DECORAH, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – Despite two more long-standing records being broken, the Loras football team fell in defeat to Luther by a final score of 31-21 on Saturday. Freshman Nolan Baumhover led the offensive attack to the tune of 286 yards passing and three touchdowns. With these marks, he broke school records for passing set in 1985 and 2003.

Offensively, Loras played well in the first half, taking a 21-14 lead into the locker room. Loras succeeded in making big plays count in short amounts of time. With touchdown passes of 59, 48, and 62 yards, the Duhawks needed just 2:35 to accumulate 21 points. Baumhover found senior Nate Even early and often, allowing for the veteran receiver to make plays in space en route to the 59 and 62-yard touchdowns.

Penalties deterred the Duhawks from capitalizing on all of their scoring opportunities however, as a 70-yard touchdown run from junior Zach Minch was negated in the first half due to holding. Thankfully for Loras, Baumhover found junior Josh Schulte for a 48-yard touchdown later that drive.

Unfortunately, the aerial success Loras had in the first half did not carry over into the second half. Luther made the necessary adjustments to corral Loras' offense. After throwing for 198 yards in the first half, Baumhover was held to just 88 yards passing in the second.

Luther's best defense proved to be their offense at the final whistle. While Loras scored quickly in the first half, the Norse counteracted their methodical offense with a rushing attack that wore down the Duhawk defense.

Loras needed just 11 plays to score 21 points, but Luther scored using drives of 15, 14, 10, 19, and nine plays respectively. Their longest drive lasted 11:20 and took up a majority of the third quarter. Luther's ability to sustain drives forced the Duhawks to try and open up the passing game, knowing that handing the ball back to Luther may cost them the game.

Defensively, Loras held strong in the first half. The defense bent but didn't break leading into the second half. Their inability to get a good read on quarterback Brady Letney proved costly, leading to the quarterback rushing for 234 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries. The Duhawks were able to stop the rush otherwise, holding Christian Moore to 55 yards on the ground.

Junior Calvin Harridge and senior JP Awe had their numbers called all game long, combining for 36 tackles. Harridge's 21 tackles led the team and was the most by a Duhawk in 2015. Awe found his success stopping plays in the backfield, recording 2.0 tackles for a loss.

A highlight for Loras was Baumhover, who set Loras single-season passing records for yards and touchdowns. The freshman quarterback broke the touchdown record set by Dave Dietz in 1985 and the yardage record set by Matt Hintz in 2003. On the season, Baumhover has thrown for 2,272 yards and 26 touchdowns.

SCORING SUMMARY
Q1 | LOR 7-0 | Nate Even 59-yard reception from Nolan Baumhover
Q1 | TIE 7-7 | Christian Moore 1-yard rush
Q1 | LOR 14-7 | Josh Schulte 48-yard reception from Baumhover
Q2 | TIE 14-14 | Moore 14-yard rush
Q2 | LOR 21-14 | Even 62-yard reception from Baumhover
Q3 | TIE 21-21 | Brady Letney 2-yard rush
Q4 | LUT 28-21 | Letney 1-yard rush
Q4 | LUT 31-21 | Cody Wirth 32-yard field goal

KEY MOMENTS
Q1 | A 22-yard rush from Letney on 2nd & 9 set the Norse up on Loras' five yard-line
Q1 | A would be 70-yard touchdown from Zach Minch was negated due to a holding penalty
Q2 | Bob Brophy intercepted Letney deep in Loras territory to prevent the Norse from adding points before halftime
Q3 | On just the third play following halftime, Letney gained 50 yards, setting up Luther in Loras' redzone
Q4 | A would have been 73-yard touchdown rush from Minch was negated due to offsetting personal fouls on the play, this touchdown would've tied the game at 28
Q4 | Letney completed his first and only pass of the game, a 31-yarder to Cooper Nelson on 1st & 21, which set Luther up for the insurance field goal late in the fourth quarter

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Calvin Harridge | In just his second week back from injury, Calvin Harridge was a regular in stopping Luther's rushing attack, finishing with 21 tackles.

UP NEXT
Next week is senior day for Loras who will honor 13 seniors playing their final game in the Rock Bowl. The Duhawks will take on Wartburg College in hopes of attaining their first .500 record since 2010. In 2014, the Duhawks were defeated by Wartburg in the final game of the season, 81-21. It was in this game last season that Nate Even broke Loras receiving records for receptions and receiving yards in a season.