LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Wesleyan University football team will host Coe College this Saturday (Sept. 24) in the 2016 Homecoming Football game at Abel Stadium.  Kickoff between the Prairie Wolves and the Kohawks is set for 1 pm.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan will look to earn their first ever Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory this week as the Prairie Wolves enter the game with a 1-2 overall record and a 0-1 mark in the IIAC after one week of conference action.  Coe College is off to a perfect 3-0 start to the season, with a 1-0 mark in the Iowa Conference.
 
The Prairie Wolves are coming off a 38-28 loss to Wartburg College in their inaugural football game as a member of the Iowa Conference.  NWU jumped out to an early 20-0 lead, but IIAC perennial power Wartburg scored 38 unanswered points to rally back for the win.  It was the second straight week that NWU has held a 10-point lead at halftime, but were unable to finish the game on top.
 
Coe has been dominant in the first season under new head coach Tyler Staker.  The Kohawks have outscored their opponents by an average margin of 47-12 as they lead the IIAC in scoring offense and scoring defense.  Coe is coming off a 4-6 season in 2015, but the program has had recent success making it to the NCAA III Playoffs three times since 2008. 
 
They had the IIAC Male Performer of the Week last week as cornerback Dylan Stapleton had three interceptions in the win over Loras.  He leads all players at every level of football with five interceptions.  Coe also had the IIAC Offensive Player of the Week in quarterback Gavin Glenn who set a career-high with 313 passing yards with two touchdowns.
 
NWU had their first IIAC Player of the Week honoree with Preston Franzen winning Special Teams Player of the Week.  He blocked a field goal and returned it 76 yards to setup a NWU TD.  Franzen is ranked 4^th in the Iowa Conference in tackles this season.
 
At halftime of the homecoming game, the newest class of the NWU Athletic Hall of Fame members will be introduced including two former Nebraska Wesleyan football players Patrick Sweeney '89 and Chad Wemhoff '98.