By Andrea Sidlasukas

Sept. 30, 2015

After two lopsided wins by the Warhawks, the football team was put to its first real test of the 2015 season on Sept. 24, as they faced off against NAIA’s No. 1-ranked Morningside College Mustangs after a hasty four-day break since their previous game.

Trailing 30-26 with less than five minutes remaining in the game, senior running back Jordan Ratliffe punched in a six-yard touchdown with 38 seconds to spare, setting the ’Hawks up for a 33-30 victory against the Mustangs.

“Morningside is the type of team that could come into our conference and actually be a big time powerhouse,” Ratliffe said. “Coming in, we knew they were going to be a good team, so we knew it was going to be a four-quarter game. I feel like this game really showed our identity and the kind of team we’re going to be this year.”

Morningside is the only school to appear in the 16-team NAIA playoffs for the past 11 seasons in a row, and holds a record of 115-23 since 2004. UW-Whitewater, on the other hand, boasts a 146-11 record for the same time span.

In Thursday’s contest, the ’Hawks racked up 423 total offensive yards, including 205 on the ground, compared to the Mustangs’ 402 total yards.

Ratliffe led the ’Hawks’ run game en route to career highs in carries (30) and yards (193), in addition to two touchdowns. Despite his accomplishments, Ratliffe was quick to acknowledge the team’s effort.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do any of that without my offensive line,” Ratliffe said. “I thank them a lot for helping me get to that milestone. I thank my receivers, too, for doing their job and holding their blocks. The win was more satisfying for me than the stats.”

But Ratliffe wasn’t the only Warhawk to have an impressive game. Sophomore tight end Tony Gumina caught a pass that deflected off of a defender’s hand and continued to run 54 yards for a touchdown. The reception was good for the No. 2 spot on Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays.

“It’s kind of mind blowing I guess,” Gumina said. “I really didn’t even know that I was on Sports Center until the bus ride.”

Although he received minimal playing time in the first two games, junior quarterback Chris Nelson went 14-for-24 with 218 yards against Morningside.

Defensively, the Warhawks held the Mustangs to 141 yards on the ground. Sophomore defensive back Vince Mason led the squad with 11 tackles, while senior defensive back Ryan Winske and sophomore linebacker Paul Foster tallied seven tackles each.

Morningside was unwilling to give up, rallying from a 26-14 deficit to take a 27-26 lead with less than seven minutes to play. And after Ratliffe’s final touchdown, the Mustangs marched down the field into Warhawk territory, but time expired before another score could be made.

“As an athlete, you always love to compete,” Gumina said. “Even our coach said that this is one of the games that we’re going to remember. You’re not going to remember those blow outs; you’re going to remember those fights.”

With Thursday’s matchup, the Warhawks concluded their nonconference season. They head into WIAC play Saturday, Oct. 3 against UW-Platteville.

“Plateville is a good team,” Ratliffe said. “We know what we have to do against another good team, so the game against Morningside was more of a learning lesson for us as a unit. I’m glad that we actually played a team that was really, really good, because it’s going to help us get better when we play other good teams.”

The ’Hawks open their conference season at 1 p.m. on Oct. 3 at Perkins Stadium.