LINCOLN, Neb. – Year two of playing football in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) begins on Saturday (Sept. 16) when Nebraska Wesleyan opens conference play by hosting Coe College.  Kickoff between the Prairie Wolves and Kohawks is set for 1 pm at Abel Stadium.
 
NWU has started the season with a 0-2 record, dropping their two nonconference games to teams that are now both ranked in the NCAA III Top 25 poll.  It won't get any easier for the Prairie Wolves this Saturday when they host last year's IIAC regular season champion Coe. 
 
Coe is off to a 2-0 start and has now won 13 straight regular season games dating back to 2015.  The Kohawks had a historic season in 2016 setting a new school record with 11 victories, posting an undefeated record in IIAC play to claim the regular season title.  Coe then advanced to the second round of the NCAA III playoffs.
 
Saturday's game is the first of eight IIAC games for the NWU football program.  The Prairie Wolves were 3-5 in their first year competing against the new opposition from the state of Iowa.  They were picked to finish 6^th in the IIAC Coaches Preseason Poll, while Coe was picked to finish second.
 
This is the second straight season that Coe has visited Abel Stadium.  In their first ever meeting one year ago, the Kohawks defeated the Prairie Wolves 48-17 during the homecoming game that had two different weather delays.
 
For those not attending the game, all the action can be viewed lived on video webcast courtesy of the NWU Sports Network and LNKTV Sports.  It can also be heard live locally this week on ESPN 1480 AM/101.5 FM with Dick Janda handling the play-by-play duties.