CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - After a slow start, the Coe College football team scored 45-straight points in the final three quarters in a 45-10 win over Loras College Saturday afternoon at Clark Field.
Loras scored the first points of the game in the first quarter, as Mason Quigley hit a 26-yard field goal with 9:17 to play in the first quarter. The Duhawks were marching down the field after a Kohawk punt, but Dylan Stepleton (Tipton, Iowa/Wilton) intercepted a pass at the Coe 24 yard line to stop the drive. Back-to-back runs of 25 and 12 yards by Trevor Heitland (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) moved Coe into Duhawk territory. Brandon Roseberry (Center Point, Iowa/Center Point-Urbana) then rushed 32 yards up the middle for the longest run of his career, but fumbled at the seven yard line, with the Duhawks recovering in the end zone for a touchback.
Facing third and five on their first possession of the second quarter, Gavin Glenn (Adel, Iowa/ADM) found Seth Williams (Kahoka, Mo./Clark County) for an eight-yard touchdown pass with 12:54 to play in the opening quarter. A PAT by Brandon Abbas (Aplington, Iowa/Aplington Parkersburg) gave Coe a 7-3 lead. Coe forced another turnover on the next Duhawk possession, as Drew Heitland(Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) sacked Nolan Baumhover, forcing the ball to come loose, as Tait Simpson (Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon) recovered at the Duhawk 43 yard line. Glenn completed a 27-yard pass to Williams on third-and-10 before T. Heitland scored from inside the one-yard line with 7:48 to play in the half. The kick by Abbas gave Coe a 14-3 lead.
After a 63-yard punt by Rory Siddell (Solon, Iowa/Solon) went into the end zone for a touchback, the Duhawks started at their own 20 yard line. Three-plays later, Stepleton intercepted his second pass of the game, returning this one 25 yards for a touchdown. An Abbas kick gave Coe a 21-3 lead with 4:51 to play in the half. Quigley missed a 24-yard field goal with 1:28 to play in the half, ending a 63-yard drive by the Duhawks.
Coe's first drive of the second half ended on a 24-yard field goal by Abbas with 8:52 to play in the third quarter. It was the 15th made field goal of Abbas' career, as he moved into fourth in school history in made field goals. On the next Kohawk possession, Coe needed just four plays to put points on the board. Glenn tossed a 71-yard touchdown pass to Heitland, giving Coe a 31-3 lead with 3:37 to play in the third quarter.
On Coe's first offensive play of the fourth quarter, T. Heitland rushed 63 yards off the left side to the Loras five yard line. Three plays later, Glenn scored on a quarterback sneak. The kick by Abbas with 13:28 to play gave Coe a 38-3 lead. With 11:37 to play, Stepleton tied a school record, as he intercepted Nolan Baumhover for the third time on the day. Coe capitalized off the turnover once again, as Glenn rushed in from nine-yards out with 6:42 to play for Coe's final touchdown. The nine play, 90-yard drive ended with the PAT from Abbas. With :27 to play, Baumhover found Brad Boelkow for a 17-yard touchdown on third-and-13 for the Duhawks, leaving Coe with the 45-10 victory.
Coe held a 258-111 yard advantage on the ground, while Loras held a slight 321-313 advantage in passing yards. Coe had 571 yards of total offense on 75 plays, while Loras had 432 yards of offense on 94 plays. Coe was 8-of-17 on third downs, while the Duhawks were 8-of-23. The Kohawks converted both fourth down attempts, while Loras failed on both their attempts. The Kohawks scored on all five trips to the Red Zone, while Loras scored on just two of four trips inside the 20.
Heitland rushed for a career-high 156 yards on a career-high 26 carries. Roseberry rushed seven times for 55 yards, while Clevon Catchings (Chicago, Ill./Chicago Bulls College Prep) rushed six times for 27 yards. Glenn was 17-of-29 for a career-high 313 yards. Colton Martin (Alburnett, Iowa/Alburnett) caught a career-high seven passes for 48 yards. Williams tied a career-high with four receptions for 79 yards, a new career high. Heitland caught two passes for 76 yards. Heitland moved into fifth in school history with 119 career receptions, while moving to 10th in school history with 1,574 yards receiving.
Terrence Hall (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) led the Kohawk defense with a career-high nine tackles. Stepleton added eight tackles, including one for a loss, to his three interception game. Nick Elsbury (Byron, Ill./Byron) had a career-high eight tackles. Siddell and Ryan Leonard (Center Junction, Iowa/Midland) each had seven tackles. Robbie Peters (Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon) had a career-high four tackles for loss totaling 24 yards, while recording two sacks as well.
The Kohawks (3-0, 1-0 IIAC) return to action on Saturday, as they travel to Nebraska Wesleyan (1-2, 0-1 IIAC). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. A link for live video and stats will be available at CoeAthletics.com.