Duhawks fall behind early, Spartans win 28-14
Jon Denham, Sports Information Director
October 27, 2007

Loras 14
Dubuque 28

The Loras College football team fell to the Dubuque Spartans on Saturday after a blazing quick start by the cross-town rivals proved to be too much to overcome.

Twenty-one of the Spartans' points were on the board by the 14:30 mark of the first quarter. Two of the touchdowns were the result of sustained drives. The other came when a high, short kickoff was recovered by the home team on what wasn't intended to be an onsides kick, but resulted in a quick strike touchdown from the Spartans. After the Duhawks settled in during the second quarter, things began to improve on the scoreboard and in the stats columns. Ultimately, Loras would outscored Dubuque 14-7 over the final three quarters.

Individually, Jermar Jackson, the senior quarterback of the Spartans led the way. He tallied 154 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. He also completed 20 passes for a total of 272 yards, most of which were after-the-catch. The touchdown pass was to Torrey Smith, the second score of the day, from 12 yards out.

For the Duhawks, Alex McGrew opened the second half with a big 32 yard run to help bump his total to 75 yards for the day. McGrew found the end zone from two yards out in the second quarter. He would later sit out one series with a left ankle injury before returning to action in the second half. Tim Andrews also carried the ball seven times for a total of 20 yards.

In the air, quarterback Matt McLaughlin spread the ball around for a total of 18 completions. Jon Gill caught six passes for 83 yards, Mike Hachey added four catches, and McGrew and tight end John Blesz each caught three passes. The total was 264 yards in the air for the Cedar Rapids native who also threw two interceptions that were mostly out of desperation. The first came on the final play of the first half when the Duhawks took a shot at the end zone. The second came late in the game as McLaughlin neared the sideline and tried to thread the needle for a short gain.

The defense was led by Andy Zeal who tallied eight solo tackles, 11 total. Nick Syska picked off one Jackson pass that led to Alex McGrew's touchdown run.

The Duhawks will wrap up their season on November 3rd when they host Coe College for Senior Day. Kickoff has been moved up to 12:00 PM due to Loras College earning the right to host the IIAC Soccer Championships in the Rock Bowl.