DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras Football team will welcome in UW-Stout to the Rock Bowl on Saturday for their home opener. With both teams entering week two at identical 0-1 records, Saturday will be a battle to see who can claim victory for the first time in 2015.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UW-STOUT •••
Loras heads into this weekend sporting a 2-1-1 record all-time against UW-Stout. The Duhawks will be looking to hang onto the series lead this weekend after falling to the Blue Devils in week two of the 2014 season. This series dates back to 1985 in which the teams drew 7-7.

LAST MEETING VERSUS UW-STOUT •••
Last season against the Blue Devils, Loras nearly came away victorious 21-17. The Duhawks displayed a stout passing attack as Dylan Jones ('15) threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns. Loras' rushing game struggled mightily against UW-Stout however as senior Nate Carrier managed just five yards on 14 carries. Senior Nate Even put on a show for the Duhawks, hauling in 12 receptions for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively the Duhawks posted six sacks on the evening with junior Damon Davies tallying three on the afternoon. Junior Calvin Harridge led the tackles with 13, while Dave Pirkle ('15) and sophomore Maurice Young each added an interception.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS •••
Last season the Duhawks were beaten up through the air, as Aaron Koerner and Aaron Jenny connected for three touchdowns. Thankfully for the Duhawks, neither player remains on the Stout squad they face off against this week. Last week against Bethel University, senior Hank Kujak passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns on 52 passing attempts. Although the Blue Devils lost 35-20, Loras can expect to see a lot of plays made through the air. Adolfo Pacheco rushed for 125 yards against the Duhawks last season and was held to 42 in Stout's season opener. Loras will once again have to pay close attention to both facets of the offense this week in order to stymie the Blue Devil offense. The Duhawks will have to contain two 6'0 receiving options in the passing attack this week.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR AGAINST UW-STOUT •••
Last season against UW-Stout, the Duhawks focused heavily on their passing attack, throwing the ball 49 times to just 22 rushing attempts. Thanks to junior Zach Minch this may change. Last week against Elmhurst, Minch rushed for 203 yards and one touchdown. A rushing performance like this would certainly help the Duhawks out against a UW-Stout team who experienced difficulty in stopping the run against Bethel. Stout allowed 46 rushing attempts for 250 yards and a touchdown, good for a 5.2 yards per carry average. If Minch and the rest of the Duhawk backfield can get hot once again they should have no problem running over the Blue Devil defense. This game has the potential to be an offensive shoot-out as Stout allowed four touchdowns through the air last week as well.

TURNOVERS DOOM DUHAWKS AT ELMHURST •••
Last week against Elmhurst, Loras allowed 21 points immediately following turnovers. This was a major factor in the final decision which resulted in Elmhurst winning by two touchdowns, 31-17. Outside of turnovers, the Duhawks also allowed the Blue Jays to pick-up three first downs via penalty. In total, the Duhawks racked up seven penalties for 80 yards. Offensively, Loras allowed six sacks to the Blue Jays, and converted just 2-17 third down attempts. On the positive end of the spectrum, the Duhawks were a perfect 2-2 in the red-zone and 3-4 on fourth down. Ultimately, Loras finished the day with 80 more yards of offense than their competitor (400 to 320). If the Duhawks can cut down on mental mistakes this weekend they'll have a good chance to move to 1-1 on the season.

PETERS CLAIMS IIAC HONOR •••
Junior Jeremy Peters was honored by the Iowa Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 9 as its Special Teams Player of the Week. Peters averaged 41.6 yards per punt and put four of his seven punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. His longest punt of the day was 48 yards.

MINCH SHINES IN DUHAWK DEBUT •••
Junior Zach Minch made the most of his first game in a Duhawk uniform, carrying the ball 31 times for 203 yards. It was the first time since 2013 that a Loras running back eclipsed the 200-yard mark, dating back to senior Nate Carrier's effort against Rockford in whic he ran for 263 yards and two touchdowns.