A Quick Plug for Multi-Sport Athletes

I'm linking to the blog of another coach and athletic director, as I appreciate his comments about multi-sport athletes: http://highschoolsportsstuff.areavoices.com/2015/01/20/one-sport-athletes
I'm 100% in favor of participating in two, or even three, sports in high school.  I'm even in favor of multi-sport athletes at the division 3 level.  A quick look at our roster shows quite a few multi-sport athletes:

Zach McGriff: sophomore wide receiver - golf
Jacob Bernholtz: sophomore running back - baseball
Ed Hardman: junior defensive back - track and field
Aamir Walton: senior wide receiver - basketball
Graham Fisher: junior punter/kicker - baseball
Kent Hoover: sophomore defensive back - track and field
Jacob Beecher: junior defensive back - baseball
Jonathan Braun: sophomore defensive back - track and field
Joe Galaske: sophomore defensive back - track and field
Ibuki Ogasawara: sophomore defensive back - track and field

#DeflateGate

With the lull between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, the controversy surrounding the New England Patriots under-inflated footballs has taken on a life of its own.  Whether you think the Patriots are one of the better franchises in NFL history, and that this is being blown way out of proportion or whether you think this is the latest example in a long history of cheating, chances are you're tire of hearing about it.  Either way, from the point of view of a former tight end and quarterback with smaller hands, an under-inflated football can indeed be easier to throw and catch, but Brady started the second half 9 for 9 with properly inflated balls, so I don't think it made a bit of difference in the game (I'm sure you've already heard that too).

Instead of commenting further about the controversy, or about the proper inflation of footballs, I'm here to argue that a player's mindset is more important than the actual ball or any other circumstances.  As evidence, I present to you Pioneer Football's own deflate gate. 

In early 2012 we were hosting a heavily favored Monmouth team on a grey and overcast day.  We had upset Monmouth on their home field in 2010 and they had beaten us soundly at our place in 2011.  Heading into the 2012 matchup they were heavily favored once again. 

Leading up to the game we'd left the game balls with the officials as always, and continued with the warmups.  As the team was heading to the locker room at the end of warmups, our QB's and WR's coach came up to me and said the officials had taken the balls because they were under-inflated and had "pumped them up way too hard."  Our QB and several of our receivers also came up to me, "coach, the balls are way to hard, they're slick, they're very hard to handle."  They were all upset.  I told them to head to the locker room and that I'd talk to the official. 

I went over to the bag of game balls and they did seem pretty hard.  The official came over and insisted they were at the correct level, and that I needed to leave them alone, so I left for the locker room to join the team.  Once I got inside I could see the coaches and the skill guys looking to me or an answer.  I told them to relax, I'd talked to the official and he'd taken quite a bit of air back out and that they were just like our QB liked them.  I honestly didn't think they'd buy it, but they did.  We went on to play our best game of the season, upsetting Monmouth 21-7.  Our QB, Sam Poulos completed 28-35 passes for 240 yards and 3 td's, and our best WR Cody Weber had 15 receptions for 165 yards and 2 td's.  Weber was named to the D3football.com team of the week and was the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week.  One of the td passes from Poulos to Weber was the D3football.com Play of the Week: Play of the Week.


As I said earlier, the mindset of a player is more important than circumstances (ball, weather, opponent, etc.).  Our guys thought the ball was how they wanted it so it was no longer a distraction and they could focus on the job at hand. 

And as one final footnote, I don't think I ever told Sam or Cody or Coach Bell that I might have fibbed to them a little before the game.  Hope you guys don't mind!

Pioneers Place Nine on the Dean's List

Nine Pioneers were named to the Dean's List after the fall semester, the most in one semester since I've been tracking it.  The previous high was four in the Spring of 2011 (Drew Blumberg - BioChem, Seth Howard - Psychology, Chris Jarmon - English, and TJ Schaid - BioChem).  It is also important to note that nine Pioneers represents over 20% of our roster.

In order to be named to the Dean's List an individual must maintain a semester GPA of 3.75 or higher while carrying 16 credits, 14 of which must be regular letter-grade credits.  The recipients this semester were:

Scott Beecher '18 - Undeclared
Joe Galaske '17 - Undeclared
Eddie Guen-Murray '15 - Biological Chemistry
Ed Hardman '16 - English
Harrison Hoegh '18 - Undeclared
Matt Medrano '17 - Undeclared
Ibuki Ogasawara '17 - Undeclared
Will Rebelsky '17 - Chemistry and Math
Greg Ruzich '16 - Biological Chemistry

It's important to note that Jacob Beecher (Dean's List in the Fall of '13 and the Spring of '14) and David Ternes both also met the GPA requirement, but didn't meet the credit requirement.

