Oct. 22, 2022 – Loras College football team's comeback bid just never gained enough momentum on Saturday afternoon as the Duhawks fell 27-17 to Coe College in a fierce, hard-nosed battle at the Rock Bowl.

The Duhawks (4-4, 4-2 A-R-C) came flying into this week's matchup after back-to-back weeks of putting up 60 points or more, but the Kohawks (5-2, 4-1 A-R-C) defense put a halt to that momentum.

Both sides entered Saturday knowing the line of scrimmage battle would be vital as the game would feature two of the best rushing defenses in the American Rivers Conference. That held true as the game saw a combined 44 net rushing yards while both teams averaged less than a yard per carry.

With the ground game stuffed up, the Kohawks tested the air and managed a handful of big plays to take an early lead and grow that to a 27-3 advantage. The Kohawks entered the weekend without much to show for themselves in the passing game but tallied 370 yards to set a new season high.

Coe's first big strike came midway through the first half as quarterback Carter Maske hit Cooper Zek for a 57-yard touchdown pass. The Kohawks scored a rushing touchdown later in the quarter to take a 13-0 lead after one.

After an early field goal from sophomore Scott Talmadge, the second quarter nearly went scoreless until a later interception set the Kohawsks up with another chance.  A pass interference penalty aided Coe's three-play touchdown drive that ended on an 18-yard reception from Zamari Bruce, giving the Kohawks a 20-3 advantage heading into halftime.

Another long touchdown pass early in the third quarter had the Duhawks down 27-3 and all but out of this one, but there was still some fight left in the home team. Sophomore quarterback Evan England led the Duhawks on a 13-play touchdown drive near the end of the third quarter to cut the lead to 27-10, with the big play being a 14-yard pass to senior wideout Michael Crawford.

The Loras defense caught a break and came away with a huge play early in the fourth quarter as a muffed snap on a Coe field goal attempt was scooped up by senior Joey Foley, who took it back 75 yards for a touchdown. That play had the Rock Bowl fans buzzing as Loras cut the lead to 27-17.

While points suddenly felt less scarce, the two defenses put a stop to all of it and traded big blows for the rest of the game as each drive ended in either a punt or a turnover on downs. Loras' last gasp fell short when England completed a pass to senior wide receiver Marty McGovern short of the line to gain with just over three minutes to play.

Senior defensive back Brett Bower led the Duhawk defense with eight total tackles, including one tackle for loss, while adding a pass break-up. Ssenior Josh Kieffer and sophomore Brandon Phelps each notched two tackles for loss and one sack to help lead the Loras rushing defense.

On offense, England threw for 182 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Six of his completions went to McGovern, who led the team with 50 receiving yards. Sophomore running back Johnnie Cason II saw an increased role on Saturday and managed 12 positive yards on his four carries.

Loras will set its sights on a bounce-back game next weekend as the Duhawks travel to Decorah, Iowa to take on the Luther College Norse on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 1 P.M.