COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA
Never afraid of a challenge, the Reiver Football team (8-3, #4 NJCAA) confirmed today that they'll face another Top 10 opponent in the season's final game, Hinds CC out of Raymond, Mississippi, in the 2019 Graphic Edge Bowl.
The Eagles (7-2, #8 NJCAA) were upended in the MACJC Semi-finals by National Title game participant Mississippi Gulf Coast, while the Reivers have won seven straight games headed into the first-ever meeting between the teams.
The annual game takes place inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa.
- Tickets are available here - https://commerce.cashnet.com/cashneti/selfserve/BrowseCatalog.aspx?CNAME=OTHER
This will be the first meeting between Iowa Western and Hinds with the Reivers holding a 1-2 record against teams from the MACJC in the program's 11 seasons.
Hinds averages 27 points a game in a balanced attack led by quarterback Elijah Walker and running back Don Ragsdale. Walker distributes the ball to a host of receivers and has racked up 1,452 yards on the season with 13 touchdown passes. Ragsdale has 186 carries with 889 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Defensively, the Eagles give up just over 300 yards a contest while yielding 19 points a game.
The Reivers are led by their 'Darkside' defense, ranking 10th in overall scoring defense (15.6 ppg) and in the Top 10 for rushing defense and quarterback sacks. Offensively, the Reivers are nearly balanced, with the scale tilting toward the passing game. Sophomore Marcell Barbee leads the team with 472 receiving yards, even after missing five games due to injury. Running back Za'Quandre White has carried the ball over 100 times for nearly 850 yards, reaching the end zone 9 times on the year. Where the Reivers may have the edge is in the turnover battle, while Hinds comes in at -4 on the year, the Reivers are +13, with 20 fumble recoveries on the season.
The game will be broadcast by the Reiver Sports Network on Iowa Western's 100,000-watt radio station, 89.7 FM (the River), and video simulcast by Iowa Western Television on Reiver Vision - http://goreivers.com/information/reiver-sports-network
Follow the game on the official Twitter home of the Reivers - @GoReivers
