September 20, 2008

Offense Strong Early, Defense Strong All Day in 37-0 Win

Lopers Whip Adams as Defense Gives Up Just 50 Yards

     Kearney, Neb. –  The Nebraska-Kearney football team scored three touchdowns in its first eight offensive plays and got a record setting defensive effort to blank Adams State, 37-0, Saturday afternoon at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field.

     In front of a “Family Day” crowd of 3,655, UNK improves to 2-2 (0-2 RMAC) while the Grizzlies (0-4, 0-2 RMAC) remain winless on the year. The Lopers have now four straight over Adams to lead the all-time series, 10-5.

    The Grizzlies won the coin toss to start the game but failed to get a first down on the first series. After just a 14-yard punt, UNK took over at the ASC 43-yard line. On the Lopers fifth play, freshman back Rustin Dring (Kearney H.S.) broke through the Adams defense and dashed 16 yards for the first score of the game.

     Replacing an injured Brendan Liess in the starting lineup, Dring would rush for 119 yards, on 13 carries, by halftime. He ended the day with 161 yards and two scores on 29 carries

     Adams would go three and out in its next two drives and two more short punts – 35 and 28 yards – allowed UNK to keep the ball in Grizzly territory. 

     Dring made it 14-0 when he ran 34 yards for a score. The Lopers third possession lasted just one play as redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Spitzlberger (Lakewood, Colo.) threw a 37-yard TD pass to sophomore Kyle Kaiser (Broomfield, Colo.).

     Senior kicker Geoff Carnahan (Kearney Catholic) tacked on field goals of 44, 44 and 49 yards before halftime to increase the lead. Adams did block a 47-yard three point try from Carnahan early in the second quarter, his first miss of the year.

     The last score of the game came in the fourth quarter and after junior corner Ozzie Smith (Bellevue West) picked off a Bryce Buderus pass deep in Adams territory.  A 31-yard drive ended when Spitzlberger called his own number and scored on a two-yard bootleg.

      UNK finished with 301 yards, 181 on the ground and 120 via the air. Spitzlberger was 8 of 14 for 112 yards, one TD and no interceptions. Kaiser – the nation’s fourth leading receiver – hauled in two passes for 51 yards.  Four other Lopers combined for 69 yards on seven catches.

      Adams amassed just 50 yards in 55 offensive plays. Buderus (2 of 7 for four yards, two INT’s) and Stephen Baca (9 of 15 for 65 yards) rotated each series and were harassed all day long by the UNK defensive line.

      The Lopers recorded eight sacks for a loss of 67 yards. Defensive end Josh Rohde (Sumner) had a team-high 12 stops, including two sacks for 16 yards. Fellow linemen Mason Brodine (Elm Creek), Jonathon Cannon (Killeen, Texas), Chris Fant (Omaha Burke) and Nate Reicks (McCook) combined for 20 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

     With all the sacks and tackles for loss, Adams had negative -19 yards rushing in 33 attempts. This is the sixth lowest rushing output a UNK defensive has allowed and the fewest since a 2000 win over Colorado School of Mines (-24 yards).

     The 50 total yards is the fourth fewest by a UNK opponent in school history. Only Midland Lutheran (21/1957), Chadron State (35/1964) and Mesa State (41/2006) had lower totals.

     Finally for UNK, Carnahan finished with 12 kicking points, a 43.8 punt average in six attempts and a 64.7 average on seven kickoffs. His current career point total (216) puts him seventh on the Loper career list, just ahead of kicker Jessup Pfeifer (212) and right behind UNK legend Claire Boroff (224).

     UNK is at Chardon State and Colorado State-Pueblo the next two Saturday's. Pictured below are Rohde-Brodine-Fant-Reicks-Cannon-Dring