A Central College football team that has authored so many magical finishes was positioned to pull off another one Saturday, the kind of theatrical close that could ease the frustrations of a mistake-filled afternoon.
But it was previously winless Loras College (1-2 overall, 1-0 American Rivers) that pulled off the winner Saturday, a 37-yard Aidan Driscoll field goal with a second left on the clock for a 38-35 upset victory over the No. 12 Dutch (2-1 overall, 0-1 conference). It ended a 19-game regular-season win streak for Central and was the first Loras victory in the teams' series since 2015.
Central had pushed the game to the brink of overtime, putting together a dramatic 12-play, 75-yard drive that quarterback Brady Ketchum (sophomore, Mount Vernon) completed with a 16-yard pass to Jeff Herbers (senior, Urbandale, Des Moines Christian HS), who got a foot down before tumbling out of the side of the end zone with 43 seconds left, evening the score at 35-35.
But as skies ominously darkened to the west and with the wind at its back, Loras was determined to settle things in regulation. The Duhawks took over on their own 27 with 37 seconds remaining and got off six plays, reaching the Central 20 with 5 seconds still left to set up Driscoll's winning boot.
Before pondering his team's shortcomings, coach Jeff McMartin praised the Duhawks.
"You have to give Loras credit," he said. "They made plays and they did things in a way that didn't beat themselves like we did."
McMartin swiftly placed the blame squarely on his own shoulders, but this defeat was not an orphan.
"When you lose, it's easy to try to pinpoint an area or a play," he said. "But there were things on both sides of the ball that we need to get better at and even on special teams, we can do better and avoid playing like this. It certainly was not our best day. We didn't execute."
The Dutch played from behind much of the day, going scoreless in the first quarter and trailing at halftime 14-7. A 21-point third quarter seemed to steady the ship and Central entered the fourth period leading 28-21.
But chances to extend that lead slipped away and one was even stripped away, as Loras linebacker Josh Kieffer pried a ball loose at his own 18-yard line on a Dutch running play gone awry, setting off a frantic scramble that ended with the Duhawks at the Central 41. Six plays later, Loras was in the end zone, although a Driscoll misfire on the point-after kept Central on top a bit longer, 28-27 with 5:04 left.
But that Dutch fumble was followed by another costly mistake as Ketchum, facing third-and-19 from his own 16, tried to elude a persistent Loras pass rush, only to have his throw picked off and returned 26 yards to the Dutch 9-yard line. Loras needed just two plays for the go-ahead score, then added a 2-point conversion for a 35-28 advantage with 3:26 remaining.
Central
answered with the Herbers score but that was only prelude to Driscoll's winning kick.
McMartin rattled off a laundry list of areas where the Dutch were lacking Saturday as he scanned the postgame statistics sheet. Central was outgained 468 yards to 454 as Loras rolled up 30 first downs. Quarterback Evan England completed 34-of-47 passes for 298 yards and three scores with one interception. Loras also held the upper hand in rushing yardage, 170-88 and the Duhawk defense sacked Ketchum six times while England was sacked once.
Loras converted on 10-of-17 third-down conversions to Central's four of 12 and scored on all six of its Red Zone chances while the Dutch were three of six.
Still, Dutch running back Isaiah Walk (senior, Buffalo Center, North Iowa HS) rushed 16 times for 77 yards. Ketchum completed 27-of-40 throws for 366 yards with one interception and four touchdowns. Neu came up big with nine receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns while Herbers had five catches for 31 yards and a TD and freshman Carson Cummer (Dubuque, Wahlert Catholic HS), part of a promising rookie receiving corps, had four catches for 83 yards.
Linebacker Reid Pakkebier (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) had another productive afternoon with 15 tackles, including three solos and 1.5 for loss. Defensive back Reece Miller (junior, Center Point, Center Point-Urbana HS) has 12 stops while linebackers Brody Klein (junior, Rainier, Wash.) and Nathan Rahn (senior, Chadwick, Ill., Milledgeville HS) each had 10. Defensive back Benjamin Crist (senior, Elizabeth, Ill., River Ridge HS) had three pass breakups while Cameron Bannister (senior, State Center, West Marshall HS) had an interception with a 43-yard return.
"There were some things that we did well, obviously responding in the third quarter," McMartin said. "Responding in that last offensive drive was important. But, overall, we didn't play well."
Central is off next week then finally makes its season debut on the road Oct. 1 against Nebraska Wesleyan University at Lincoln, Nebraska. Game time is 1 p.m. The Prairie Wolves are 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the league after a 48-34 home-field defeat against the University of Dubuque Saturday.
Meanwhile, it's back to work for the Dutch with one simple task on the agenda.
"We have to find ways to improve," McMartin said.