DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Saturday brings about the opening of Iowa Conference play for the Loras football team as they take on Coe in Cedar Rapids. The Duhawks are in search of their first win of the season, after opening with a pair of non-conference losses to Elmhurst and Aurora.

SERIES HISTORY

Coe leads the all-time series against Loras with a 14–8–1 overall record. These teams first met in the 1924 season, with the Duhawks claiming a 7–3 win. Loas' last win came in week three of the 2011 season, a 23–21 victory, which was capped by a nine-point fourth quarter and a touchdown from Alex McGrew as time expired. McGrew, the last Duhawk to be named Iowa Conference MVP, rushed for 120 yards on 39 carries, scoring all three of Loras' touchdowns.

LAST MEETING VERSUS COE

The Kohawks jumped out to a 30–7 lead, including three consecutive field goals by Brandon Abbas. Loras hit paydirt on three consecutive drives to bring the 23-point lead to three, but on the last offensive drive of the game, the Duhawks could only muster eight yards on seven plays, ending with an incomplete pass on 4th-and-13.

SCOUTING THE KOHAWKS - OFFENSE

When Coe lines up on offense Saturday, they will be led by senior quarterback Gavin Glenn. Through his first two games of the season, Glenn has connected on 68 percent of his passing attempts, totaling 527 yards and six touchdowns, and most importantly, without any interceptions. Trevor Heitland has been the go-to target for Glenn, hauling in 10 catches for 170 yards and two touchdowns. In last week's blowout win over Cornell, the Kohawks had their offense clicking on all cylinders to the tune of 633 yards of total offense, including 369 yards on the ground, led by Heitland's 108 yard game. Seven rushers combined for five rushing touchdowns, yet the longest rush on the day was a 29-yard scamper by Heitland.

SCOUTING THE KOHAWKS - DEFENSE

While the offense has been in sync, the defense for Coe has been stingy, holding opponents to an average of 303 yards per game and has forced four interceptions. Mason Van Gorp and Nick Elsbury lead the defense with 12 tackles each and a combined 2.0 tackles for loss. Dylan Stepleton was named to the D3Football National Team of the Week following his career performance against Cornell. The senior picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown, in addition to recording two solo tackles. Neither UW-River Falls or Cornell managed to score against the Kohawk defense in the first half.

SCOUTING THE KOHAWKS - SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Brandon Abbas enters week three with a perfect 14-for-14 streak on extra points, but has yet to attempt a field goal. His counterpart, Rory Siddell, has punted 10 times, placing five of his 10 punts inside the 20-yard line and recording a long of 46 yards.

MINCH GETS GOING 

After being held to 72 rushing yards in the season opener against Elmhurst, the Duhawks looked to Zach Minch to help carry the offense in the Duhawks 14–9 loss against Aurora. Minch, who was a 1,000-yard rusher a season ago, ran for 129 yards against Aurora, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, matching his average from last campaign. With as lethal as the passing attack was in 2015, Minch's ability to run the ball kept opposing defenses off-balance.

IN SEARCH OF CONTINUITY ON OFFENSE

Two games into the season and the Duhawks have yet to find their offensive groove they had throughout 2015. Loras ranked first in the conference in total offense with 505.9 yards per game.  Seniors Jon Powers and Danny Willis have been trying to provide consistency for the Duhawks with 27 combined receptions through two games. With associate head coach Jake Olsen as the offensive architect, it's only a matter of time before fans are treated to the high-octane offense that took opponents by storm last season.

DEFENSE BEGINNING TO CLICK

In Loras' week two matchup with Aurora, it was the defense that recorded the first points of the day thanks to a safety in the second quarter. It was the start of another strong showing from the defensive corps that through the first two weeks has shown much improvement from a season ago. Despite allowing less than 300 yards per game, the defense has conceded touchdowns on four-of-five trips to the red zone. Additionally, opponents have been in possession for an average of 36:42, compared to Loras' possession time of 23:18. Seniors Calvin Harridge and Bryan Hermann lead the defense with 41 total tackles and 5.0 for loss.

RED ZONE TROUBLES

In last week's contest against Aurora, Loras made it to the red zone on three occasions, but only came away with one touchdown. The other two drives ended on a fumble and a missed field goal. Between the first two games of the season the Duhawks have reached the redzone a total of seven times, converting on four of them.