DWU football Gameday: Tigers host Doane in home opener
Sep. 4—MITCHELL — Dakota Wesleyan University football will take the field Saturday morning to open the Tigers' home schedule and the Great Plains Athletic Conference slate against Doane University. The Tigers are looking for a rebound after last week's close loss to Dakota State in Madison. They will do so after Doane did not get to play in Week 1 due to their opponent, Texas College, ...
On Saturday, September 4, Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) will host Doane University in a home game for the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) slate. This marks the start of DWU's home season following a 35-27 loss to Dakota State in Madison the previous week.
DWU sits at 0-1 (0-0 GPAC) after their recent defeat, while Doane has a 1-0 (0-0 GPAC) record. In the series between the two teams, Doane currently holds the edge with a 25-16-1 record, having defeated DWU in their last matchup on October 4, 2025.
DWU's head coach Alex Kretzschmar has a 8-15 record (third season) while Doane's Jonathan Johnson leads with a 6-16 record (third season). The Tigers have won the last three meetings in this series and five of the last six. Doane is seeking its first win in Mitchell since October 5, 2019, when they defeated DWU 38-20 at Joe Quintal Field.
Due to heat conditions, the game's start time was moved up by two hours, marking the second time in four years DWU has adjusted a Labor Day weekend home game for similar reasons. Since joining the GPAC in 2000, DWU boasts a 15-11 record at home openers and 11-15 in conference openers.
DWU has had a strong rushing game recently, rushing for 26 times for 147 yards against Dakota State. Landon Iverson led the charge with 75 yards. They also scored touchdowns three times in a row for the first time since 2024, allowing only one sack in their recent win against Dakota State.
Doane, on the other hand, had a forfeit win in 1978 against William Jewell and has returned key players from last season, including Noah Booras who threw for 205 yards. However, they lost their top rushers and receivers from the previous year. Doane was also picked 10th in the preseason GPAC poll.
Looking ahead, DWU will play their first GPAC road game next Saturday against Waldorf in Forest City, Iowa, while Doane will travel to Morningside for a 1 p.m. game.
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