The Central College football team has its sights set on second place in the American Rivers Conference, and in the process, the Dutch can play spoiler today when they travel to Cedar Rapids to take on Coe.

Both teams are 5-2 overall, but the Kohawks are 4-1 in league play, one game ahead of 3-2 Central. If Coe wins this week, and next week against Nebraska Wesleyan, it would set up a winner-take-all showdown against Wartburg in the final week of the regular season for the conference championship. The Dutch are hoping to make that a moot point with a victory today.

To do so, Jeff McMartin’s squad will have to solve a Kohawk defense that is in the top 20 in the country in both rush yards allowed and pass efficiency defense.

“Where it jumps out at you is up front. Their defensive line is very talented and their linebackers are really good, it’s a terrific front seven. And they have corner, #10 (LaDainian Linnear), that nobody’s been able to throw on, plus they have experience in their secondary. All the guys we competed against last year are back, so while we’re all different, they’re all the same.”

Coe will have the challenge of trying to slow down a Central offense that ranks fourth in the country in passing yards per game and 15th in total offense. McMartin says that they’ll likely use a three quarterback rotation again today.

Kickoff is at 1:00 at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids. Trevor Castle and Don DeWaard will call the action live on 92.1 KRLS and the free KNIA/KRLS app, beginning with pregame at 12:35.