Congratulations to all of you.  It is great to see you continue the tradition of the true student-athlete at Grinnell College.

Welcome to 2015! Who Are Grinnell College Athletes?

Who are Grinnell College Athletes?  And what does it mean to be an athlete at Grinnell College?  Current seniors Abby Goreham and Alysia Horcher, along with junior two-sport athlete Ed Hardman, set out to answer those questions for their final project for Organization and Administration of Athletics.  They interviewed several coaches within the department, and this video is their answer:

Nice work by Abby, Alysia, and Ed!  I think you captured it well.  #GCPride

Ternes and Renteria in the D3 Senior Classic

Rich Renteria and David Ternes will be taking the final snaps of their college careers this Saturday at 12:30 Eastern at the D3 Senior Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC.  The game is part of the College Development Football League, and features some of the top players from all of Division III.  The game will be livecast at: http://www.playcdfl.com/d3.html.  

Please take the chance to support Richard and David one more time.  GCPride!

More Honors for Ternes

Ternes with the INT on Senior Day

 With the conclusion of a decorated career, David Ternes received yet more national recognition.  Ternes was announced as a second team all-region player by D3Football.com, the second time in his career Ternes was recognized as all-region (he was a third team selection in 2012).  This week he was also recognized as a Cliff Harris Award Finalist, the second year in a row he has been named a finalist.  The Cliff Harris Award is for the top defensive player in small college football.  David is one of only 18 Division III players named as finalists, and the only from the Midwest Conference.

The Value of a College Football Program

Right now the news is full of stories that have become very politicized, but at the root of them there are real people whose hurt and pain is real.  The events in Ferguson are a prime example of this.  At times it is hard to remember that behind all the protests and demonstrations and conversations about our society, there are real people who have suffered a great loss. This post is not about Ferguson, there is no way I could do justice to that, but rather about another situation that is beginning to take on a life of it's own, the future of the UAB football program.

Many of you are likely not aware of the situation, but UAB football has no games scheduled beyond 2016 and have not signed any coaches to contracts beyond 2016.  Despite requests for statements of support, the Athletics Director and the President have made no public comment on the rumors of the pending termination of the program.

In the past few weeks many prominent UAB football alums penned a letter to both the President and the AD in support of the program, and yesterday there was a well organized demonstration outside the President's office.  The team has even received support from the governor of Alabama.  Again, as the issue has grown, it's easy to forget there are real people at the heart of the issue, student-athletes who are privileged to play at the Division 1 level, but who have also given much time and energy to their craft to represent their University in the best way possible.  The following letter to the President was written by the current senior class for UAB.  It is a great reminder of the passion and unity of a football team:

To Dr. Ray Watts:

As the college football season comes to a close and teams begin to measure their accomplishments, this should be a time for celebrating our progress and dreaming of what we can achieve next. Instead, our team, and all of the student-athletes at UAB, have been left to wonder if our future is about goals, growth, and vision – or if it is about quitting.

For several weeks we have lived and played under a cloud of rumors about the future of the football program at UAB, even as we fought to become bowl eligible for the first time in ten seasons. From our own athletic director and president we have heard no vote of public support. Nothing at all except for questions about whether we can perform at a ‘level of excellence.’
We have been left to wonder about our future as, game by game, we got closer to accomplishing goals for our university that most considered impossible heading into this season.

 So we ask you, Dr. Watts, where is the excellence in that?

While we have had no support from our president or athletic director, the support from everywhere else has been overwhelming. We have seen our former players rally around us to raise money and urge you to fight for UAB. We have seen the Mayor of Birmingham and the City Council stand in unison and speak out about the value of our program time and time again as they pledged their support and finances.

We have been uplifted by the business leaders in our community who rallied around us and told you that when we win, all of Birmingham wins. We have felt the continuous support from our fellow students, our professors, our alumni, and Blazer fans as attendance at our games grew almost 150% this year. And we have been driven by the support from our own coaches who have shown us the very meaning of the word commitment as they have fought for this university and for us even as their own livelihoods have grown more and more uncertain.

We are honored to play for all of these people.

So if everyone is for us, Dr. Watts, who exactly is against us?

