Luther defeated by Dubuque 21-10
Nov. 7, 2009
The Luther College football team fell into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Iowa Conference standings after dropping a 21-10 decision to the University of Dubuque this afternoon in Dubuque. The loss dropped Luther's league record to 3-4, 4-5 overall. Dubuque and Buena Vista, that was defeated by Coe 31-21 this afternoon, have the same records.
"Our defense came up with some big plays and take-aways early in this game and unfortunately our offense did not take advantage and produce the points that we needed to win the ball game," commented Head Coach Mike Durnin. "Every week we talk about how important these two aspects are to secure victories and unfortunately we didn't achieve one of these goals and it cost us the game."
The defensive unit picked off Dubuque quarterback Colton Hansen three times, that included the first two times the Spartans had the football. The Norse offense managed just three points off the Spartan turnovers, a Seth Streeter 19-yard field goal that gave Luther its only lead of the game.
Dubuque responded with touchdown drives of 64 yards and 37 yards and took a 14-3 lead at halftime.
Luther's only substantial drive of the afternoon, came midway through the third period, when the Norse drove 98-yards on 10 plays. Trent Stonerook, who caught a singe game career high seven passes, scored on a 29-yard strike from Chris Reynolds that capped off the drive.
Reynolds finished the afternoon connecting on 12 of 28 attempts for 115 yards and was picked off twice. He was also sacked five times.
Dubuque's Michael Zweifel, who tallied 11 catches for 188 yards, helped extend Dubuque's lead to 11 points, when he pulled in a 32-yard pass from Hansen with 6:55 left in the game.
"Michael Zweifel really came up with some big plays in crucial situations this afternoon," stated Durnin. "Defensively, I really felt like defensively we did a good job of stopping their run game which forced them to throw the ball, and for the most part we did a good job of pass coverage. The kinds of catches Michael made with solid coverage is why he is an All-American wide receiver."
One of the bright spots for the Norse offense this afternoon was the running of Tyler Bass. Bass had his best day running the football since he rushed for 112 yards against Cornell College on Oct. 28, 2006. Bass rushed for 89 yards on 16 carries that included a long of 28.
"I was really pleased with the way Tyler ran the ball this afternoon," stated Durnin. "I also felt Trent played well for us at wide receiver."
Defensively, Kyle McGivney, who is leading the nation in tackles per game, was credited with a game high13. He also picked off his fourth pass of the season and had one tackle for loss. Josh Patterson and Kyle Stoner were next with eight tackles each. Jordan Grimm and Dana Schmitt were credited with one interception.
Luther will wrap up the 2009 season at home next week. The Norse will host Loras College (2-5, 2-7) with kick-off scheduled for Noon in Carlson Stadium.
