Eureka Win Streak Ends at Minnesota-Morris, 40-7
MORRIS, Minn. – Minnesota-Morris scored touchdowns on four of its first six possessions to build an early lead and eventually earn a 40-7 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory over the Eureka College football team, Saturday afternoon at Big Cat Stadium in Morris, Minn.
Minnesota-Morris struck first when Leandro Dower broke free for a 48-yard touchdown run and a 6-0 lead for the hosts with 5:34 left in the first quarter. The Cougars went on to build a 28-0 lead before halftime. Derrick Foss was responsible for two of the hosts' four first-half touchdowns, running for a 2-yard score in the second quarter and later throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Brendon Foss with 8:23 left in the half. Garrett Mensing's 40-yard touchdown run made it 28-0 in the final three minutes before halftime.
The Minnesota-Morris lead was 34-0 before the Red Devils got on the board. Junior quarterback Sam Durley (Roanoke, Ill./Roanoke-Benson H.S.) tossed a 22-yard touchdown to senior receiver Wes Schmidgall (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S./Culver-Stockton) with 9:01 left in the game, a 5-play drive that took only 66 seconds. The touchdown throw was the 18th of the season for Durley
Durley finished the contest 16-for-40 for 229 yards. Schmidgall made five catches for 82 yard and his fourth-quarter touchdown. Sophomore running back Corey Dawson (Farmington, Ill./Farmington H.S.) carried 20 times for 78 yards. Senior free safety Mike Minehan (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S./McKendree) led all players Saturday with 13 total tackles.
Minnesota-Morris did most of its damage on the ground, as Dower (134 yards) and Mensing (103 yards) each eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards. Foss completed only nine passes for 177 yards.
Eureka's defeat snaps a four-game winning streak, the longest win streak for the Red Devils since 1995. The Red Devils will return home to McKinzie Field on Saturday, Oct. 22 for a 1 p.m. UMAC kickoff against Greenville.
