Central College spent much of the afternoon on defense but got the stops that mattered in securing a 27-13 Iowa Conference football victory over Coe College Saturday.
Linebacker Drew Carlson (junior, Ankeny) had two interceptions while defensive lineman Colin Blythe (sophomore, Williamsburg) had three sacks as the Dutch defense stiffened after yielding an early third-quarter score.
Central (4-3 overall, 2-2 Iowa Conference) had sprinted to a 27-6 first-half lead, scoring touchdowns on its first four possessions before being held scoreless the rest of the game. Coe (2-5 overall, 1-3 conference) cut the gap to 27-13 with 9:35 left in the third period. But the Kohawks were turned away at the Central 3-yard line at the end of a 14-play march, then saw a 20-yard field goal try sail wide. A fake punt kept Coe's next drive alive, but the Dutch forced a punt three plays later and the final Coe threat was halted by a Carlson interception.
Coe controlled the ball for 34:45 of the game's 60 minutes. Coach Jeff McMartin said Central running just eight plays on its first two second-half possessions put the defense in a bind.
"There were certain things we didn't execute very well in the third quarter that made it hard for us," he said. "And Coe did a good job of getting first downs. That's really the tale of it. They got first downs and we didn't. When that happens, you're going to get outgained."
Yet McMartin was far more focused on the scoreboard than the postgame statistics.
"The good news is our defense did a good job of holding them," he said.
The offense came through late in the game, too.
"I thought we had some good runs in the fourth quarter," McMartin said. "We did what we had to do. And we took care of the ball. We didn't have any turnovers. That's an important thing as well."
Central was efficient in the first half. Wide receiver Sam Markham (sophomore, Atlantic) had TD receptions of nine and 15 yards from quarterback Riley Gray (junior, West Des Moines, Waukee HS). Gray had a 22-yard TD scamper as well, while freshman Pat Gray (West Des Moines, Waukee HS) opened some eyes as he bolted 61 yards down the sideline for a score, breaking multiple tackles en route.
Pat Gray became the second Central back to top the 100-yard rushing mark in a game this season, with 112 yards on 15 carries.
"Pat made some great runs, especially in the second half," McMartin said. "He bounced some things and got free. I thought our offensive line did a great job of blocking as well."
Riley Gray rushed for 46 on five attempts and completed eight of 14 passes for 93 yards. Kohle Helle (sophomore, Guttenberg, Clayton Ridge HS) completed 2-of-2 for 23 yards. Central had 211 yards rushing and 116 passing for 327 yards total offense to Coe's 344.
Coe quarterback Gavin Glenn connected on 22 of 36 passes for 216 yards but threw two interceptions and was sacked four times. The Kohawks had 122 yards on the ground.
Linebacker Mitch Schroeder (senior, Lowden, North Cedar HS) had a game-high 13 tackles including seven solos, with one pass breakup. Linebacker TJ Huizenga (junior, Fulton, Ill.) had nine tackles, with 1.5 for loss while Carlson had eight tackles and a forced fumble to go with his two interceptions, giving him three picks for his career.
"Drew's one of our best defensive players," McMartin said. "He has been since his freshman year. He's done a great job. To get big plays is what we expect out of him and we got some big plays today."
Central travels to Indianola to take on Simpson College next Saturday. Simpson is 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the league after Loras College erupted late in the game for a 27-9 win at Dubuque.