Knights to face 'a true test'

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Looking at the numbers, it isn't looking good.

First in the NAIA at 470.2 yards per game of total offense. Fourteenth in the NAIA in total defense at 243.6 yards per game.

"Ooh, that's bad," said Martin Luther coach Dennis Gorsline.

Bad because the Northwestern (Roseville) Eagles own those gaudy numbers. Bad because the Eagles will be the Knights' guests at 1 p.m. today for homecoming in a UMAC game.

"This is going to be a true test," Gorsline said. "If they're as good as the three teams that beat us, we're going to have to play a perfect game, well, it's probably impossible to play a perfect game, but you can play a real good game."

While Gorsline pondered the numbers with, at times, a pained expression on his face, he also knows MLC (1-3, 1-0 UMAC) can be competitive with Northwestern (5-0, 2-0). After all, this is the same team that broke out of its offensive doldrums with a 70-0 sacking of the Crown Crusaders one week ago.

The Crusaders were 3-1 before tangling with MLC. And they're numbers looked pretty good.

But ...

"Statistics don't play football games, football players do," Northwestern coach Jimmy Miller said. "Statistics are often misleading. We've still got to go out and play the football game."

The Eagles -- No. 27 in the latest NAIA poll -- have seen the numbers for the Knights, especially 70. They're well aware that the numbers MLC put up in its first three games don't truly represent the Knights they'll face today.

"They played a brutal preconference schedule," Miller said. "And then they played Mount Senario. That's three good teams out of the chute. We know they come to play hard so we're not looking at their record."

They're not looking that closely at the Knights either. Miller said the teams know each other well; there's not likely to be much taking advantage of the other with schemes and trick plays.

It will all come down to execution. That's the focus for the Eagles.

So far, they're execution has been nearly perfect.

Here are some more impressive numbers from Northwestern:

-- Senior quarterback Jeff Waggoner (6-1, 195) is fifth in the NAIA with 250.4 yards per game passing. The four-year starter is 80 of 130 (61.5 percent) for 1,252 yards with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions.

-- Junior running back Joe Wise (5-5, 155) is averaging 122.6 yards rushing per game and has seven touchdowns on the ground. Wise averages 5.4 yards per attempt.

-- Senior wide receiver Mike Thate (6-0, 176) has 33 catches for 501 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Eagles have another threat in junior receiver B.J. Emmert (6-2, 185), who has 16 receptions for 292 yards on four touchdowns.

"I wouldn't want to play our offense," Miller said.

MLC has to play that offense, and the Knights are focused on that offense.

"They're very versatile," Gorsline said. "They run four or five different formations. Their passing is very precise, everything's on rhythm.

"There's only so many ways to run the ball. They run the stretch. They like to run the counter -- a lot. ... They look pretty much like everybody else."

The Eagles' 4-4 defense, which will often throw in a 6-2 look, is led by four seniors -- defensive back Scott Hall, outside linebacker Josh Underbakke (6-1, 185), who has 46 tackles to lead Northwestern, and defensive linemen Chris Grabowska (6-4, 245) and Joel Forstberg (6-2, 205).

MLC will try to turn the same trick they turned against Crown -- piling up yardage and scoring points against a defense with pretty good numbers.

Junior quarterback Ben Kuerth will get the start for the Knights, but Gorsline said the plan will still be to rotate Kuerth with freshman Seth Fitzsimmons every two series. That is unless one gets on a hot streak, Gorsline added.

Eli Cloute -- MLC's leading rusher with 130 yards in the three games he's played -- will start, but still won't be 100 percent due to a nagging hamstring injury. Cloute rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns against Crown.

The passing game also got untracked against the Crusaders. MLC picked up 271 yards through the air and got four touchdowns, and Paul Schupmann emerged as another receiving threat for the Knights.

Schupmann now has 10 catches for 196 yards. Matt Schiebel leads the Knights with 19 catches for 279 yards and Mike Feuerstahler has 18 receptions for 223 yards.