At SGI we root for every Iowa Football team that we cover at the FCS, D2, D3 and NAIA level that is playing a college team outside the state. When two in state teams play each other, we hope for a great game.
So during conference season and it is an Iowa versus Iowa game those games will be 1-1 outcomes. There were 6 games yesterday where we had Iowa vs. Iowa games. To have a perfect Saturday, we needed Upper Iowa, Graceland, St. Ambrose, Wartburg, Drake, Dordt, Morningside, Grinnell, Cornell, Luther, and Northwestern College to win their games against out of state teams. EVERYONE of THOSE 11 teams won their games against out of state teams.
The cold beverages we had Saturday night just tasted just a little sweeter. October the 3rd 2026 at the FCS, D2, D3, and NAIA level in Iowa our SGI teams had the absolute best record possible.
SGI Star Student of the Week
This week there were so many star students to choose from Luther going to 4-1 on a 54 yard field goal with a minute to go. St. Ambrose with a last second TD pass to win with 4 seconds to go. Graceland with a late Q4 stop to preserve a big three-point win. Simpson, Grand View, Wartburg, and Morningside with dominant performances, but one win stood out.
University of Dubuque Spartans A+ rolled into Pella and upset the Central Dutch.
UD Joey Rhomberg QB (Mt. Vernon, IA) was on fire as Central led 7-3 at half. Joey was 19 of 25 passing for 253 yards and 4TD’s and 1 INT. P.S. it is very rare to see a college team at any level with a starting QB from Iowa.
Our Pigskin Breakdown team did not see this coming at all on the road in Pella flipping a game being down 7-3 at half to 35-6 in a quarter and a half is crazy to think about. Our SGI team was dead wrong (all four of us on this game’s outcome). Congrats to Coach Mauiri and the Spartans for the big win at Central and the way they did it, that does not happen often and is a huge win for the Spartan program.
Excellence in the FB Classroom in Iowa was Everywhere this Week
Grand View A: The Vikings at homecoming in a game honoring their Hall of Fame Former Head Coach Mike Woodley dominated from start to finish in a 66-13 victory over Clarke. The Vikings look ready to keep rolling in 2026.
Morningside A: The Mustangs were dominant with a 36 point win over Dakota Wesleyan and Steve Ryan’s maroon men look like a national title contender again this year.
Dordt A: The Defenders took on top 15 “Fair To” Midland and got back on the bus home with a dominant road win 42-17. They look ready to make a strong GPAC title run attempt again this year
Drake A: Contenders for the PFL Crown flew in from Dayton and the Bulldogs sent them home on a bus after the Flyers plane broke down as Drake won 30-22. The PFL crown has been won by Drake for 3 consecutive years and they are off to a 2-0 start again this fall.
Simpson A: Coach Hoskins (The Reed One) team rolled in to Storm Lake and took apart the Buena Vista Beavers 51-20 to get their A-R-C season off to a great start.
William Penn A: The Statesmen rolled into Cedar Rapids to face Mt. Mercy in their first ever Football homecoming. They rolled back to Oskaloosa with a dominating 66-13 victory. Willy P is having another fine season again this fall.
Wartburg A: The Knights rolled into Lincoln and turned the banquet that the Wolves had planned into the Red Wedding.
St. Ambrose A: The Bees scored a last second touchdown to beat Peru State 41-38 in a great game. The Bees on the Bluff are buzzing on the bluff and putting together a solid season so far in 2026.
Coe A: Coe jumped out to a quick 28-0 lead on Loras and coasted to a 35-14 victory. The running game returned and the D looked stout as the KoHawks rolled.
Grinnell, Luther, and Cornell A: Luther went to 4-1 on a 54 yard field goal by Sean Medcalpe with a minute to go to win over Illinois College 27-26. Cornell was just rolling on Homecoming and put a 42-28 shellacking on Ripon to move to 3-2. Grinnell went to 3-2 with a dominant win over Knox and the Pioneers are having one heck of a year a Pioneers on the Prairie. Kudos to all three Iowa Schools who compete in the Midwest Conference.
Graceland B+: The Yellowjackets have been so close in some very close losses, and they got a big one to go their way as they beat the Culver-Stockton “Butter Burgers” 51-48 in a shoot-out and thrilling game. Great to see the Gentlemen in Yellow from Lamoni.
Northwestern College B+: The Red Raiders are starting to show that consistency we are used to from the Blood Red Oranges from Orange City, Iowa. A nice 38-24 win over Concordia is a solid Red Raider program type win.
Upper Iowa B+: Winning a 2 OT game 39-37 is a thrill, and Upper Iowa overcame alot of penalties and mistakes to pull the game out in Fayette. It was game that hung in the balance so many times and the Peacocks fought and gutted their way to a big win. A season in the balance win that was huge one for the Powder Blue Boys in the GLVC.
Briar Cliff B+: A very solid win for the Chargers 38-7 over Waldorf for their first win in 2026. Just solid in every phase of the game on Saturday for Coach K’s men in Sioux City.
Loras C-: Getting down 28-0 on the road is not good, but fighting every down and finishing 35-14 is a very good sign for the DuHawks. They fight for 60 minutes and do not quit.
Clarke C-: Going to Grand View on a Saturday is rough on any NAIA team and Coach Zuck took over very late this year and the Pride just do not have the roster numbers this year. It’s a building year and they did some nice things against the two-time defending National Champion.
Waldorf C-: See above the Clarke Story. Coach Calloway has the same story and challenges as Coach Zuck at Clarke, and the Warriors also are showing flashes and progress in his first year in Forest City.
Mt. Mercy D+: In their very first football year ever it is unreasonable to expect much, but Saturday was not their day against William Penn.
Central D+: Rough day in Pella which does not happen often as Dubuque was excellent. The Spartans came to town for lunch and did not Go Dutch. They made Central pick up the whole bill.
Buena Vista D+: Just a tough day in Storm Lake as Simpson Stormed into town and took possession of the Lake.
As Always we appreciate your support and comments.
Sports Guys Iowa is Sports Coverage for IA Small Colleges (FCS, D2, D3, NAIA) and HS
