DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - On a team that is primarily made up of underclassmen, the Duhawks were able to honor their ten senior football players by topping Iowa Conference foe Luther College 22-20 on a chilly afternoon at the Rock Bowl. Loras asserted its dominance against a Luther rushing attack that ranked third nationally in rushing yard per game, as well as providing a spark with a special teams touchdown. The Duhawks faced adversity several times throughout the afternoon, but were able to come out on top for the third time on the season, improving their record to 3-6 and 2-4 in the Iowa Conference.

Right from the beginning of the game, the Duhawks were able to take advantage of a Luther mistake after the Norse fumbled on their first offensive snap. Just three plays later the Duhawks got on the board when freshman quarterback Robert Kelly found junior running back Nate Carrier, who ran his way in to give the Duhawks a 7-0 lead. Loras was able to be effective with the short passing game early in the ballgame.

Luther would respond on their next drive, which was set up by a big return, starting the drive at the Duhawks 23 yard line. After Loras was able to stop the Norse ground game, Luther would get on the board when senior quarterback JJ Sirios found senior fullback Josh Vos to tie the game at seven.

The game would not stay tied for long, as freshman defensive back Keshaun Smith would return the ensuing kickoff back 90 yards for the Loras touchdown. The Duhawks would then gamble and convert on the two point conversion as junior Dan Vatch made the Loras lead 15-7 just under six minutes into the game.

After both teams traded punts, the Norse were able to cut into the Duhawk lead when they were rewarded on a gamble of their own as sophomore running back Cooper Nelson would score from 25 yards out on fourth down. However, the PAT attempt would be blocked by freshman defensive back Maurice Young, keeping the Duhawk lead at 15-13 with 1:11 in the first quarter.

The Duhawks would miss two key scoring chances in the second quarter as they were not able to add on to their lead before halftime, as Kelly would fumble and be intercepted deep in Norse territory. With the Duhawk defense continuing to be stout with stellar performances by the linebacker duo of junior JP Awe and sophomore Calvin Harridge, the Norse weren't able to get much offense going. On the afternoon, Awe had 10 tackles and two sacks, while Harridge led the team with 17 total tackles. Harridge broke the century mark for tackles on the year, as he now has 108 on the season. Senior defensive backs Dave Pirkle and Mike Canevello were also constantly wreaking havoc in the Norse backfield.

As they did in the first quarter, Loras was able to once again capitalize off of a Luther mistake. This time, a JJ Sirios fumble was recovered by senior defensive back Tucker Brady. The recovery would set up a Kelly touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Nate Even from eight yards out. Even totaled five receptions for 34 yards on the day, which puts him three receptions and seven yards behind Kendall Griffin's 1992 single season Loras records.

Luther would start to get their running game going in the second half and would cut the Loras lead to 22-20 when Josh Vos would score from nine yards out with 12:29 remaining in the ball game. The Norse drive totaled 72 yards on 14 plays in 5:22. Luther's offense, which averaged nearly 350 rushing yards a game was held to only 238 against the Duhawks.

After both the Norse and Duhawks failed to score on their next two drive, Luther would have one final chance to pull out a victory. Once again the Duhawk defense showed its toughness, this time against the pass, as quarterback Dylan Smallwood threw four straight incomplete passes to give the Duhawks a 22-20 victory on Senior Day.
Now sitting at 3-6 on the season and 2-4 in the Iowa Conference, Loras will travel to Waverly next week to take on fifth ranked Wartburg. The Knights are 9-0 on the season and 6-0 in the Iowa Conference following their 41-10 trouncing of Simpson College on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM.

Game Changer
With the Duhawks facing a third down inside their own five yard line with less than four minutes left on the clock, Robert Kelly connected with Nate Even for a first down, helping extend the Loras drive and cement the victory.

Key Stat
The story for the Duhawks on the day was their run defense. Coming into Saturday the Norse ranked third nationally, averaging 349.9 yards per game, but only managing 238 against the Duhawks.

Notables

• In his first game since October 4, senior Tucker Brady tallied eight tackles (six solo), one tackle for a loss, a fumble recovery, and broke up the Norse's final pass attempt.
• Sophomore Clayton Smith recorded his first career tackle for a loss in the victory.
• Freshman Bob Brophy recorded a career-high 11 tackles. The Chicago, Illinois native also forced a fumble, the first of his career.
• Sophomore punter Jeremy Peters pinned Luther inside their own 20 twice while also booting one punt for 54 yards, a career-best.
• In their final game in the Rock Bowl, the seniors on this year's squad combined for 27 tackles including six tackles for a loss.
• The Duhawks extended their win streak to five straight home wins against the Norse, dating back to October 23, 2004 when the Duhawks lost 28-17.
• 255 total yards was the lowest output by the Luther offense on the 2014 season.

Quotable
Head Coach Steve Helminiak
"It's a huge win for our seniors and a huge win for our program. I think that specifically where we've been the past few years, getting a victory in our last home game is extremely important for our kids. It validates what we've been doing and the message we've been sending to our guys. They just keep believing and keep on fighting." 
 
Up Next
Loras will travel to take on fifth ranked Wartburg College next weekend in Waverly, Iowa. The Knights have shown that they are a national championship contender this season, boasting a record of 9-0 record and 6-0 mark in the Iowa Conference. The Duhawks season finale will kickoff at 1:00 PM.