A 28-point second half let Central College take command in a 45-28 Iowa Conference football victory at Coe College Saturday.
The Dutch rolled up 423 yards of total offense as running back Josh Osborn (senior, Burlington) topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the eighth straight game with 112 yards on 30 carries. Quarterback Aaron Eiseler (senior, Mesa, Ariz., Red Mountain HS) completed 17 of 28 passes for 251 yards with one interception and three TDs.
The victory moves Central to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Iowa Conference play, assuring the Dutch of no worse than a 5-5 campaign, making it 54 years without a losing season.
There were a few wobbly moments, however. After taking a quick 10-0 lead following scores in Central's first two possessions, including a season-long 42-yard field goal by Kevin Sheldon (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS), Coe (2-2 overall, 3-4 conference) converted a pair of turnovers into touchdowns and a 14-10 Kohawk lead.
But the game pivoted late in the first half. With Coe threatening to extend its lead, defensive back Jaemin Powell (junior, Wellman, Mid-Prairie HS) came up with a key interception at the Central 17-yard line with 1:22 left before intermission.
"That was a big play," coach Jeff McMartin said. "That really turned the tide."
Rather than grind out the clock, Eiseler hit tight end Jack Norgard (senior, Naperville, Ill., Nequa Valley HS) on a 26-yard strike, then found wide receiver Brendon Boerm (senior, Traer, North Tama HS) for 33 yards before hitting tight end Mitchell Boerm (sophomore, Traer, North Tama HS) for a 12-yard score with 12 seconds left in the half.
"Being able to score there was huge," McMartin said. "It was a big momentum swing."
That put the Dutch up 17-14 before opening the second half with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive as S-back Kyle Gritsch (freshman, Brooklyn, BGM HS) muscled his way into the end zone for a 1-yard score.
Coe answered with a nine-play, 61-yard touchdown drive to pull within 24-21, but the Kohawks were shut out the rest of the way as the Dutch offense began hitting its stride.
Norgard, who caught a 3-yard TD pass in the first quarter, made a 20-yard grab in the end zone to stretch the advantage to 31-21 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
"Our passing game was a little out of rhythm early," McMartin said. "But then we were able to start making plays and that really opened things up."
Free safety Jacob Edleman (senior, Mechanicsville, North Cedar HS), who received league defensive player of the week honors after picking off three passes in last week's 41-14 win over Loras, returned an interception 59 yards for a decisive score with 9:55 left in the game. Edleman now has an Iowa Conference-leading five interceptions for the season and 14 for his career, ranking fifth on the all-time school record leaderboard.
Back-up quarterback Riley Gray (sophomore, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) kept the ball on a 3-yard run to complete the scoring.
Central finished with 251 passing yards and 172 on the ground. Coe completed 20 of 33 passes for 209 yards with two interceptions but was limited to just 80 yards rushing on 18 carries.
"I thought our defense played very, very well," McMartin said. "Coe has a good offense. They're very multi-dimensional. I was very proud of our defensive effort."
The Dutch ran 80 plays to Coe's 51 and held a commanding lead in possession time, 38:36 to 21:24.
"Our offense was able to stay on the field a long time," McMartin said. "The line really started to gain momentum and then Josh (Osborn) was able to get some yards."
The possession time was particularly important on the unusually warm late-October day which saw temperatures hit the mid-70s. Cramping became an issue for both squads.
"I was a little worried about that," McMartin said. "It's unusual this time of year. We weren't ready for that."
With a season-long three-game win streak, McMartin is seeing his team's confidence build.
"Our guys practiced well all week," he said. "They're starting to mesh together more each day and are executing better. Guys understand their roles and they're performing well in those roles. That's how you become a good football team."
The Dutch return home to meet the University of Dubuque Saturday at 1 p.m. at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium. The Spartans (2-5 overall, 1-3 conference) got 358 yards passing from quarterback Zach Fry Saturday but league co-leader Buena Vista rallied late for a 44-39 win.