The weather turned ugly, as did, at times, the game, but the Central College football defense came up big when it counted in subduing the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 31-13 Saturday.
It was the 19th consecutive regular-season win for the No. 13-rated Dutch (2-0) as heavy second-half rains drenched a spirited crowd at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium. Central overcame an interception, lost fumble and an unsightly 12 penalties for 112 yards, four resulting in first downs that helped the Blugolds (1-1) extend drives and maintain possession for nearly 35 of the game's 60 minutes.
But Central also forced four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions and a forced fumble by defensive back Cameron Bannister (senior, State Center, West Marshall HS). The Dutch outgained Wis.-Eau Claire 366 yards to 219. The run defense, which encountered issues in last week's season-opening 44-13 win over St. Olaf College (Minn.), stiffened, limiting the Blugolds to 84 yards on 46 carries.
After notching American Rivers Male Athlete of the Week honors following his first start against St. Olaf, linebacker Reid Pakkebier (sophomore, Cear Rapids, Kennedy HS) recorded a team-high 10 tackles with two for loss, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Defensive back Brody Klein (junior, Rainier, Wash.) had nine stops, including 3.0 for loss with 1.5 sacks and an interception. Bannister had eight stops. Defensive back Stevie Maddox, Jr. (senior, Mesa, Ariz., Tempe HS) had three pass breakups to go with six tackles.
"I thought our defense played really well all day," coach Jeff McMartin said. "We were way more physical than we were last week. I think we learned a lot and took another good step."
Before the rains came, quarterback Brady Ketchum (sophomore, Mount Vernon) got the Dutch on the board with three second-quarter touchdown passes. He hit Jeff Herbers (senior, Urbandale, Des Moines Christian HS) for 41 yards to the 1-yard line, then quickly got another snap for a 1-yard scoring toss to Ryan Neu (junior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) with 13:17 left in the half. He then connected with Neu on a 61-yard scoring strike with 10-:44 left and a 6-yard TD pass to Herbers with 7:07 remaining.
VIDEO: Ryan Neu 61-yard TD catch https://youtu.be/WLbU9oEYJx
"The second quarter was a huge quarter," McMartin said. "That's kind of the style of football we're used to playing and it felt real comfortable. We got on a roll."
But a fumbled punt followed by a third-down pass interference penalty set up a 2-yard Wis.-Eau Claire scoring pass with just 37 seconds left to make it 21-7 at halftime.
The Blugolds made a game of it after a scoreless third quarter with an 11-yard Ivan Ruble scoring run with 14:30 remaining in the game. But the extra point was missed and a fumble recovery at the Wis.-Eau Claire 19 by Pakkebier set up a 33-yard Logan Sunvold (junior, Monroe, Southeast Polk HS) field goal for more cushion at 24-13.
Meanwhile, Wis.-Eau Claire was held without a fourth-quarter first down until its final possession. By that time, a 9-yard Jason Hopp (5th-year, Earlham) TD run with 2:47 left made it academic.
Central, which was held to 96 rushing yards last week—most of it late—made some progress with 130 Saturday as Isaiah Walk (senior, Buffalo Center, North Iowa HS) ran for 69 yards on 14 carries and Hopp had 59 on 15 attempts.
"We were able to make some really big strides in the running game," McMartin said. "To be a balanced team we need to be able do both (rushing and passing) well."
Ketchum completed 19 of 30 passes for 236 yards with one interception and three TDs. Logan Mont (junior, Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS) had six catches for 36 yards. Herbers had five for 71 and Neu had three for 85.
Central opens defense of its American Rivers title next Saturday with another home game, taking on Loras College in a 1 p.m. contest at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium. Central played the Duhawks in Pella last year as well, outscoring them 53-19. Loras, which lost at Wis.-Eau Claire 30-27 last week, was at Benedictine University (Ill.) Saturday evening.
McMartin said Saturday's contest left much for the Dutch to work on before starting league play.
"There were some things that we need to clean up," he said. "We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a few times."