CRETE, Neb. – Despite a strong start, No. 8 Doane College ran away from the No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan University football team in the second half to hand Wesleyan its first loss of the season Saturday at Al Papik Field in Crete, Neb.
DWU fell behind 14-3 in the first half, but stormed back to take a 17-14 lead into the break. Doane scored the rest of the games points, 28-unanswered in the second half, to pull away from DWU for a 42-17 win in the battle of Great Plains Athletic Conference teams. The loss drops DWU to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the GPAC.
After senior kicker Daniel Porter (Platsmouth, Neb.) got Wesleyan on board on the team's first drive of the game with a field goal, Doane scored the next 14 points. Quarterback Brandon Stuart got Doane on the board with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Drew Klein, while running back Nate Meier continued his strong season with a 51-yard touchdown run.
DWU answered with two straight touchdowns to end the half. Sophomore quarterback Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.) got DWU rolling with a 67-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Dustin Livingston (Irene, S.D.) to cut the Doane lead to 14-10. DWU gained a three-point advantage when Turner hit Livingston again with a 10-yard pass at the 19-second mark of the second quarter.
The second half was all Doane from the opening kick. Klein returned the opening second-half kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to put the home team back on top 21-17. Doane took advantage of DWU miscues throughout the second half, including a fumbled punt on the Wesleyan 2-yard line. Meier added two more rushing touchdowns, while Stuart tossed a second touchdown pass.
Both teams lost three fumbles in the game, while Turner was sacked four times. Doane outgained DWU 418-337 overall and 287-125 on the ground.
Turner finished 17-of-35 passing for 212 yards and two scores, while adding 46 yards rushing. Senior wide receiver Arthur Brown (Rosemead, Calif) moved into the backfield due to injuries to DWU running backs and carried the ball 15 times for 64 yards. Livingston finished with four catches for 108 yards and two scores.
On defense, junior Cohl Ratermann (Colome, S.D.) finished with a team-high 12 tackles, while senior Brady Bonte (Garretson, S.D.) finished with nine and one forced fumble.
Stuart was 12-of-19 passing for 117 yards and two scores for Doane, while Meier racked up 190 yards on 32 carries and three touchdowns.
The tough stretch for DWU continues as the Tigers return home to take on No. 3 Morningside College at 1 p.m. Saturday at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell, S.D.