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MOUNT VERNON — The oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi River renews Saturday when the Cornell Rams (2-7 overall, 0-7 Iowa Conference) visit the Coe Kohawks (6-3, 4-3) in the 117th meeting between the schools. Kickoff is 12 p.m. at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids.

The series has been one-sided in recent years with the Kohawks winning the last seven meetings. Head coach Matt Dillon said the Rams need to put the “rivalry” aspect back into the annual event, meaning Cornell victories.

“Everybody says Coe is our main rival,” Dillon said. “But for us to make this a great rivalry, we have to prove that we can compete with these guys. Coe has won seven in a row over us. If we play like we did the last two weeks, I think we will compete.”

The Rams have endured a tough two-game stretch against Iowa Conference co-leaders Central and Wartburg. Cornell fell 40-14 at fifth-ranked Central Oct. 27 and dropped a 35-7 decision to 14th-ranked Wartburg last Saturday in Mount Vernon. The Rams were within 12 points of Central deep in the third quarter and trailed Wartburg just 21-7 heading into the fourth.

“We battled tough with the top two teams in our league. That tells you how far we’ve come this season as a team,” Dillon said. “We battled with both of them until we finally wore down in the fourth quarter. Our guys are giving great effort. We just need to play for 60 minutes, not 45.”

Special teams and field possession hurt Cornell’s upset bid against Wartburg. The Rams had a short field goal blocked and averaged just 26.4 yards on five punt attempts. Wartburg enjoyed an average starting field possession at its own 48-yard line and held a nearly 11-minute advantage in time of possession. The Knights converted 10-of-17 third down chances. Cornell’s starting average drive was its own 22.

“You’re not going to win games giving up that field possession,” Dillon said. “The better teams take advantage of that. We’ve struggled with our kicking game all year long.”

Coe has rebounded from a three-game losing streak with two straight wins. The Kohawks rallied for a 24-17 win over Luther Oct. 27 and rolled to a 45-27 victory at Loras last weekend in a game which they forced five turnovers.

The series – Coe owns a 61-51-4 edge in the all-time series, which started in 1891 with an 82-0 victory for Cornell. The Kohawks scored a 31-14 win in last year’s error-prone game in Mount Vernon which featured nine turnovers, five by the Rams. Coe’s Ashton Northern ran wild for 231 yards on 31 carries and the Kohawks overcame an early 7-0 deficit with 31 unanswered points.

Donny football – Sophomore safety Don Bladt (Shelby/AHST) had his best game as a Ram last week with a career-high 13 tackles. He recorded 10 solo stops, two tackles-for-loss, a pass breakup and a blocked field goal. Bladt is second on the team with 82 tackles this season.

“Don has started every game since he walked on campus,” Dillon said. “He will be one of the top players in this league when he leaves.”

Chasing history – Chris Gustafson (Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek) can end his stellar Cornell career in record-breaking fashion with a big game Saturday. The senior middle linebacker needs one tackle-for-loss to break the school’s single-season record of 19, set by Brett Murdock in 2001. Gustafson is five solo tackles shy of tying the single-season record of 75 (Andy Reed, 1994). Gustafson is also within striking distance of Cornell’s career marks for total tackles (needs 19 to tie John Crane, 481 tackles from 1998-2001) and tackles-for-loss (needs three to tie Chet Knake, 44 tackles-for-loss from 1999-2002).

Tough sledding – Cornell faced one of the nation’s top defensive units last week in Wartburg, which allows 7.6 points per game. Travion Hardman (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) broke through the Knights defense with a 22-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It was only the third rushing touchdown Wartburg has allowed all season. Next up is Coe, which sports the second best scoring defense in the IIAC, allowing 15.9 points per game.

Hardman hits 1,800 – Hardman went over 1,800 rushing yards for his career with a 43-yard effort against Wartburg. The junior running back has rushed for 1,811 yards and 15 touchdowns in 29 career games.

Dynamic duo – Seniors Josh Youngblood (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) and Kyle Krogmann (DeWitt/Northeast) have combined for over 2,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns during their careers at Cornell. Youngblood has totaled 1,428 yards on 104 receptions while playing in every game of his career. Krogmann has caught 63 passes for 863 yards in 29 career games.

Ace (attitude, character, effort) awards – Defense: Jared Sanches (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Huntley); Offense: Shane Eaglin (Fort Worth, Texas/Brewer); Special Teams: Nick Creal (St. Charles, Ill./Burlington Central); Scout Team Defense: Leif Goleman (De Soto, Kan./De Soto); Scout Team Offense: Blair McCall (Austin, Texas/Westlake).