DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Saturday's conference showdown between Loras and Coe started and ended with fireworks, as the Duhawks prevailed in a high-scoring affair, 44-38. Junior Walter Ollie returned the opening kickoff 100 yards before the defense denied Coe from the five-yard line to preserve the victory.

POST GAME COMMENTARY




MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
-There was a slight bobble to Ollie's reception of the opening kickoff, but it held up the defense just enough to open a seam for the Eastland-Pearl City prep to run from five yards deep in the end zone all the way across the field
-With the entire stadium reeling from the kickoff return, Loras jumped on the opportunity and senior Jon O'Brien tossed a two-point conversion into the hands of senior Mike Kuhn to make it 8-0 in favor of the Duhawks
-From that point moving forward, the Kohawks held much of the possession and momentum, scoring 17 unanswered points before senior Bob Kelly found O'Brien all alone on the near sideline for the 29-yard touchdown reception
-After a three-and-out by the defense, Loras marched down the field for 56 yards on 11 plays before senior Mason Quigley connected from 23 yards to level the game at 17-all ... Prior to his 12th field goal of the season, Quigley used a piece of trickery to keep the drive alive, connected with sophomore Sam Maloney on a 19-yard fake punt pass
-The tie would only last for the next 2:37 of the half as Coe responded with a 10-play, 83-yard drive to regain the lead at 24-17
-On the Duhawks' first drive of the second half, Kelly aired it out to junior Brad Boelkow for a 69-yard reception to move Loras down to the Kohawk 11-yard line
-After a delay of game penalty, Kelly delivered on a 16-yard pass to senior Josh Schulte to once again bring the Duhawks level
-Trailing 31-24, Kelly and Schulte connected once again with 5:25 to play in the third quarter, this time of a 24-yard pass ... On that drive, Kelly had completions of 17 yards, 25 yards and 24 yards
-On Coe's next series facing a 3rd-and-11, sophomore Jin-Kali Burkett jumped the route and picked off his first career pass to end the drive after six plays and 14 yards
-Burkett's interception set up Loras to take the lead for the first time since the opening kickoff as once again, Kelly and Schulte connected for the touchdown
-Facing 4th-and-4 from the Loras 37, the Kohawks misfired on a pass attempt and turned the ball over on downs with 8:29 to play in the fourth quarter
-The Duhawks managed to take 2:46 off the clock but a sack on third down brought the drive to a halt with less than six minutes to play
-Facing a 3rd-and-3 from its own 17-yard line, Coe connected on a pass in the flats and ran it the length of the field to tie the game at 38
-Loras regained the lead for good on its next drive, thanks largely in part to a 49-yard catch by Boelkow that moved the Duhawks from their own 23-yard line to the 28-yard line of the Kohawks
-Senior Ike Cloward powered his way through the line of scrimmage from one-yard out to give Loras the lead at 44-38
-With less than 90 seconds remaining, Coe marched down the field and had 1st-and-Goal from the 9-yard line when the pass attempt sailed high as time expired ... However a flag on the play gave the Kohawks one untimed play from the 5-yard line ... On the ensuing play, Larson stuck his hand in the passing lane and broke up the would-be touchdown, preserving the six-point win for the Duhawks

NOTABLES
-Ollie becomes the 84th player in the history of NCAA Division III football with a 100-yard kickoff return and is the first player this season to do so, tying the Loras all-time record set by Joseph Kerwick in 1909 ... In the process, Ollie broke the Loras single-season record for kick return yards (742) and tied the program record for kick return touchdowns in both a season and career (2) ... With two games to go this season, Ollie is in position to set the single-season record for kick return average, previously held by T.C. Crenshaw in the 1986 season (25.0)
-Kelly set a career-best with 385 yards of passing on 23 completions, moving him with 474 yards of the all-time single season record set in 2015 ... His four passing touchdowns tied a career-best
-Quigley continued to move up on the leader board at Loras, increasing his point total this season to 67, to which he owns the record ... He needs one field goal to tie the single-season mark of 13 set by Chris Gardner in 1988 ... The Washington prep extended his career mark for extra points to 105
-Boelkow set a career-high with 168 receiving yards and tied his career-long reception at 69 yards
-Sophomore Riley Larson recorded 15 solo tackles and one assisted tackle, setting a career-high in the process
-Schulte set a career-high with three touchdown receptions
-Junior Alex Wernimont finished with 11 tackles, including six solo stops, setting a career-best

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME - WALTER OLLIE
A man of multiple talents, Ollie finished with 148 all-purpose yards after adding an 8-yard jet sweep to his repertoire. Defensively, Ollie made his presence felt, collecting 15 tackles, including 10 solo stops.

UP NEXT
Loras travels to Pella next week for a showdown with Central. The Dutch are coming off their bye week and enter with a 4-3 overall record. Most recently, Central handed Coe a 30-19 loss, spoiling Homecoming for the Kohawks. Kickoff from Schipper Stadium is set for 1 p.m.