DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - With a return to the Rock Bowl, the Loras football team slid the puzzle pieces together en route to a 43-28 win over Luther on Saturday afternoon. Senior
Zach Minch rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore
Bob Kelly connected on 16-of-21 through the air for 269 yards and four touchdowns, two of which went to senior
Jon Powers with the other pair to junior
Mikey Castoro.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
First Quarter
- After going 3-and-out on the first drive, Loras found its offensive rhythm as Kelly connected on 4-of-5 passes, including a 12-yard touchdown strike to Castoro. On the extra-point conversion, junior Cruz Fedler took the snap and found senior Damon Davies in the end zone.
- On Luther's next drive, the Duhawks stopped the Norse on fourth down thanks to a pass breakup by senior Bob Brophy.
- Following a punt from Luther, Loras started its final drive of the quarter at its own 11-yard line. After a pair of runs from Minch and sophomore Cody Mighell, Kelly found Powers down the sideline and with a wide open field in front of him, the senior wideout took it to the house for an 81-yard touchdown.
Second Quarter
- On 2nd-and-9, sophomore Walter Ollie intercepted a pass from Brady Letney and returned it 46 yards to the visitors' 36-yard line.
- Kelly went right back to work, completing three passes of 15, 13 and 10 yards, ending with his second touchdown pass to Castoro as he streaked across the middle of the field.
- Trailing 22-0, Luther kept faith in its triple option offense and got on the board after a 12-play, 68-yard drive, spanning 6:10.
- With 1:10 left in the quarter, Loras started its final drive of the half, and after an incomplete pass on 1st-and-10, Kelly hit Powers in stride for a 41-yard touchdown, extending the Duhawks' lead to 29-7.
Third Quarter
- The Duhawk defense forced a three-and-out from Luther to open the second half and wasted no time, handing the ball to Minch and letting the Davenport native go to work. After a gain of eight on 1st-and-10, Minch patiently waited on his next carry and when the hole in the line opened, burst through it like a bullet out of a gun, scampering to a 47-yard touchdown.
- Refusing to go down without a fight, the Norse used a seven-play, 71-yard drive to cut Loras' lead to 36-14.
Fourth Quarter
- Continuing from the third quarter, Luther continued to march down the field and made it all the way to the Loras nine-yard line before a fumble by Christian Moore at the one-yard line brought a sure-fire scoring drive to a screeching halt. Senior Calvin Harridge forced the fumble and senior Mark Tilkes found it on the turf to give possession back to the Duhawks.
- After a three-and-out from Loras, the Norse drove 55 yards on 11 plays and this time, punched it into the end zone to cut the lead to 36-21.
- A strong defensive stand from the Duhawks forced a turnover on downs by Luther and Minch powered his way to a 19-yard touchdown for the 43-21 advantage, favoring the Purple & Gold.
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Zach Minch | From the opening drive, Loras benefited from the strong running of senior
Zach Minch. Finishing the day with 29 carries and 174 yards, Minch has reached the 100-yard mark in six of eight games and needs 40 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
UP NEXT
Week nine of the season brings the University of Dubuque to the Rock Bowl for the annual "Key City Clash". The Duhawks are in search of their first win over the Spartans since 2011. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
