DECORAH, Iowa - The 18th-ranked Coe College football team scored 35 points in the middle two quarters on Saturday, as the Kohawks beat Luther 45-6 at Carlson Stadium.
Coe forced a punt on the first Norse possession of the game. The opening drive for Coe was highlighted by a 35-yard run fromTrevor Heitland (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) on fourth-and-seven. Coe ended the drive on a 21-yard field goal by Brandon Abbas(Aplington, Iowa/Aplington Parkersburg), as Coe took a 3-0 lead with 9:35 left in the first quarter. The kick was the 10th field goal of the season for Abbas, tying the school record. The field goal also moved Abbas into third in school history with 24 in his career.
The Kohawks opened the second quarter with a four-yard touchdown run by Heitland with 11:01 to play in the half. The point-after attempt by Abbas gave Coe a 10-0 lead. The kick by Abbas was the 100th career PAT for the senior. On the next Norse drive, Coe forced a fumble and recovered it inside the one-yard line. The Kohawks went 99 yards on the ensuing drive in 4:03. Gavin Glenn (Adel, Iowa/ADM) found Demetrius Harper (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) for a 39-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 to play in the half.
Coe wasted no time scoring to start the second half. With 11:16 to play in the third quarter, Glenn ran in from seven-yards out to finish a 10-play, 69 yard drive. On the second possession of the second half for Coe, Glenn found Heitland for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 7:35 to play in the third. The pass was set-up on a 39-yard run by Brandon Roseberry (Center Point, Iowa/Center Point-Urbana).
Late in the third quarter, Glenn found Harper again, this time for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:58 to play in the quarter. The kick by Abbas gave Coe a 38-0 lead. Coe's final points came in the fourth quarter, as Clevon Catchings went 51-yards untouched for a touchdown with 8:00 to play. Luther scored its only points on the next drive, as Nick Slavens scored on a 35-yard touchdown run with 4:32 to play. The point after attempt was no good, leaving Coe with a 45-6 lead.
Coe held a 339-306 advantage on the ground, while the Kohawks had a 184-39 advantage in passing yards. Coe had 523 yards on 70 plays, while the Norse had 345 yards on 74 plays. The Norse had the ball for 36:21, compared to Coe's 23:39. Coe was 6-of-14 on third downs, while Luther was 5-of-16. Coe was 3-of-4 on fourth downs, with Luther converting 4-of-6 attempts.
Heitland had 20 carries for 152 yards, as he went over 150 yards rushing for the sixth-straight game. Heitland moved into sixth in school history with 1,299 rushing yards this season. Roseberry finished with 15 carries for a career-high 94 yards. Glenn was 14-of-25 passing for 182 yards, as he surpassed 2,500 career passing yards. Mitch Stopko (Tiffin, Iowa/Clear Creek-Amana) had a career-high four receptions for 42 yards, tying a career-high. Harper caught two passes for 64 yards, while Seth Williams (Kahoka, Mo./Clark County) caught two passes for 44 yards. Heitland had a pair of receptions, as he went over 1,700 career receiving yards.
Dylan Stepleton (Tipton, Iowa/Wilton) had a game-high 12 tackles, including three for a loss, and an interception. Terrence Hall (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy), Daniel Vega (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) and Jarred Hodge(Ormond Beach, Fla./Mainland) each had seven tackles. It was a new career-high for Vega and Hodge.
The Kohawks (8-0, 6-0 IIAC) return to action on Saturday, as they host Buena Vista (2-5, 2-3 IIAC). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Clark Field. A link to live video and stats is available at CoeAthletics.com. The game will also be broadcast in Eastern Iowa on KCRG 9.2.