CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - After fumbling the opening kickoff and spotting Loras 10 points to start the game, the Kohawks rallied to score 36-straight points for a 36-10 win over Loras in the Iowa Conferenceopener.
The Duhawks needed just four plays and 30 yards to put the first points on the scoreboard, as Kelly threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Even with 13:44 to play in the first quarter. Loras put together a longer drive late in the quarter, as Quigley hit a 20-yard field goal with 2:14 left in the first quarter to end a 16-play, 65 yard drive.
On Coe's second possession of the second quarter, the Kohawks were able to put points on the scoreboard. The Kohawks moved inside the 10 yard line, but had to settle for a 34-yard field goal from Brandon Abbas (Aplington, Iowa/Aplington Parkersburg) with 9:02 to play in the first half. It was the longest field goal of Abbas' career.
The Kohawks quickly got the ball back two plays later, as Mitchell Berendes (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead) hit Carrier, causing a fumble that junior Mark Atwater (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Linn-Mar) jumped on. Nine plays later, sophomoreGavin Glenn (Adel, Iowa/ADM) found junior Elijah Phillips (Miami, Fla./Southridge) for a three-yard touchdown, tying the game at 10 with 3:57 to play in the first half. Coe once again forced a turnover on the next possession, as Gaetano Tarantino(Valejo, Calif./St. Patrick-St. Vincent) caused a fumble from Cloward, as senior Matt Schmitz (Jesup, Iowa/Union) recovered it at the Loras 31 yard line. Four plays later, Josh Rekers (Dike, Iowa/Dike-New Hartford) plunged in from a yard out, as Coe went up 17-10 with 1:39 to play in the half.
Coe missed a field goal on its first possession of the second half, but scored another touchdown on its second. Facing third-and-20 from the Loras 24 yard line, Glenn found Kevin Martinez (Miami, Fla./Killian) for a 24-yard touchdown pass. It was Martinez's second reception of the year, both going for touchdowns. With just under a minute to play in the third quarter, Coe added two points to the scoreboard as Schmitz hit Carrier in the end zone for a safety, giving Coe a 26-10 lead with :56 left in the third quarter.
The Kohawks kept the scoring alive to start the fourth. On third-and-two, junior Sam Lahr (Manchester, Iowa/West Delaware) went untouched up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown, as Coe took a 33-10 lead with 13:30 to play. On its next possession, Coe lined up to attempt a fourth-and-goal from the one, but a false start moved the ball back to the six. SeniorColton Benhart (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) then hit a 23-yard field goal with 9:05 to play, putting the final points on the scoreboard of Coe's 36-10 victory.
Coe doubled Loras up on first downs, as the Kohawks finished with 26 to Loras' 13. Coe had 207 yards rushing to the 57 by Loras. Coe held a 262-161 advantage in the air. Coe had 469 yards of total offense on 92 plays, while the Duhawks had 218 on 64. The 92 plays are tied for the fifth most in school history. Coe held a big advantage in time of possession, holding the ball for 39:06, while the Duhawks had it for 20:54. Coe was 11-of-22 on third downs, while the Duhawks were 3-of-14.
Lahr finished with a game-high 110 yards on 22 carries, while junior Giscard Philizaire (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) had a career-high six carries for 54 yards. Colton Storla (Marion, Iowa/Marion) added 13 carries for 45 yards. Carrier led the Duhawks with 48 yards on 17 carries.
Rekers was 13-of-25 for 157 yards. Glenn finished 8-of-9 for 105 yards, all career highs. Kelly was 18-of-38 for 161 yards for the Duhawks.
Trevor Heitland (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) led Coe with four receptions for 72 yards, while Phillips had four receptions for 41 yards. Nick Lenstra (Peosta, Iowa/Western Dubuque) and Alex Christenson (Oskaloosa, Iowa/Oskaloosa) had three receptions apiece for 48 and 45 yards respectively. It tied a career-high for receptions for Christenson. Even led the Duhawks with five receptions for 63 yards.
Berendes led the Kohawk defense with eight tackles, two forced fumbles and three pass break-ups. Tarantino and Schmitz had seven tackles apiece, while Evan Bolt (Janesville, Iowa/Janesville) and Atwater each added six. Schmitz had three quarterback hurries, while Tarantino had one. Schmitz and Atwater both recovered fumbles in the victory. Calvin Harridge led the Duhawks with a game-high 18 tackles.
The Kohawks (2-2, 1-0 IIAC) return to action next Saturday for their biggest test of the year. Coe will welcome eighth-ranked Wartburg (4-0, 1-0 IIAC) to Clark Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. A link for live video, stats and audio can be found on the home page of CoeAthletics.com.