CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Nebraska Wesleyan fell to Coe, 48-21, Saturday afternoon, totaling 371 yards of offense, including 236 rushing and 135 passing.
Levi Murphey completed 13 of 22 passes for 99 yards.
Ian Gebhardt caught five passes for 47 yards and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. It marked his second consecutive game with a kickoff return touchdown.
Hezekiah Johnson finished with 19 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Hadley Hudson and Xavier Block led the Prairie Wolves with eight tackles apiece.
The Prairie Wolves (1-7, 1-4 A-R-C) opened the game by trading touchdowns with Coe, as Ian Gebhardt tied the game at 7-7 with a 90-yard kickoff return after the Kohawks took an early 7-0 lead. Coe responded with a second Quincy Drummer 1-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining in the quarter to take a 14-7 advantage.
Coe extended its lead in the second quarter, as Drummer broke free for a 95-yard touchdown run with 4:13 remaining. The Kohawks added two more touchdowns in the final two minutes of the half, as Brady Kelly connected with Jackson Baethke for a 12-yard score before finding Drummer for an 18-yard touchdown pass just 20 seconds later. Nebraska Wesleyan entered halftime trailing 34-7.
Coe continued to build its lead in the third quarter, as Kelly broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run at 11:06. The Prairie Wolves answered with a 74-yard drive highlighted by Levi Murphey's passing before Hezekiah Johnson finished the possession with a 3-yard touchdown run at 8:04. Coe responded with a 32-yard drive, capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Khanai Langford to Reed McNutt at 3:19, as the Prairie Wolves entered the fourth quarter trailing 48-13.
The Prairie Wolves answered with a 97-yard drive to open the fourth quarter, starting from their own 3-yard line. Kevin Prosser broke loose for a 77-yard run before Johnson finished the possession with a 1-yard touchdown run. Johnson added the successful two-point conversion on a pass from Murphey at 9:44 to cap the scoring at 48-21. Nebraska Wesleyan held Coe scoreless in the fourth quarter.
NWU football team hosts Simpson Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. in Lincoln, Nebraska for Senior Day.
