Lincoln, Nebraska - The Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves battled wire-to-wire with Loras College on Saturday afternoon at Abel Stadium, but a 37-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Duhawks to a 31–28 win.
Nebraska Wesleyan's defense was relentless throughout the day, forcing four turnovers, including interceptions from
Kelby Zimmerman and
Jian Aguilar, plus a pair of forced fumbles. Despite those takeaways and several explosive plays on offense, the Prairie Wolves couldn't hold off a late Loras rally.
Offensively, NWU showed flashes but struggled early to finish drives. Quarterback
Connor White completed 12-of-25 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns while adding 20 yards on the ground. White's touchdowns went to
Joey McLaughlin and
Corbin Horner, with McLaughlin continuing his standout season by hauling in seven receptions for 110 yards and two scores. The third passing touchdown came on a trick play, a double pass from Horner to McLaughlin that had the Abel Stadium crowd on its feet.
In the run game,
Trystin Myers paced NWU with 59 yards on 10 carries, including a 30-yard touchdown burst in the second quarter.
Defensively,
Aguilar led all players with 13 tackles and a pick, while
Terrell Davis also notched 13 stops.
Hunter Hanke wreaked havoc up front, finishing with three sacks.
While NWU won the turnover battle 4–1, a costly fumble on the goal line proved pivotal. Loras outgained the Prairie Wolves 380–318 in total offense, including a 305–206 edge through the air.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a quick three-and-out on their opening drive, the Prairie Wolves found themselves trailing early when Loras marched 99 yards on 14 plays to take a 7–0 lead.
NWU answered early in the second quarter when
McLaughlin soared for a highlight-reel touchdown catch to even the score at 7–7. The teams traded scores before White connected with
Horner on a play-action strike to reclaim momentum. Moments later,
Zimmerman's interception set up
Myers' 30-yard touchdown run, giving the Prairie Wolves a 21–14 lead heading into halftime.
Out of the break,
Aguilar added a second interception for the NWU defense, setting up the double-pass trick play from Horner to McLaughlin that stretched the lead to 28–14.
But the Duhawks caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 unanswered points and capitalizing on key NWU miscues to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
UP NEXT
The Prairie Wolves will look to bounce back on the road against No. 18 Central College in an A-R-C clash on Saturday, October 18th, at 1:00 PM.