Every one of us has fought for UAB football all year long. Many of us have fought for UAB football every day for the last four years. When we were recruited, we were sold on the very best of what UAB can be, and how UAB would in turn, make us our best. We believed in UAB then, and we believe in UAB now – which is why we will not stop fighting for what is right.

So we ask you to provide the leadership and direction we need. Stand up for your students and alumni. Stand alongside the businesses, leadership and people of Birmingham. And fight for us.
Or, with all due respect, look us in the eye and tell us you don’t believe in us.

The UAB Football Senior Class of 2015 on behalf of the UAB football team

I love this letter and the emotion behind it.  I'm rooting for UAB and their students and student-athletes.  I hope the University will do the right thing and continue to field a team.  However this turns out, I'm thankful for the letter penned by the seniors, and for reminding all of us of just how much passion and emotion is involved when you're part of a close-knit team.  I'm thankful I'm part of one here at Grinnell!  Good luck UAB and Go Pioneers!

Happy Black (Swarm) Friday!!

From the Pioneers Black Swarm Defense.

Season Recap: By The Numbers

The Pioneers wrapped up their season with a 52 - 14 victory over Lawrence University.  The convincing win was a great way to send out our seniors, while at the same time a great springboard to the recruiting season and into next fall.  Now that the season is over, let's take a look at some of the more significant numbers from this past season.

52 - The 52 point outburst against Lawrence was the first 50 point game since 2001 (55 against Carroll University)

Fisher demonstrating fine punting form

39.8 - Yards per punt for Graham Fisher, #24 in the country and a new school record

38 - Points, the largest margin of victory since a 42 - 0 victory over Lawrence in 2009

Daniel Ryerson with his first collegiate carry

14 - Yards rushing in a single game by DEFENSIVE players, obviously not an official stat, but in the victory over Lawrence David Ternes had 1 carry for 7 yards, Daniel Ryerson had 1 for 4 yards, and Rich Renteria had 1 for 3

Ternes looking as tough as ever

14 - Tackles per game for David Ternes, #2 in the country and #4 in school history

11 - Touchbacks on kickoffs for Graham Fisher, a new school record

Renteria scoops this Macalester fumble and returns it for a score

5 - Recovered fumbles by Rich Renteria, #1 in the country and tied for the school record (with Todd McGuire '95)

4.5 - Sacks in one game by David Ternes, #1 in the country and a new school record

Meixler catching yet another long touchdown pass

4 - Touchdown receptions in one game for Jake Meixler, tied for #3 in the country and tied for the school record (with David Snider '98 and Robert Seer '12)

4 - Forced fumbles by Jacob Beecher and David Ternes, tied for a new school record

Bernholtz displaying solid ball security

3 - Fumbles lost on offense, #8 in the country

One of two blocked punts on the day for Morrissette

2 - Blocked punts in a single game by Barrett Morrissette, a school record for a single game and tied for #2 in a season

2 - First-team All-Conference selections, David Ternes and Graham Fisher

McGriff taps the toes for a Red Zone touchdown against Beloit

.871 - Red Zone scoring percentage by the offense, #25 in the country

D3 Stud of the Year

Ternes celebrates one of his 4.5 sacks

David Ternes was recently recognized by BennettRank.com as an Honorable Mention D3 Football Stud of the Year.  Ternes was named for his performance in the first game against Lawrence, a 29-7 victory for the Pioneers.  Ternes recorded 15 tackles, 13 of them solo, as well as 4.5 sacks, one of which was for a safety.  His 4.5 sacks was the most of any division 3 player in a single game this year, and the new school record for the Pioneers.  Congratulations David!

BennettRank.com is a relatively new website, with the mission "to advance interest and appreciation for small-school athletics through aggregating and publicizing stories about teams, players, fans, and coaches."  Many thanks to the website for honoring David and for promoting Division 3 football, and small college athletics in general.

Thank You Veterans

It's late in the day I know, but the Pioneers do want to thank all our veterans today, as well as those that are still actively serving our country.  Your willingness to put others ahead of yourselves is what it's all about!  Our country was built upon that attitude, and it's one we try to instill in all our student-athletes.

We would also like to give a special shout out to several recent Pioneer football players that are serving in the military in some capacity.  This is likely not a complete list, so I apologize in advance to those I miss.

Peter Rhee '03

Patrick Ritter '08

Kyle Lobaugh '10

Augustus Karisch '11

Thanks men! 

Get Out and Vote!

Coach Hollibaugh says "You better go vote, dangit!"

 The Grinnell Pioneers want to remind you to get out and vote today! 

