Football Drops Road Battle in Seward

Football was on the road Saturday afternoon in Seward to take on Concordia. The Bulldogs used a big first quarter, then held off a Tiger rally, before opening up the final difference in a 55-26 win over Doane.

Concordia scored on their first possession only to have Doane respond on their second possession as the two teams were tied 7-7 with 8:21 to go in the first quarter. The Tigers scored on a 5-yard run by Rian Green. The drive started following a 40-yard kickoff return by Jeremiah Payne. Payne added a 37-yard reception on the drive to set up the Green touchdown.

The Bulldogs hit a 63-yard pass for a touchdown to regain the lead and following a mishandled snap on a punt, Concordia was able to get in the end zone as time expired on the opening quarter. The home squad led 21-7 after 15 minutes.

Kelen Meyer hit a 45-yard field goal with 9:04 to go in the second quarter to cut the CU lead to 21-10. Following a fourth down stop by the Bulldog defense, their offense hit two passes over 20 yards, including one for a touchdown to take a 28-10 lead into the break.

Concordia added to their lead late in the third quarter. With 5:10 to play, they scored a rushing touchdown for a 35-10 lead. On the Tigers' next possession, a fumble was recovered and taken into the end zone for a 42-10 lead. Doane was marching into the red zone as they flipped the field to go into the fourth quarter.

Frazzie Wynn put Doane back on the board with a one-yard touchdown run. Cruz Kirwan connected with John DeRiso on the two-point conversion to cut the score to 42-18. On the next Tiger possession, they were pinned at the 3-yard line but would march 97 yards to the end zone. Kirwan hit Joaquin Gutierrez for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Kirwan found Karsen Reimers for a two-point conversion, leaving Doane trailing by two scores, 42-26.

The Tiger defense appeared to come up with a stop at midfield but a targeting call was made on a tackle from behind on third and long. The automatic first down would keep the ball away from the Doane offense and Concordia would eventually find the end zone. Doane was called for four penalties on the drive, half of their total for the game. The Bulldogs would turn an interception into an eventual touchdown for the final score.

Kirwan finished with a career-game, throwing for 412 yards on 39 completions. It marked just the third time in his young career that he has gone over 200 yards and was the first over 300, let alone 400 yards. His total ranks second-most in a single game in program history.

His top receiver was Payne, who finished with 16 receptions and posted not only his first 100-yard receiving game, but also a 200-yard game as he finished with 213 yards. Payne's total is also second-most in a single game. Green led the ground game with 60 yards on 12 carries.

Defensively, a trio of Tigers finished with seven tackles apiece. Ty Martinsen, Zach Fox, and Reece Zutavern all collected five solo tackles to go with two assist tackles. Lucas Christensen led the team with two tackles for loss. Doane held Concordia to 72 rushing yards for the game.

Doane will close out the season next weekend, November 11, when they host Hastings. Kickoff is set for 1 PM.