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WAVERLY, Iowa – The No. 7-ranked Wartburg College football team (8-0, 6-0 A-R-C) remained unbeaten with a 28–13 victory over No. 14 Central College (6-1, 4-1 A-R-C) in front of a packed Walston-Hoover Stadium.
Dawson Rud powered the offense with a hat trick on the ground, finishing with a game-high 98 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns as the Knights racked up 172 rushing yards. Quarterback Leo Dodd went 18-of-34 for a career-high 239 yards and a touchdown, while Justis Bachman hauled in seven receptions for a career-best 124 yards. In total, Wartburg amassed 411 yards of offense.
Defensively, Mac Watts led the way with nine tackles and a pass breakup. Jack Drahos wreaked havoc up front, posting 2.5 sacks for 22 yards and a forced fumble. The Knights' defense held Central to just 286 total yards, including only 34 on the ground.
Wartburg set the tone early with a nine-play, 65-yard opening drive capped by a one-yard Rud touchdown to make it 7–0. Just minutes later, Rud burst through the middle for a 45-yard score, giving the Knights a 14–0 lead with 9:39 left in the first quarter.
Bachman caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dodd late in the first half to push the lead to 21–0. The defense held strong to close the half, with Watts batting down a fourth-down pass attempt in Wartburg territory to preserve the shutout. By halftime, Dodd had thrown for 182 yards and a touchdown, Bachman had 117 receiving yards, and Rud had 65 rushing yards and two scores.
Central broke the shutout with a 42-yard field goal early in the third quarter and added another from 25 yards out to make it 21–6. A muffed kickoff gave the Dutch possession at Wartburg's 39-yard line, setting up a short touchdown run to cut the lead to 21–13 with just over three minutes left in the third.
Rud responded once again, punching in his third touchdown of the day from short range with 9:14 remaining to extend the lead to 28–13, as Wartburg's defense shut the door from there, forcing a turnover on downs for the second time in the game to seal the victory and maintain its perfect season.
NOTES
Central leads the all-time series 45-29...Wartburg has won the last six out of eight matchups...Rud completed his first career hat trick on the ground...The Knights witnessed their first game this season without an interception...Wartburg holds a 25-20 all-time record against ranked opponents...12-16 against Top 15 teams...Head Coach Chris Winter is now 51-7 in his career...The Knights have won 32 consecutive American Rivers Conference games.
UP NEXT
Wartburg visits Nebraska Wesleyan (1-6, 1-4 A-R-C) in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. inside Abel Stadium.