Defense steps up, so does Wartburg
Luke Pattarozzi, SID Assistant

The Loras defense stepped up for the second week in a row, but fell #17 Wartburg 13-7 in front of a homecoming crowd of more than 2,500 fans at the Rock Bowl.

If not for a bad snap in the first quarter on Tyler Bruening's punt, which led to a 39-yard Wartburg field goal, then Loras would have shut out the Knights for three quarters. Wartburg (5-1, 4-0 IIAC) had come into the game averaging more than 30 points and over 400 yards of total offense, per game. In the first half, Loras (2-5, 1-4 IIAC) held them to just 27 total yards.

On their first possession of the second half, the duhawks broke through. Matt McLaughlin orchestrated a six play, 61-yard drive that led to a 26-yard touchdown pass to Michael Hachey to lead the Duhawks to a 7-3 lead.

In addition to the touchdown pass, McLaughlin found six different receivers and completed 11-of-26 passes for 148 yards and two interceptions.

"Wartburg is one of the top defenses in the conference," Head Coach Steve Osterberger said. "They are very fast and run to the ball well. We struggled at times making plays, but we showed glimpses offensively."

Wartburg had earned their ranking over the course of the year and wasn't ready to give in, especially offensively. On the first play of the fourth quarter, running back Neil Suckow scampered into the end zone for a touchdown.

Down by three with ten minutes to play, Loras forced the Knights into a third-and-18 situation. A controversial personal foul ensued after Wartburg quarterback, Nick Yordi's pass sailed over the head of intended receiver, Jeff Lahr. Loras' Mike Radakovitz, looking to make a play, then blind sided Lahr sending him to the turf. The referee ruled the ball was uncatchable and the foul unneccessary.

The penalty gave the Knights a new set of downs and eventually turned into a Spencer Herzber 27-yard field goal.

"The fourth quarter was the turning point. I think we had a chance all the way down to the end," Osterberger said. "I was very pleased with their effort."

Senior Brock Hall led Loras with nine tackles (2.5 for loss) in what would be his final game as a Duhawk. On Oct. 6 against Luther, Hall suffered a broken hand that requires surgery and will force him to miss the remainder of the season. The two-time all-conference middle linebacker currently sits sixth in the conference with 70 tackles on the season.

Justin Sparrgrove, Zach Wilker, Andy Zeal, and Bruening all recorded a sack on the afternoon.