Box Score

Contact: Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970

Oct. 2, 2021 – The Loras College football team (3-2, 3-0 A-R-C) put on a defensive display in front of a Homecoming crowd inside the Rock Bowl on Saturday as the Duhawks grabbed their third-straight win to remain undefeated in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) action against Simpson College (0-5, 0-3 A-R-C) with a 21-13 victory.

The Storm made a statement to open the game, finding the endzone on the opening drive off an eight-play drive spanning 71 yards to take a 7-0 lead. Just as the opponents looked to keep it going, Mason Morris intercepted Simpson quarterback Brett Bobinet's pass on the second drive to halt the Storm's momentum. A quick possession for the Duhawks came up just short but a sack by Sam Jones stopped Simpson in its tracks and forced the punt which set up quarterback Devon Moore to find Mani Brown downfield for a 40-yard catch in the endzone with 1:32 left in the first quarter. The extra point went off the upright but the Duhawks were on the board and knocking on the door of Simpson's lead.

The Storm opened the second half with an interception but could not make anything out of the possession which put the Duhawks in position to put points up. On second and six, Ty Bausch took off running for a 27-yard run that helped set up Scott Talmadge for a 36-yard field goal. The kick was good and Loras took a 9-7 lead with 9:12 left to play in the half. The Duhawks got the ball right back after a sack by Josh Oglesby helped force another punt for the Storm and Elijah Thomas helped get the Duhawks in position for another field goal with a 20-yard run. Talmadge nailed a 29-yard kick to extend Loras' lead 12-6 but Simpson answered back with six points on a 30-yard run by Desmond Alexander, leading 13-12 with 3:32 left on the clock. The Duhawks' defense continued to fight back as Josh Rydberg came away with a huge stop on third and 11, intercepting Bobinet's pass in the endzone for a touchback. The Storm regained possession with 14 seconds left in the half and Bobinet found Reed Worth at the Loras 20-yard line but Worth was met by Joey Foley who knocked the ball loose and Josh Kieffer was there to recover, returning the ball to the Duhawks' 30-yard line as time expired in the half.

Despite the momentum shift to end the first half, neither team found a rhythm until the final minutes of the third quarter when Moore connected with Hareson Willis for a 21-yard touchdown. The Duhawks went for two but could not convert but held an 18-13 lead heading in to the final 15 minutes.

Jack Foley, Sam Jones and Elijah Dertz showed the Simpson offensive they were not letting up with back-to-back sacks on the quarterback for a loss of 15 yards. On the next play, Rydberg grabbed his second pick of the game at the Duhawks' 17-yard line. Dwayne Emilus had a big first-down run for the Duhawks on the possession but the Storm's defense held strong and took over possession on an interception but the Duhawks capitalized on the following drive to get into field goal range and set up Talmadge for his third field goal of the game from 36-yards out with 4:23 left in the game. The Storm tried to get something going back on offense but were quickly stopped with another interception, this time by Joey Foley, and were able to take a knee to end the game with a Homecoming win.

Willis had a team-high 66 receiving yards and a touchdown while Brown hauled in three receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. Bausch led the Duhawks on the ground with 104 yards on 25 carries. On defense, Joey Foley had nine tackles with three tackles for loss for 17 yards and an interception. Morris had an interception and Rydberg also came away two with picks while Kieffer added a fumble recovery with five tackles for an all-around performance on defense. The Duhawks' defense challenged the Storm and came away with eight sacks in the game, led by two each by Josh Oglesby, Jack Foley, and Sam Jones. Talmadge was also a perfect 3-3 on field goals, with a 36-yard strike to headline the game.

The Duhawks travel to Waverly, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 9 to play co-defending A-R-C Champions Wartburg College. Kickoff at Hoover Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 P.M.