For those who believe in momentum swings, look no further than the 1-yard line late in the third quarter of the Central College football team's 35-17 triumph at Simpson College Saturday.
A Simpson field goal had sliced the Dutch lead to 21-17. Central's first two possessions of the second half had failed to generate a first down and Simpson was perched inside the 1-yard line poised to take the lead. But twice—on third and fourth downs—linebacker Tyler Olson (senior, Mapleton, Minn., Maple River HS) and the Dutch defense said no.
"The linebackers did a really good job of stepping up and filling and the defensive line didn't get pushed back," coach Jeff McMartin said.
Olson was in on both stops and then the Dutch offense completed the turnaround, with a back-breaking 14-play, 99-yard touchdown drive, finally reaching the end zone early in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard run by freshman quarterback Blaine Hawkins (Ankeny) that made it 28-17. Suddenly, the Dutch (3-2 overall, 2-1 Iowa Conference) were in control.
"To get that stop and then to go on a 99-yard drive really turned the tide for us," McMartin said. "That really changed the face of the game. I'm proud of the defense. They did a good job of slowing down a pretty high-powered offense. That's something a lot of teams haven't been able to do."
Simpson was averaging 302.3 yards passing and 408 yards overall, but was limited to 213 passing yards and 322 total offense—including just 105 yards in the second half.
Linebacker Sam Norgaard (senior, Naperville, Ill., Neuqua Valley HS) was again in the middle of it with 14 tackles, including six unassisted stops. And linebacker Josh Scheible (senior, Kansas City, Mo., Liberty HS) matched his all-time best with 10 tackles and a breakup. But it was a career day for Olson, who logged a career-best 13 tackles, including four solos, snared his second interception of the year and had a pass breakup.
"I feel like Tyler's improved a lot just in the last two weeks of the season," McMartin said. "We needed him to step up today and he did.
"The coaches did a good job with the game plan. They made some changes and the players executed really well. I thought they attacked well. They got some pressure on the quarterback, they knocked down some passes and they got some turnovers. Those were all really big things."
Meanwhile, with Hawkins making his first collegiate start at quarterback, the Dutch offense continued its recent surge.
Hawkins made good use of his top weapon, All-America receiver Sam Markham (senior, Atlantic), who had a season-best 10 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown, including six receptions for 137 yards in the first quarter. Hawkins completed 16 of 24 passes for 219 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown. But he did damage on the ground as well, rushing for a career-best 107 yards and three TDs on 16 carries.
"Blaine did a good job of finding Sam but not forcing things," McMartin said. "One thing he really did well was manage things, knowing when he could go to a certain receiver and when he should check down and go to someone else.
"And Sam made a lot of people miss when he did get the ball. It was a classic Sam Markham game."
The Dutch also had 241 yards rushing. Running back Nathan Fitzgerald (junior, Elkader, Central HS) gained 90 yards on 13 carries.
"I thought we utilized all three of our tailbacks well," McMartin said. "They all did a good job. And Blaine almost gives you another tailback.
"I give a lot of credit to the offensive line. They got after it. They wore them down. By the end of the game, they were really moving people."
McMartin noted that Simpson had recorded 13 sacks in four games, but for the fifth straight outing, the Dutch line didn't give up one.
Central outgained Simpson 460 yards to 322 and held a 21-16 edge in first downs. The Dutch
trailed early, surrendering a pair of first-quarter touchdowns but kept Simpson out of the end zone the rest of the way. Central took its first lead, 21-14, with 9:41 left in the half on a 1-yard Hawkins run.
Yet that lead was anything but secure when Simpson threatened in the second half. Maybe it was momentum, maybe it was just a determined defense, but that's when the game changed.
"We didn't get off to a very good start in the third quarter," McMartin said. "But to get that goal-line stop and then score, that's essentially a 14-point swing. That's huge. That's how you win or lose football games."
The Dutch return home to tackle conference leader Wartburg College next Saturday. The Knights (4-0 overall, 2-0 conference) toppled defending champion Coe College Saturday at Waverly, 34-7. Central outscored Wartburg at Pella last year, 51-37. Game time is 1 p.m. at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.
Goal-line stop turns tide for Central
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20170930_m9eq.xml
2017
Central
35
Simpson
17
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central (3-2) | 14 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Simpson (2-3) | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Sep 30, 2017