MENOMONIE, Wis. (Duhawks.com) – Going toe-to-toe with a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is not something that many football programs can do, especially a program that won one football game last year. Not only did the Duhawks hang with the Blue Devils all day, they came within one play of becoming 2-0 on the year.  In the end, it was missed opportunities on the offensive side of the ball that hurt Loras, as they fell 21-17.
 
On the first drive of the game, UW-Stout found themselves in a fourth-and-long situation. Opting to chance it, the Blue Devils were rewarded when Aaron Jenny collected the deep pass from Aaron Koerner in the end zone, capping a 10-play, 86-yard drive.
 
Looking to answer right back, the Duhawk' offense sputtered out of the gate, going three-and-out their first four drives. Contrary to last week, where junior Nate Carrier collected 122 yards on the ground, the Blue Devils' defensive line was stingy from the start, forcing Loras to rely on their aerial attack.
 
Before Loras could get the offensive locomotive moving, UW-Stout added a second touchdown with Koerner hitting Jenny again through the air to make it 13-0 Blue Devils.
 
Senior Dylan Jones found his groove midway through the second quarter, stringing together three consecutive completions, totaling 64 yards. Jones hooked up with senior Nate Even on second-and-10 for an 11-yard touchdown reception, cutting into the deficit.
 
Right out of the gate in the second half, Jones kept with his hot receiver in Even, hitting him for a 44-yard reception for the score, bringing Loras to within one of UW-Stout, 14-13.
 
On the drive immediately following, Jenny and Koerner hooked up for a third time, capping a seven-play 86-yard drive to give the Blue Devils a 21-14 lead. In between Koerner's passing attack, Adolfo Pacheco did just enough on the ground, finishing with 118 yards on 35 carries.
 
Trailing by seven in the third quarter, the Duhawks started their drive from the 25 following a touchback. After a rush of five yards by Isaac Cloward, the Blue Devils were flagged for pass interference, giving the Duhawks a first-and-10 from their own 46. On the very next play, Jones hit Even again over the middle for a gain of 37 yards, taking the Duhawks all the way down to the UW-Stout 17 yard line.
 
With their backs to the wall, the Blue Devil defense stood firm and halted the Duhawks' drive, forcing freshman Mason Quigley to attempt a field goal from 27 yards out, to make it 21-17 UW-Stout.

Heading down the home stretch, the teams traded opportunities in the fourth quarter, with Loras right on the doorstep looking to earn a lead for the first time on the day.
 
On their first drive of the fourth quarter, Loras found themselves in UW-Stout territory to begin their series. After back-to-back catches by sophomore Josh Schulte, Loras had a first-and-10 from the UW-Stout 29 yard line. Jones missed on his next four attempts through the air, as Loras turned the ball over on downs.
 
While that sequence was tough to swallow for Loras, it would be light in comparison to their final drive.
 
Beginning at the UW-Stout 42 yard line, Jones hit Even on second-and-nine for 14 yards to bring Loras to the 27 yard line. On third-and-10, the Duhawks drew a holding penalty to set up a first-and-10 from the 17 yard line. Jones' next pass to Schulte over the middle was caught but on his way to the ground, Schulte lost the handle on the ball and the Blue Devils recovered in the end zone.
 
With less than three minutes to go in the game, UW-Stout simply ran the clock out and secured their first victory of the 2014 season, while Loras tasted defeat for the first time.
 
For the second week in-a-row, the Duhawk defense was superb, finishing with six sacks and two interceptions.

"We've got some players on defense that can are playing with great intensity right now," Head Coach Steve Helminiak said. "We have a lot of confidence in our defense right now. They're playing hard and fast and there's no quit in them; they kept us in this game to the very end."

Sophomore Calvin Harridge led the team with 13 tackles, including one sack. Three other Duhawks finished in double-digits in tackles on the day.
 
Sophomore Damon Davies finished with 10 tackles and three sacks.

"We were confident in ourselves coming into today," Davies said. "We felt like we were ready and prepared for them today, but they just executed a little more than us."

Jones, the Bettendorf native, completed 27 of 49 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns, marking a career-high. Even, Jones' favorite target, finished with 12 receptions for 238 yards and two touchdowns, a career-high for the Cedar Rapids native.

"We left a lot of big plays out there today," Even said. "They're plays that need to be made if we want to win games like this coming down the stretch."
 
Loras now turns their attention to their final non-conference game of the year next week at Augustana. The Vikings fell to 0-2 on the year after losing to Hope on Saturday, 37-27. Augustana has won the last two meetings, dating back to 2012.