LINCOLN, Neb. (Duhawks.com) - After a 21-point first quarter, the Loras football team looked to be on pace to replicate last week's 73-point outburst but a resilient Nebraska Wesleyan squad put up a fight before the Duhawks secured the 49-42 victory. Senior Ike Cloward collected four rushing touchdowns for the second consecutive week to bring his season total to 12.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
-Senior Mike Kuhn broke through the line on NWU's first punt attempt of the day and recorded his second block in as many weeks and the Duhawks recovered at the one-yard line … Cloward punched it in on the very next play
-After the Prairie Wolves tied the game at 7-all, senior Bob Kelly found senior Mikey Castoro for a 24-yard touchdown strike to put Loras back in front, 14-7
-On 3rd-and-6 from the NWU 29-yard line, junior Alex Wernimont picked off the pass and set up the Duhawks in prime position
-Two plays later, after a 31-yard completion to junior Brad Boelkow and Cloward's second rushing touchdown of the quarter, Loras extended its lead to 21-7
-Cloward ran in his third touchdown of the half, this time from the Prairie Wolves' two-yard line with 5:38 remaining in the half
-NWU took its first lead of the game early in the third quarter after a 7-play 64-yard drive
-The Duhawks scored the next 14 points of the game to reclaim the lead, highlighted by sophomore Logan Sheppard's interception that set up Cloward's fourth touchdown
-With 13:39 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Loras showcased efficiency at its finest, marching 80 yards in 55 seconds thanks to a 22-yard reception by senior Josh Schulte, a 33-yard catch by sophomore Sam Maloney and a 35-yard run by junior Cody Mighell
-The Prairie Wolves cut the deficit to seven after a touchdown with 4:52 remaining, but that was as close as they would get
-Staring at a 4th-and-5 from midfield, NWU failed to convert on fourth down and Loras brought on the victory formation to close out the win

NOTABLES
-Sophomores Brandon Ahlgrim and Chris Miller each had two tackles for loss, a season-high for both
-The Duhawks tied the season-best mark of six rushing touchdowns matching last week's effort against Buena Vista
-Loras also tied a season-high with two interceptions matching totals against Buena Vista and Elmhurst
-The Duhawk defense continued its ball-hawking nature, causing three turnovers … Loras is 3-0 in games this season when forcing at least three turnovers
-Cloward tied a career-high in three categories: points scored (24), touchdowns (4), rushing touchdowns (4)
-Senior Mike Kuhn set a career high of 33 all-purpose yards and blocked a punt for the second conseuctive game
-Sophomore Riley Larson recorded a career-best with three pass breakups
-In his first action of the season, Maloney caught three passes for 74 yards, including a long of 33 yards
-Mighell had a career-high two rushing touchdowns along with a career long run of 35 yards
-Sophomore Jabari-James Turner-Smith tied a career-high with four tackles
-Wernimont tied his career-high with eight tackles

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME - IKE CLOWARD
He entered the week fifth in Division III for rushing touchdowns with eight and after Saturday's performance, expect Cloward to move up on the leaderboard. While his 75 yards against NWU won't stand out to many, Cloward proved his versatility, punching in touchdowns from 1, 5, 2 and 8 yards.

UP NEXT
Loras brings a two-game winning streak back to the Key City for homecoming next week against Simpson. The Storm fell to 2-3 this season and 1-2 in IIAC play on Saturday after a loss to Central. Kickoff from Bierie Field is set for 1 p.m.