Clayton Desjardin says, "You already voted?  Yes!!"

At least one former Pioneer is running for office.   Clinton Follette '11 is running for Poweshiek County Attorney, and whether you vote for him or not, he wants you to make your voice heard. 

Clinton Follette says "Get out and vote or I'm coming for you!"

Do your part today, and have a great Tuesday!

WR Greg Ruzich says "I'll vote twice if you'll let me!"

GC Pride Campaign

Tomorrow the Pioneers will be hosting Cornell College for a 1:00 kickoff on Rosenbloom Field.  It is an important game, as it is our first divisional game, our first game that "counts", and a game against one of our closest rivals.  However, it is also a game that I hope will carry importance beyond the what happens between the lines, beyond what the final score shows.  Don't get me wrong, I want this one badly and I hope the Pioneers will play up to their full potential, but I hope this game also has deeper meaning to all who attend the game and all who hear about the game.

The GC Pride Campaign is the brainchild of Justin Thaxton, Coordinator for Diversity and Inclusion in Athletics, as well as student leaders from our varsity athletics teams, the Stonewall Resource Center, and Athlete Ally.  From the official release:

"The GC Pride Campaign is an effort formed out of the belief that athletics should represent the many identities of Grinnell College and the surrounding world.  With the NCAA core value of diversity through a commitment to create and support an inclusive culture that fosters equitable participation for student-athletes in mind, we have partnered with the Stonewall Resource Center, Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Office of Intercultural Engagement & Leadership and Athlete Ally.  The athletics department is committed to presenting opportunities to compete and learn that are inclusive of individuals representing all sexual orientations, gender identities, races, religious and cultural beliefs.  The GC Pride Campaign offers to us a moment as humans, Grinnellians and global leaders to take action and set the tone for an entire cultural conversation.  Together, we are stronger!

The GC Pride Campaign enables the many voices of the Grinnell community to join together in solidarity under a single message: "Athletic fields, teams and competitions are a safe space for Everyone.""

Sometimes the meaning of things can get lost in the fancy language, so I'll just hold on to that last sentence, "Athletic fields, teams and competitions are a safe space for Everyone."  I hope we can all agree!

I'd like to thank Justin and all of our Pioneering students and student-athletes here at Grinnell College for dreaming of this event and for making it happen.  I'm lucky to be a part of it all.  Go Pioneers!
GC Pride!

Ternes Named D3 Impact Player of the Week

Ternes celebrates his sack for a safety with Rich Renteria, Riley Drexler, and TR Jones

Senior linebacker David Ternes has received yet more recognition from his big performance in last weeks game against Lawrence.  Ternes has been named the D3 Impact Player of the Week by USA College Football.  Ternes is the first Pioneer to have been recognized as the Impact Player of the Week, and as such he's been invited to the 2015 USA Football Bowl to be played in Jackson, MS.

Congratulations once again to David.

Honors Continue to Roll in for Ternes

Following a big performance in the Pioneers 29-7 victory over Lawrence, senior linebacker David Ternes has been recognized at both the conference and the national level.  On the strength of a game high 15 tackles, including 4.5 sacks, a single game record for the Pioneers, Ternes was named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week.  He's the first Pioneer to be recognized as a Player of the Week this season, and the eighth overall since 2010.  David was also named to the d3football.com Team of the Week.  A two-time all-conference selection, and two-time pre-season all-american, Ternes leads the conference with 60 tackles and is second with 5.5 sacks.

Late last week, Ternes was also named a semi-finalist for the William V Campbell trophy, presented to the top scholar-athlete in all of college football.  Ternes is the second Pioneer to be recognized as semi-finalist, TJ Schaid in 2012 was the other. 

The Pioneers look to build on consecutive solid defensive performances in their return home this Saturday.  The Pioneers will host the inaugural GC Pride Game this Saturday at 1:00 PM against Cornell College.  Stay tuned for details!

Pioneers Play at Rosenbloom for First Time in '14

The Pioneers return to play at Rosenbloom for the first time in 2014.  In their 125 year history the Pioneers have played on two official home fields.  The accounts of the first game against Iowa describe a field west of the present day Forum, on the College's South Campus.

Ward Field, across from the North Campus dormitories.

The first official field though, was Ward Field, on Grinnell's North Campus.  Ward Field would eventually be bordered on the West by Mac Field and the North Campus dormitories and on the South by Darby Gymnasium.  Once the football team moved to their current location, Ward Field became the home to the men's soccer team at Grinnell, and is currently used for club and intramural sports.

