FOOTBALL FRIDAY: 'Hounds vs. No. 1 Iowa Western

Seven years ago, Iowa Western didn't have a football program.

By 2012, the Reivers were undefeated NJCAA National Champions, defeating Butler in the Graphic Edge Bowl in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Iowa Western (9-0) has never had a losing season, going 5-4 in 2009 and recording at least nine victories in every season since. And once again, the Reivers are No. 1 as the NJCAA's computer-aided poll put more weight in their victory over then-No. 5 Hutchinson last week than it did in East Mississippi's victory over unranked Mississippi Delta and switched the positions of IWCC and EMCC in the national poll.

Either way, the Reivers are on course to play for the national title for the second time in three seasons. And they'll come to Frary Field Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. looking to stay on track against Fort Scott Community College, which is looking at a shot to finish with a winning record and maybe find its way into a bowl game.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools. Fort Scott is 3-3 all time against teams from Iowa with all three losses coming to Ellsworth, including one on October 11 at Frary Field.

The Greyhounds come into the game with a 4-5 record off a victory at Independence last Saturday. An upset over Iowa Western and a win on Nov. 8 in a recently-scheduled home game against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M would give Fort Scott a chance at playing one more game in late November or early December.

Fort Scott will continue to rely offensively on freshman Devin Taylor running behind the "Big Nasties" on the offensive line. Taylor continues to lead the nation in rushing, now with 1,528 yards in just eight games as he missed the Highland contest on Sept. 27. If not for that, he would have a very real chance at a 2,000-yard season.

Defensively, linebacker Gabe Lloyd continues to play at a top-10 level. He is currently eighth in the nation in tackles with an average of 10.9 per game. And lineman Kevon Crump has 10 sacks for 79 yards in losses.

But while the Greyhounds do have some individuals with great numbers, if one looks at the NJCAA leaders list it will be noted that Iowa Central is not a top-10 defensive team in either yards per game or points per game. And the Reivers are also not a top-10 offense in total yards, passing yards or rushing yards.

Individually, there's only one Iowa Western player in the top 20 nationally in any category. Quarterback Tay Bender (6' 3", 215, Soph., Lincoln, Neb.) is 20th in passing yards with 1,549. He's completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions. His best receiver is 22nd in yards per game, the stat the NJCAA uses to determine its leaders. But Taj Williams (6' 3", 180, Fr., Tallahassee, Fla.) is seventh in total receptions with 55 for 710 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Offensively, while Iowa Western is sixth in the nation in scoring (50.3 points per game), it's just 14th in total offense (439.6 yards/game) with three Jayhawk Conference teams gaining more per game. The Reivers are 15th in the nation in team rushing (199.3 ypg). Fort Scott is 14th (202.1). And IWCC is 21st in passing yards (240.2 ypg).

Iowa Western is also just 30th in the nation in defense, allowing 325.4 yards per game. That's in the middle of the 64 football programs in the NJCAA. The Reviers are 13th in points allowed (18.9) but third in tackles made per game (103.1). Only Kilgore, Texas (108.3) and Butler (106.3) make more tackles per game.