE DUTCH - SPECIAL TEAMS

Cam Kiner handles the punting duties for the Dutch and posts and average of 34.6 yards per punt, including a long of 44 yards and seven inside the 20-yard line. Aaron Marcellus enters having made three of his last five field goals, including a strike from 40 yards to open the scoring in Central's week two romp against Augustana. In that same contest, Zack Martinelli returned a Viking punt 76 yards for a touchdown, which helped raise his season average to 15.2 yards per return. Joining Martinelli on kick returns is Nathan Fitzgerald, who has taken back four kicks for an average of 23.5 yards, including a long of 43 yards.

LAST MEETING AGAINST CENTRAL

When these two sides met a year ago, it was Loras who turned the tides on the Dutch, pulling out the 55–48 win, thanks to 28 points in the fourth quarter. Nolan Baumhover threw for 434 yards, including eight touchdowns, which set an Iowa Conference record. Zach Minch rushed for 161 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown on a wheel route out of the backfield with 47 seconds remaining. Opposing Baumhover for the Dutch was Riley Gray, who completed 23-of-39 passes for 330 yards, but his two interceptions proved costly with both coming in the fourth quarter. Loras turned the first interception into seven points to start the fourth quarter comeback.

IOWA CONFERENCE OFFERS DUHAWKS STIFF COMPETITION

This season the Duhawks are set to square off against three IIAC opponents who are currently ranked or reserving votes in the D3football.com Top 25 National Poll. Central enters Saturday's contest ranked No. 25 after starting the year with three straight victories. Also recieveing votes in the poll are fellow conference teams, the University of Dubuque and Wartburg. All three opponents will test the Duhawks, capped by a showdown with Loras' crosstown rival on Nov. 5 in the Rock Bowl.

HERMANN ANCHORING THE SECONDARY

On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive back Bryan Hermann has been executing in his role for the Duhawks. Hermann currently ranks second on the team with 29 tackles and is tied for the team lead in solo tackles with 23. In the first game of the season against Elmhurst, Hermann nabbed his fourth career interception. Based on Central's blueprint entering Saturday, Hermann and his secondary corps will be put to the test to hold the Dutch in check.

SUSTAINING THE OFFENSIVE DRIVE

When a team can move the chains on third and the occasional fourth down, over the course of the game it will wear on an opposing defense. This season, Loras and its opponents have faired similarly on third downs, with the Duhawks operating at a 41 percent rate on offense, while their counterparts have a slight higher efficiency at 47 percent. Fourth down conversions have crippled Loras on defense, as opponents have converted on 4-of-5 attempts. In last week's loss against Coe, the Kohawks were perfect on fourth down, with both conversions leading to scores.

TA-'CAL'-ING MACHINE

A graduate of Morrison High School, senior Calvin Harridge has been a mainstay on the Duhawk defense since he first arrived on campus. Harridge has posted at least 86 tackles in each of his first three seasons, reaching this mark in 2015 despite only playing seven games due to injury. Through the first three games of this season, Harridge is on pace for a career year, racking up 36 tackles so far in 2016. His average of 12.0 tackles per game ranks third in the Iowa Conference and puts him ahead of schedule to eclipse his career high of 117 total tackles, which he recorded in 2014.

OLLIE RELISHING IN STARTING ROLE

Through the first three games of the 2016 season, sophomore Walter Ollie has proved his worth as a starter in the secondary for the Duhawks. After appearing in eight games in the 2015 season and recording 31 total tackles, Ollie has brought a fire to the defense this season. In 2016, Ollie has recorded 25 tackles with a career-high 11 last week against Coe. Ollie has also been a threat to ball security for the opponents' offenses, with two forced fumbles, including a fumble recovery, and an interception.

TARGETING THE RECEIVING CORPS

Seniors Jon Powers and Danny Willis, along with sophomore Brad Boelkow have led the push on the outside, combining for the bulk of targets, yards, catches and receiving touchdowns. Jon Powers leads the Duhawks with 257 total yards receiving on 26 catches, averaging over 85 yards per game. Willis and Boelkow lead the team in receiving touchdowns, with two each, and 78 and 65 yards per game, respectively.