Game action on Ward Field

In 1975 the Pioneers moved to their current location on the north side of 10th Avenue, Rosenbloom Field.  Named in honor of Virginia Whitney Rosenbloom '36 and Abe Rosenbloom '34, Rosenbloom field is one of only two remaining natural playing surfaces in the Midwest Conference, and is without a doubt the finest.  Abe Rosenbloom was a three year starter for the Pioneers during their days in the Missouri Valley Conference.  He was named All-Conference in both 1932 and 1933.  With no track surrounding the field, the seating is very close to the action, creating one of the more intimate atmospheres in the midwest.

Rosebloom Field, ready for today's home opener

Happy Birthday Nora Jane

Nora (right) and Frances, looking tough in their helmets.

Happy 4th birthday to Nora Jane Pedersen.  September 18, 2010 is obviously a day I'll never forget, but Nora's timing could not have been worse (or better, as it turned out).  For the complete story, see this blog post from last year.  Long story short, Nora was born on a Saturday in September, which is the bad timing.  However, she happened to choose a Saturday in which we'd eventually lose a game that was delayed by an hour and a half because of lightning.  The good timing is that I was at the hospital for that mess!

Nora is now in her first year of pre-school and growing as fast as you'd expect.  She'll be a Grinnell Tiger and a Grinnell College Pioneer before you know it!

I Want To See Frenzy!!

The Pioneers will take the field tomorrow for their first game of the season, taking on conference foe Beloit College.  It's been a long wait for our first game, and we are ready!  The Pioneers will take the advice of an original Pioneer, Sam Pooley, "I don't want to see enthusiasm out there . . . I want to see frenzy!"  From a coaches perspective, I hope that's a controlled frenzy, but our guys are so ready I certainly don't want to hold them back.  Can't wait!

As was recently reported in the Des Moines Register Sam Pooley was a member of the original Pioneer team in 1889.  Seventy years later, at the age of 90, Pooley returned to campus for a matchup against Carleton, and his request for frenzy was part of his pre-game speech to the team that day.

Keep following along with our season as we celebrate not only the 2014 season, but also a rich 125 year history of Pioneer Football.

125 Years! Part 2

As we continue our season-long celebration of 125 years of football at Grinnell College, I'm re-printing a note originally written by the University of Iowa Alumni Association.  It is a brief account of the 1889 game from their perspective:

1889 September 26 Professor Sampson sponsored a meeting to organize Iowa’s first varsity team. He was unanimously  elected both captain and coach of the first varsity eleven. October 6 The following invitation appeared in the Vidette-Reporter, Iowa’s student newspaper: “The SUI  team hereby challenges any college or other team in the state of Iowa to a game of football.”  Iowa College (now Grinnell) was the only team to rise to the challenge, but they did so, according  to a Grinnell paper, “with considerable fear and trembling!” November 16 “HERE COME THE YELLOW CANARIES!” Iowa met Iowa College in Grinnell for the first championship football game to be played west of  the Mississippi.  A boastful Iowa team, confident of victory, had dressed for the occasion. Wearing canvas pants and SUI jackets with Old Gold ribbons on the shoulders—uniforms that  team members had secured on credit from Max Mayer’s Iowa City clothing store—the men were greeted by shouts of “Here come the Yellow Canaries!” and “Ain’t they sweet?” The Iowa College Pioneers showed no such uniformity in their dress that day. They wore bicycling trousers, bib overalls, gym jerseys, and even shorts, but the ragtag team played aggressive football, compiling 24 points against the scoreless Hawkeyes. Edwin Sabin, 1900BA, who suited up to play Grinnell in 1889, later remembered the game. “My own immediate opponent was gentlemanly but firm,” he said. “We butted heads and shoulders in fashion amicable, with no damage done.” But, even then, football could be a rough game. Rule 13 of the 1889 handbook ordered that “no  tripping, hacking, pushing, or retaining with the hands, striking with the fists, or unnecessary roughness  shall be allowed. Projecting nail and iron plates on shoes are prohibited.” A week after the Hawkeyes returned to Iowa City from their first intercollegiate football game, the Vidette-Reporter explained Iowa’s loss this way: “The home players have an immense advantage  over their opponents, for the encouraging shouts and hurrahs of friends must necessarily inspire  them to an almost reckless audacity. “Again, our worthy Grinnell opponents were larger and heavier men, and played a better team  game. Weight, activity, and headwork play an important part in a football game. “Furthermore, there was some misunderstanding between the opposing teams as to the rules,  which worked against the SUI players.” Iowa students were loyal to their team! Copyright © 2009, University of Iowa Alumni Association Team names, logos, and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. No logos, photographs, videos, or graphics on this site may be reproduced without written permission.

