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FB vs Loras
Delaney Martinez-Wilson
Luther's special teams efforts forced two fumbles on punts which resulted in two Norse touchdowns against Loras.
40
Winner Loras LOR 5-4 , 5-2
21
Luther LUT 1-7 , 1-5
Winner
Loras LOR
5-4 , 5-2
40
Final
21
Luther LUT
1-7 , 1-5
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
LOR Loras 14 12 7 7 40
LUT Luther 7 0 0 14 21

Game Recap: Football |

Norse rally comes up short against Loras

Luther outscores Duhawks in the fourth but falls 40-21

DECORAH, Iowa  – The Luther College football team looked like it might have some tricks up its sleeve Saturday afternoon against Loras College. In their first home game since October 8, the Norse looked to give the home crowd a show against the Duhawks, putting up 21 points and a near furious fourth quarter rally. Unfortunately, Luther came up short in its final efforts, falling to Loras by a final score of 40-21. The Norse record now stands at 1-7 with a 1-5 mark in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play. 

BY THE NUMBERS
Fans may have thought they were watching a college version of Madden in Saturday's contest, as both Luther and Loras scored in the opening five minutes of play to make it 7-7 at the 11 minute mark. The Duhawks scored on the first possession of the game, making it 7-0 after an eight play, 67 yard drive by the Loras offense. It looked like Norse were initially unable to answer, as they went three and out on offense and were forced to punt. However, the Duhawks fumbled Beau Cornwell's (Iowa City, Iowa / West Branch) 43 yard punt and Malachi McElroy (Cumming, Ga. / Forsyth Central) recovered the ball at the Loras 23, giving Luther prime field position. Cornwell then capitalized on the trickiest play ever seen this side of Halloween. The Norse took trick or treat seriously, as they ran a triple flea flicker play that ended in a 21 yard touchdown pass to Nick Gonzalez (Banquette, Texas / Banquette). Joseph Mehlhorn (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) then converted the extra point, making it 7-7 with 11:00 remaining in the first quarter. 

The offenses slowed down significantly after those opening four minutes, as the defenses came up with clutch play after clutch play to keep things knotted at 7-7. With five minutes remaining, though, the Duhawks found the back of the end zone again, giving them a 14-7 advantage in the closing minutes of the first quarter. Loras would then extend its lead to 26-7 before the half despite Luther's best efforts on defense. The Norse defense forced two punts, a turnover on downs, a fumble, and Brandon Deas (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Thomas B. Doherty) came up with a big interception at 12:45, but Luther's offense was unable to capitalize on the turnovers. The Duhawks, meanwhile, continued to chip away at the Norse defense, resulting in the 26-7 halftime lead. 

Again, Luther's defense held Loras to just seven third quarter points, keeping the game within reach for Cornwell and the offense. It looked like the comeback might be possible in the fourth quarter, as the Norse scored a touchdown just seconds in to cut the Duhawk lead to 33-14. It was another Loras fumble on a punt return that gave Luther prime field position, and once again, Cornwell was able to capitalize. Rather than run another trick play, Cornwell simplified the game plan, finding Andre Atkins (East Palo Alto, Calif. / Junipero Serra) in the back of the endzone for his second touchdown pass of the day. Again, Melhorn converted the extra point attempt, cutting the lead to 33-14, and on the ensuing play, Luther recovered Ethan Olson's (Edina, Minn. / Edina) onside kick, fully turning the momentum in the Norse direction. 

Sadly, Luther punted on its next three offensive possessions, and while the defense tried to hold Loras at bay, the Norse were unable to keep the Duhawks off the board all together in the fourth. With 11:35 remaining in regulation, Loras scored its sixth touchdown of the day, extending its lead to 40-14. Luther eventually responded with Atkins second TD reception of the day, but it was too late. With only 25 seconds on the clock, Luther was unable to convert on a second onside kick, resulting in a 40-21 loss at Legends Field in Carlson Stadium. 

TOP NORSE 

  • Beau Cornwell (Iowa City, Iowa / West Branch) made headlines as both a quarterback and punter Saturday afternoon. The junior threw for 160 yards with three doubles and an interception as a quarterback and broke the program record for single-game punting yards. Cornwell recorded 547 yards on 14 punts Saturday afternoon, breaking Gerald Anderson's record of 378, set in 1961. 
  • Andre Atkins (East Palo Alto, Calif. / Junipero Serra) was Cornwell's top target, tallying 40 receiving yards on four receptions with two touchdowns, while Aiden Damiani (Mesa, Ariz. / Mountain View) was the top rusher with 77 yards. 
  • Brayden Daly (Gilbert, Ariz./ Mesquite)  led the team with 11 tackles Saturday afternoon, while Matt Canada (Tempe, Ariz. / Marcos De Niza) recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, including a six yard sack. Brandon Deas (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Thomas B. Doherty) also recorded an interception.  

UP NEXT
The Norse will open the final month of the regular season on the road, as they travel to Pella, Iowa for an A-R-C contest against Central College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT.

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