Pride Look to Get Back on Track When Peru State Comes to Town

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Back in action after last weekend's bye, Clarke football returns to Dalzell Field this Saturday to host the Peru State College Bobcats at 1 p.m. Fans attending Saturday's game are encouraged to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Ticket prices for Saturday's clash start at just $8. Discounts apply for senior, military, non-Clarke students, and Clarke alumni. General admission for CU students is free with a valid student ID.

The Pride (3-2) are coming off of a 38-24 loss to MidAmerica Nazarene University on Oct. 1. Quarterback Brandon Mueller finished the game 16-of-30 passing for 173 yards and two scores. Darius Hernandez was the team's top rusher, picking up 25 yards on nine carries. Wideout Gabe Deadwiler led the team in receiving yards with 95, his most since he had 132 against Missouri Valley on Sept. 3. WR Jaquan Graham finished with a team and season-high six catches. 

Defensively, CU was able to force five turnovers, highlighted by an interception returned for a touchdown by senior safety Kenneth Spaight.  Adrian Tamayo and Johel Gonzalez, also came away with interceptions, while the other turnovers came by way of lost fumbles, which were recovered by Brennen Kupfer and Trey Hayes. 

Bryan Valdes recorded double-digit tackles for a second-straight game, leading Clarke with 14 total (five solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss. Logan Otting picked up two TFLs, bringing him to six on the season. Tamayo quietly had an impressive game, adding 11 total tackles and a forced fumble to his interception.  

The Series

The Pride and Bobcats hold an even record of 1-1 all-time. CU's lone win came nearly three years ago on Oct. 19, 2019 – a 18-17 victory that was the first in program history. 

Peru State College at a Glance

The Bobcats (2-4) are coming off of two-straight losses and have dropped three of the last four. Their last matchup against Evangel on Oct. 1 resulted in a 28-0 defeat. Quarterback Will Mueller leads the team with 187 yards passing, followed by Grant Gutschow with 118. On the ground, freshman running back Stacian Livingston leads the way with 288 yards and a score on 75 attempts, with fellow freshman Jayden Neal trailing at 131 yards on 44 carries. Sophomore wideout Tyreese Schieffer has hauled in 10 catches for 201 yards and two scores. 

On defense, senior linebacker Clayton Thrasher has a team-high 52 total tackles (23 solo), four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. LB Kile Bentley is second on the team with 33 total tackles, followed by junior defensive back Carlos Thomas with 28. Thomas is tied with fellow DB Abe Metelus for the program lead in interceptions with two, while Craig Jones leads all defensive backs with four pass breakups.  

Storylines to Follow

Divisional Play

Saturday's contest is the first against a Heart of America North division opponent. Heading into the game, Clarke sits second overall in the north division, trailing No. 2 Grand View University, who holds a perfect 6-0 record.

Defend the Home Turf

The Pride have struggled to win at home this season, having only emerged victorious once over three games. Peru, meanwhile, hasn't been able to win yet on the road and has been outscored 67-32 at away contests. With three of its final five games on the road, Saturday's matchup serves as an excellent chance for Clarke to walk away with a victory before hitting leaving the confinements of home. 

Stout Defense 

While the Bobcats' offense hasn't exactly been lights out this season, the same cannot be said for the team's defense. Heading into Saturday's clash, Peru State is tied for first in the Heart of America Athletic Conference in passing yards allowed (156.3 YPG), second in points per game (18.3), and third in total defense (283.2 YPG). 

Head Coach Miguel Regalado's Weekly Sit-Down

On if expectations have changed following the first half of the season: 

"No, I don't think so. The way it works in our league is that if you win your side of the division and are in the top-20 in the country, you have an opportunity to go and play for a playoff spot. Do I think that's out of the realm of possibility? No. What we're saying to our guys is that we need to go 1-and-0 against Peru State. If you go 1-0, you can go 2-0, 3-0, and 4-0. If you can find a way to get all the way to the end – Grand View is the team to beat. They're going to be undefeated. If we can find a way to go 1-0 for about four weeks, I'd love to see us in that game. Bottom line is that we've got a lot we need to fix. We've got to stop turning the ball over. As long as I'm the head coach at Clarke though, we're going to be talking about playing for the playoffs and winning a national championship."

On his overall thoughts on the program through the first half of the season: 

"I love the improvement we've had. The year we're having right now, in my opinion, should have been what happened in 2021. My goal here always was to get the program off and running in 2019. Nobody expected us to win two games that season. 2020 was whatever – COVID year. 2021 was supposed to be the year that we win six games and win some ugly ones. We're a year behind schedule, in my mind. So, that's kind of what's happening right now. However, in 2022, I think our talent level has gotten us to the point where we can win more than those four or five games. I think this is a sneaky dangerous team if we can clean up a couple things."

On adjustments made from MidAmerica Nazarene: 

"I think, defensively, we got out-played, out-coached, and I think we've got to get back to the basics. I think you're going to see Coach (Adam) Hicks and that defense get back to fundamentals, get back to playing fast, sound-based football on defense. For lack of a better phrase, we've got to dumb it down. We're doing way too much with our fifth and sixth tailbacks. Darius Hernandez is going to start at tailback for us this weekend – he was supposed to be playing slot for us this year. We're trying to do too much with our guys, who basically are all still freshmen. We're going to play fast and execute. One of the only things I talked about all week long leading up to MidAmerica was to just execute. Now, I've got to look back as a coordinator and think whether or not we put the guys in a position to succeed, which I don't think we did. We tried to do too much. We're going to get back on track this week."

Thoughts on Peru State:

"To be blunt, our defense should control the game. Their offense is struggling worse than ours. We've shown the ability to be explosive. What I mean by that is that when you have an explosive play - a completion of 20 yards, a run of 15 yards or more - your chances of getting into the red zone skyrocket. We've been in the red zone as much as anybody in the conference. We have the ability to get there. The problem is that when we get there, we aren't tough enough to finish off the drives. Peru has been in the red zone the least amount in our conference. So, that tells me that they don't have the ability to drive the football the length of the field or make explosive plays. So, our defense just needs to play sound and tackle. The x-factor is that our offense turns the ball over. Peru's does not. The fact that we've turned it over more than them could keep them hanging around and put us in an ugly spot in the fourth quarter. On special forces, I think we have a complete advantage on all four phases. On tape, this is a game we should win. Are we going to win ugly or clean? I don't know."

Thoughts on Peru State's All-American Devin Adams:

"I believe that they have the best player in the league. He is a stud. What's interesting is that he's number two on the depth chart this week, which he hasn't been all year long. We checked the tape, and it looked like he was grabbing his hamstring at the end of their game last week. So, I don't know. We're counting on him being there. I think he has the ability to dominate a game. If we don't have an answer for him, it could make for an ugly football game."

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