DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Despite a valiant second half comeback that saw the defense hold its opponents to a pair of field goals, the Loras football team dropped its Iowa Conference opener to Dubuque on Saturday night, 27-24. Senior Bob Kelly threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior Brad Boelkow, who finished with 127 yards on five catches.

POST GAME INTERVIEW

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
-Loras' first two trips to the red zone ended in interceptions, which Dubuque turned into seven points
-Trailing 21-0, Kelly orchestrated an 11-play 51-yard drive in 2:15 of game time, resulting in the Duhawks' first points of the day, capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Boelkow
-Loras held Dubuque to six points in the second half … Saturday was the first time the Spartans had been held without a touchdown in the second half since a loss to Coe on Oct. 15, 2016
-Facing a 3rd-and-3 from the Duhawks' 41-yard line, Kelly connected with senior Mikey Castoro for a 30-yard reception … Nine plays later, Kelly handed the ball to senior Cody Mighell who pounded it into the end zone to cut the deficit to three at 27-24

NOTABLES
-As a team, Loras set season-highs for passing (327 yards), total offense (452 yards) and tackles (79)
-Saturday marked the first game this season that the defense did not record a sack
-Boelkow set a season-high with 127 yards and recorded his career-long 69 yard reception … Additionally, Boelkow tied a career best two receiving touchdowns
-Kelly set a career-high for passing with 327 yards
-Senior Mike Kuhn recorded a career-best for receiving yards (24)
-Senior Mason Quigley matched his career-long field goal of 42 yards … The Washington, Iowa native has made 19 career field goals … Three games into his senior season, Quigley has four touchbacks on kickoffs, his previous season-best was five as a sophomore
-Senior Bob Brophy tied his career best with 14 tackles
-The Duhawks finished 15-of-19 on third down, including a perfect 6-for-6 in the fourth quarter … Comparatively, Dubuque was 2-of-9
-Three of Loras' six drives in the second half resulted in points, including touchdowns on back-to-back drives to cut the Spartan lead to three at 27-24

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME - BRAD BOELKOW
The Richmond Burton prep hauled in five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday, including a 69-yard reception for a touchdown … Through three games, Boelkow is averaging 15.6 yards per catch, totaling 235 yards

UP NEXT
The Duhawks return to the Rock Bowl on Satuday, Sept. 23 for a showdown with Buena Vista. On Saturday, the Beavers prevailed in overtime against Central, converting on a two-point conversion to improve to 2-0 in 2017. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.