125 Years!

125 years ago this November 16, Grinnell (Iowa College at the time) played the University of Iowa in the first championship football game west of the Mississippi River.  The Pioneers prevailed 24 - 0.  Throughout the season we will be celebrating 125 years of Pioneer football with regular blog posts featuring some of the top games, moments, and players in our history.

To kick things off, we will feature an account of the game from Grinnell's perspective, and we'll follow that up later in the week with the University of Iowa's perspective.  The following was excerpted from: On a Field in Grinnell: A Gridiron First, written by William Deminoff.

There were no bleachers, no bands, no hotdogs, or cheerleaders.  The field was a patch of prairie with lines scratched on the turf.  One team was dressed in spanking new white-canvas uniforms, the other in shirts and pants "of all shapes and colors."

Regardless of their appearance, the players were there to make history.  The teams were both named Iowa - The State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) and Iowa College (now Grinnell College) - and the record book shows that Grinnell won 24-0.  Today, that would be David felling Goliath.  But it wasn't the score that made this a special day; it was the fact that this was the first intercollegiate football game played west of the Mississippi River.  The game took place November 16, 1889, and was played on a 330-by-160 foot field west of what is now the College Forum on the Grinnell campus.  This was 20 years after Rutgers beat Princeton in the nation's first intercollegiate football game on November 6, 1869.

Both the 1869 and the 1889 game were precursors to American football as we know it today.  Rutgers-Princeton was virtually a soccer match, while the Iowa-Grinnell contest had rugby features.  It was, in fact, much more like the Harvard-McGill game of May 15, 1874 - the first intercollegiate rugby football match played in the United States.  The 1889 contest resulted from a University of Iowa challenge to "any college or other team in the state to a game of football, American Association rules."  The challenge was published in two Iowa newspapers in late October.  Grinnell's Fred Van Gieson and Frank Everest, both of whom had played the game in a New Jersey prep school, accepted the challenge, quickly organized a Grinnell team, and scheduled a two-week series of practices.

When the Iowa team arrived on November 16 for the 2:30 pm start of the game, its personnel looked big to the Grinnell gridders - much bigger than the average 174 pounds that the local team hefted.  Big or not, most of the players were officially enrolled students at their institutions, with the exception that a few of the Grinnellians would be "special students" - that is, taking courses but not aiming for a degree.  If this was some sort of violation, it was balanced by the fact that Iowa's captain, Martin Sampson, was not a student at all - he was in fact a professor of English literature.

The rules of the day called for a game of one and one-half hours, "each side playing 45 minutes from each goal" with a 10 minute break between  halves.

At the opening of the game, Grinnell got the ball and gained ground with a flying wedge.  First used by Princeton against Pennsylvania in 1884, the formation hid the ball-carrier within a V as the entire wedge surged forward.  Grinnell used a variation by passing from the V, and before long the local team was inside Iowa's 25 yard line.  The first touchdown was scored by Otto Savage who, true to his name, fought his way through the Iowa line.  The touchdown was worth four points.  Van Gieson, who according to the rules could try a place-kick or a punt for two points, opted for a put but missed.

A contemporary account says that Iowa then "kicked the ball from center, but it was quickly rushed in their territory by (Grinnell), and a safety was soon scored."  This yielded two more points, followed by rushes that brought the Grinnell team again inside their opponents 25 yard line.  This time it was Harry Macomber's turn to take the ball in.  The kick failed, but the score at the end of the half was Grinnell 10, Iowa 0.

In the second half, Van Gieson made a long yardage play after receiving an Iowa kick.  A few plays later Theron Lyman took the ball in, and John Harvey kicked the two-pointer to make the score Grinnell 16, Iowa 0.  Iowa matched Van Gieson's big play with one of its own, Martin Sampson carrying the ball for 25 yards.  Sampson almost broke through, but a hard tackle by Grinnell's Herb Miller stopped the play, and Grinnell soon regained possession of the ball.  A few plays later, Lyman pushed the ball into the end zone, and Grinnell was ahead by 20-0 (the try at two points again failed).  Iowa couldn't bring teh ball downfield, and when the Grinnell took over, Van Gieson rushed into the end zone.  Final score: Grinnell 24, Iowa 0.