Football Welcomes in #15 Benedictine

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Coming off back-to-back victories for the second time in program history, the Clarke University football team welcomes in No. 15 Benedictine College on Saturday at 1 p.m. Ticket prices start at just $8. Discounts apply for senior, military, non-Clarke students and Clarke alumni. General admission for Clarke students is free. Season passes for all home games are still available and cost $33. 

Clarke (2-1) is above .500 for the first time in program history after defeating Central Methodist 3-0 last weekend. Victor Moreno connected on a 28-yard field goal with 6:34 left in the third quarter, giving the Pride the only lead it ever needed. The shutout is the first for Clarke in it's short history. 

The Series

The Pride are 0-3 lifetime versus the Ravens. The last meeting came on Sept. 18, 2021, resulting in a 68-0 result. Pride quarterback Kenyon Williams finished the game 11-of-26 for 100 yards, while running back Garrett Egan had 72 rushing yards. Sean Ceasar had 51 yards on the ground, while Dominic Pedroza led all Clarke receivers with 44 yards. Michal Nacnac, Adrian Tamayo, and Logan Otting combined for two sacks, while Tamayo led the team with seven total tackles. Nacnac had 1.5 

Benedictine College at a Glance

The Ravens (2-1) are coming off of a 31-7 route of Peru State last weekend. The offense is led by senior quarterback Garrett Kettle, who has thrown 761 yards on 56-of-92 passing, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Rayshon Mills leads all ball carriers with 133 yards on 32 attempts, followed by Derrick Overstreet with 73 yards on 17 carries. Sophomore wideout Jacob Gathright leads the receivers with 408 yards on 16 catches, good for 25.5 yards per catch. 

Linebacker Gavin Spangler leads the defense with 24 total tackles, followed by fellow LB Zach Gill with 15. Defensive linemen Issac Anderson and Tyler Wilson each have 1.5 sacks, totaling in 16 lost yards. Junior cornerback Joshua Morris has snagged two interceptions, while Wilson leads the unit with two forced fumbles. 

Storylines to Follow

Take Away What's Theirs

The Ravens rank first in the Heart of America and eighth in the nation in time of possession, coming in at 36:53 minutes per game. To date, Benedictine has won the time of possession battle in each of their three games this season. Ball control will surely be at the forefront of head coach Miguel Regalado's mind this weekend. 

QB Showdown

Over the course of the first three games this season, Kettle and Pride QB Brandon Mueller have each seen tremendous success passing the ball. Against the NAIA, Kettle ranks sixth in the nation in passing yards, while Mueller isn't far behind in 11th with 704 yards of his own. 

Hey, Neighbor

Clarke is limiting its opponents to 20.3 points per game, which ranks fifth in the Heart. Meanwhile, Benedictine, who is holding their opponents to 21.7 points per contest, ranks sixth in the conference. 

No Fly Zone

Opposing quarterbacks have competed just 56.6 percent of their passes (60-for-106) against the Pride, a telling stat that can be traced to how well Clarke defends when the ball is in the air. 

Disruptive Bunch

The Pride's defensive line has been spoken of highly to date and it's all for good reason. To date, Clarke has racked up seven sacks and 22 tackles for loss, numbers that only paint part of the photo to how hard that group has worked this year to live up to their hype. 

Make a Statement

If Clarke can pull off the upset on Saturday, it'll be the first win against a ranked opponent in program history. Over the last season and change, Benedictine is 6-3 against Heart of America North opponents. 

Head Coach Miguel Regalado Weekly Sit-Down

On what last week's tightly contested game does for the program: 

"I was proud of the way our team battled for 60 minutes. I think I would rather be an ugly 2-1 than a pretty 1-2. Bottom line is that we didn't come out and play well on offense at all. I told our team all week that desperate teams do desperate things. We were going into the CMU game thinking we were going to see something that we hadn't seen or prepared for – and they did it. They came out and ran something that I've never seen before. They manned up all of our receivers and had two safeties play over the top. So, you'd think you'd be able to run the football and run it all day. We just weren't able to do it. That was concerning, so I've challenged our team all week to make this a physical game so we can and will run the football – all while staying consistent. Bottom line is that we're 2-1, second in the North, and we're learning how to compete for 60 minutes and win ugly football games. That's a big step for this program."

On what Clarke needs to do to take advantage of the Raven's defense: 

"I think they're going to give us the opportunity to run the football. The question is are we physical enough to do it, will we put a hat on a hat, will our 'backs run hard, and will I stay patient with the run game? I always look at myself as a play-caller, but a week ago I didn't know if I was as patient as I should've been. I felt that against a five-man box that we should be betting four to five yards a pop, and we weren't getting that right away. I became inpatient with it and tried to do something that they (Missouri Valley) wanted me to do. They kept trying to stop our pass game and I kept trying to throw into it and it wasn't a good decision on my end. We'll be more patient this week."

On the Benedictine offense: 

"They run a very similar offense to us. Right now, they're doing it more efficiently. But, we both want to be multiple, we both want to be in 11-personnel, and we both want to get the ball to our playmakers in space and I think they're doing a really good job of it. I think the key for us on defense is going to be whether or not we can tackle in space. I think they're going to get their guys in space – that's what our offenses do. We run a bunch of RPOs (run-pass, options), they run a bunch of RPOs. We run a bunch of shrink sets, they run a bunch of shrink sets. We show a bunch of motion, they show a bunch of motion. All of it is window dressing to get the ball to our guys in space. What's neat is that Coach (Adam) Hicks has been showing me Benedictine plays every day this week that are plays we run. We're very similar, but I think they're doing a better job right now at being efficient."

On Benedictine's QB-WR duo: 

"I feel very comfortable about it for two reasons.  I think our defensive line is the best in the conference. I've got no problem saying that. They're deep, they're physical and they showed it last week. They can get after a quarterback and have shown that for three-straight weeks. I think we have a great opportunity to make their quarterback uncomfortable. We are experienced in the back end with our safety position. One of them, if we were winning games here, would be talked about with the number of interceptions Johel Gonzalez has had in his career. We all know what Kenneth Spaight can do. I think if we get after that quarterback and make him uncomfortable in addition to Kenny and Johel doing what they're supposed to do on the back end, we have a great shot of slowing it down. I don't know if you can stop anything like that – that's 25 yards per catch over three games. That's pretty impressive. So, they're going to take their shots, but we have to limit that by staying over the top of it, making sure everything is earned underneath, and letting our defensive line gets after it."

Three keys for Clarke to get its first-ever win over a ranked opponent:

"Offensively, we have to be efficient running the football. We have to control the game, line of scrimmage, and be patient. I think that's going to keep our defense off the field, which is killing two birds with one stone. On special forces, I think we've taken steps every week. Our kickoff team finally got it into gear last week, which was awesome. We had a rough week of practice, so I'm hoping that they come out ready to roll. Our kickoff returners have been efficient every week, our rangers have been controlling the field position, but I thought the seals team was a little suspect last week. We had two guys run into one another, which caused a dropped ball and was brutal, and we had a penalty. We've got to clean that up, but our stalkers also showed up. On defense, we've got to tackle in space, which I think will limit the big plays. I think if we do that, we've got a great shot."

Follow the Pride

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