DILLON — Back in 2001, Ryan Nourse, then the defensive backs coach at St. Cloud State University, heard his phone ring.
"A guy named Steve Ryan called me out of the blue at some school named Morningside and said 'we're starting a football program,'" recalled Nourse. "I just couldn't pass that up."
The Mustangs didn't field a team in 2001 as they transitioned from NCAA to NAIA. Nourse spent a decade with the program located in Sioux City, Iowa, before accepting the head coach position at Montana Western, his alma mater, in 2011.
Flash forward 13 years, and Ryan — now in his 23rd year as head football coach at Morningside — and Nourse are set to meet once again.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs, coming off their first postseason victory in 30 years, are set to host the No. 6 Mustangs in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series. Kickoff is slated for noon on Saturday.
Morningside's transition to the NAIA was a smooth one, and the Mustangs have emerged as a perennial national title contender over the past decade. Morningside made its first championship appearance in 2012, claimed back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019 and then earned a third title in 2021.
The Mustangs will head into Saturday's quarterfinal following a 35-0 shutout over MidAmerica Nazarene in the second round.
Nourse said he's looking forward to seeing Ryan once again, as well as some of Morningside's assistant coaches he worked with when he was with the Mustangs.
"These are not just colleagues but great longtime friends," said Nourse. "We're excited for the chance to play against one another."
Saturday's game will see two one-loss teams face off and two of the most prolific passers in the NAIA in action. Morningside redshirt sophomore quarterback Zach Chevalier leads the nation with 339.1 passing yards per game and 41 touchdowns. Western quarterback Michael Palandri, a redshirt junior, is ranked fifth with 300.2 passing yards per game. He's also tossed 33 touchdown passes.
"We're all super confident in each other, we all trust in each other and (Palandri) trusts in us," said sophomore receiver Eli Nourse of Western's passing attack. "We're always in the best position that we need to be in on any certain play. I'd say it's just teamwork, we have a lot of chemistry in that group."
Western will have its hands full on Saturday as it looks to emulate what its 1994 team did by advancing to the semifinals. Prevailing against the Mustangs will ultimately come down to doing the same things that have gotten them to a place they haven't been in three decades.
"We know it's gonna be a dogfight," said junior linebacker Keegen Muffich. "I think we've just got to stick to our base stuff and stick to what we do best. Trust one another. When we trust each other and play fast, good things happen."
