DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras football heads up Loras Boulevard and over to the campus of the University of Dubuque for the "Key City Clash" on Saturday, Oct. 31. Saturday's game carries with it heavy implications of how the Iowa Conference will finish in 2015 with the Spartans in first place and the Duhawks tied for second.

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD AGAINST DUBUQUE •••
The Duhawks own the all-time series record against the Spartans, 28-11,  dating back to 1914. Loras won the first meeting between the programs in 1909 by a 49-0 margin. Dubuque has won the last four meetings, dating back to the 2011 season. The Duhawks' last win came in 2010 at home thanks to Ryan Baez' 21-carry 74 yard effort. It was his touchdown with 1:37 left in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for the Duhawks.

LAST MEETING AGAINST DUBUQUE •••
Dubuque won last year's meeting against Loras, largely on the coattails of Spartan wide receiver Tyler Rutenbeck, who finished with 175 receiving yards. Zach Fry finished 30-of-43 for 356 yards and two touchdowns. For Loras, Bob Kelly was plagued by the interception bug, finishing 19-of-53 for 320 yards and three interceptions. Nate Even led all receivers with 11 catches for 231 yards.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS •••
Dubuque enters the weekend as the team to beat in the Iowa Conference. After dropping their first two games of the 2015 season, the Spartans have rattled off five straight wins, including a week six victory over then-No. 6 Wartburg. Dubuque leads the Iowa Conference in total defense, limiting opponents to 379.1 yards per game. They'll have their hands full with Loras' top-ranked offense. Under center, Rio Johnson directs the offense and enters week eight with 1,633 yards on 129 completions and eight touchdowns. The Spartans lean on the legs of Maurece Herrion, who has rushed for 458 yards in four games. His 10 rushing touchdowns is second the Iowa Conference. Trevor Stauner and Dylan Hastings both rank in the top-10 in the IIAC for tackles, combining for 122 in seven games.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR AGAINST THE SPARTANS •••
Entering the 2015 season, many would have pegged the Spartans to be the favored side given their recent success and the stats of the football at Loras. Now, seven weeks into the season, these teams are as even on paper as they have been in years. Dubuque made national headlines with their dominating win over Wartburg two weeks ago and followed up that effort with a 31-point win over Buena Vista a week ago. Maurece Herrion has taken over the No. 1 spot on the depth chart at running back and has made the most of his playing time. He'll have his hands full with Loras' run defense, who held Simpson to 51 yards below their season average. The Spartan offensive line has only conceded 10 sacks on the year whereas the Duhawks have recorded 21. A major storyline of the game will be the battle in the trenches. The team that can control the line of scrimmage will gain the upper-hand and have the ability to dictate the play.

DUHAWKS CONTROL THEIR DESTINY •••
After Saturday's 27-9 victory over Simpson, the Loras football team has put themselves in a position that the football program hasn't seen in quite some time. Sitting in a tie with Wartburg behind first place University of Dubuque, a win on Saturday will put the Duhawks on top of the Iowa Conference standings. If Loras can win out in the remaining four games, the Duhawks would claim their first IIAC Championship since 1948 and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Before Loras can start dreaming of the dance, they'll need a win on Saturday against their arch rivals, University of Dubuque.

DEFENSE STANDS TALL •••
It has been an offensive-driven season for the Duhawks in 2015 that with many offense record broken, it has been easy to look past the Duhawk defense. In their first six games, the Loras struggled to keep opponents to below 30 points. Looking for a change of pace, the Duhawks kept Simpson in check last week, keeping the Storm out of the end zone. It was the first time since 2010 that Loras had kept a team out of the end zone, which allowed the offense to establish their systems as well as earn their biggest victory point margin with a 18-point difference in the 27-9 win.

VERSATILE OFFENSE THE DIFFERENCE •••
From the beginning of the season the Duhawks have looked to their passing game as key to win games. However with the impressive performance over the past few games by Iowa Conference Performer of the week Zach Minch has given the Duhawks a vital weapon in the running game. He is hungry to win games and eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark against the Spartans. The Duhawks have optioned to numerous offensive schemes several times so far this season and it has shown its success with Loras' three-game winning streak entering week eight. With 30 passing touchdowns and six on the ground, Loras' offensive playbook will keep opponents guessing for many games to come.

CONFERENCE TITLE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION •••
Coming off a defense-fueled win against Simpson, the Duhawks look to improve on their already monumental year with a win against University of Dubuque on Saturday. Through seven weeks of the season, Loras has already bested last season's win total with four victories. Nolan Baumhover and the Duhawk offense has proven themselves on multiple occasions. Including a game-winning fourth quarter effort to boost the Duhawks over Simpson last Saturday. With only three games left in conference play, Saturday's contest between Loras and UD has large implications on the race to the Iowa Conference title. A win by either team puts them in the driver's seat with two weeks remaining.

2015 A SEASON TO REMEMBER •••
The success of the 2015 Loras football team can be defined by several record breaking performances that have lead the Duhawks to what is their best record at this point in the season (4-3, 3-1 IIAC) since 2008. Senior Nik Schulte turned in the first record-breaking outing of the season with 588 passing yards and six touchdowns in a win versus Augustana on September 19. The aerial attack set a Loras all-time record and earned Schulte D3football Team of the Week honors. Three weeks later, freshman Nolan Baumhover turned in his first contribution to the record-breaking effort posting six passing touchdowns of his own in a win on the road at Buena Vista. Baumhover continued his history-making form in the following contest throwing for a IIAC-record eight touchdowns in a home win against Central. Last Saturday's win over Simpson marked the first time Loras had defeated both teams in the same season since 1939.