DUBUQUE— Spreading the ball around to its offensive talent, the Central College football team secured a 38-21 win on the road at the University of Dubuque Saturday afternoon.
The Dutch (6-2, 4-2 American Rivers Conference) racked up 333 yards through the air as starting quarterback Brady Ketchum (senior, Mount Vernon) completed 24 of 32 passes. Cam Schulte (sophomore, Pella headlined the wide receivers with three touchdowns and 134 receiving yards on just six catches. Ryan Neu (fifth year, West Des Moines, Valley HS) also had five catches and 65 yards with a touchdown.
"Brady did a good job of directing the offense and guys stepped up and made plays," coach Jeff McMartin said. "Cam played great. He's a tough matchup. We also had a big game from Ryan Neu as well with some critical catches."
Running back Jase Grunder (sophomore, running back, Tampico, Ill., Prophetstown HS) had 32 carries, totaling 122 yards and a touchdown.
"We were able to run the ball well in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter to use a lot of the clock," McMartin said.
The game's pivotal sequence happened near the end of the second quarter with Central clinging to a 21-7 lead. Dubuque scored a touchdown on third and goal but had the score nullified by a chop block personal foul penalty. The Spartans were forced to kick a 36-yard field goal, which Dutch defensive lineman Ethan Thomas (junior, Ankeny) blocked. Three plays later, Ketchum found Schulte for a 74-yard catch and run to go in front 28-7 right before halftime.
"That was huge for us," McMartin said. "We had a nice drive to start the second half but didn't come way with points. We were able to answer their scores in the second half.
"Both teams made big plays but we were fortunate to turn a lot of big plays into points.
Defensively, the Dutch yielded a season-high 419 yards, including 338 passing yards. Yet, Central was able to get stops when they needed, including the game's only turnover with a fourth-quarter interception by cornerback Gavin Smith (junior, Audubon).
"They're offense has a lot of skill guys that can hurt you," McMartin said. "We had to do a good job of managing things and not giving up a lot of lot of big plays. We got stops when we needed them."
Central's pass rush recorded three sacks but also seven quarterback hurries. Defensive end Nick Bandy (senior, Dubuque, Wahlert Catholic HS) led the Dutch in both categories with 1.5 sacks and a pair of hurries. Thomas also had a solo sack with defensive lineman Tate Hagen (fifth year, Britt, West Hancock HS) recording a half sack
"We put good pressure on the quarterback throughout the day," McMaritn said.
Linebacker Cael Fiderlein (senior, West Branch) had a team-high 10 tackles while fellow linebackers Reid Pakkebier and Cole Clark (senior, Lisbon) each had nine. Pakkebier had two solo tackles for loss and two pass break-ups.
Logan Sunvold (fifth year, Monroe, Southeast Polk HS) chipped in a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter. He also averaged 58 yards on seven kickoffs, recording one touchback.
Central hosts Loras College for Senior Day and the last home game next Saturday at 1 p.m.