Six Turnovers Costly in Loss to Eagles
NEW ULM, Minn. - The MLC football team dominated the time of possession and total yardage categories, but saw six turnovers prove costly in a 35-26 loss to Northwestern Saturday.
The Knights committed five first half turnovers, four of which led to scores by Northwestern as the Eagles took a 28-6 halftime lead.
MLC came out firing the second half, as Tyler Dorn capped off an eight-play, 69-yard drive to cut the deficit to 28-14.
After a defensive stop, the Knights turned the ball over for the sixth time, and the Eagles took advantage with a 47-yard scoring drive to take a three score lead.
The Knights continued to battle, scoring twice in the fourth quarter, but missed an extra point attempt and then failed on a two-point conversion attempt to keep it a two-score game in the end.
MLC moved the ball well throughout the day, punting only once in the game and piling up 508 yards of total offense as they outgained the Eagles by more than 200 yards.
The Knights set season highs on offense for total yards and for passing yards with 250 in the game. Joe Lindloff set a new career high with 237 yards, completing 20 of 35 attempts while throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. Scott Henrich and Garrett Schoch were the main targets, with Schoch catching eight passes for 75 yards, while Henrich caught seven for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Tyler Dorn led a running game that carried the ball 60 times in the game for 271 yards with a team-high 87 yards and two scores. Nicholas Kressin added 85 yards, while Lindloff finished with 61 yards on the ground and a score.
Defensively, the Knights were particularly stingy against the Eagle passing game, holding quarterback Josh Balzer to 7-20 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown. Ben Hansen led the defense with 15 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Jacob Rothe had 14 tackles, one sack and an interception.
With the loss, MLC dropped to 1-7 overall and 1-6 in the UMAC, while Northwestern improved to 5-3 on the season and 5-2 in league play.
MLC will return to action on Friday, October 28, when it plays MacMurray at the Metrodome at 4 p.m.
