WAVERLY, Iowa – The No. 9-ranked Wartburg College football team (4-0 overall, 2-0 A-R-C) extended its winning streak over Coe College to eight games with a 17-7 victory on Saturday afternoon inside Walston-Hoover Stadium.
Coe (2-2 overall, 1-1 A-R-C) avoided a shutout with a late touchdown in the final minute, preventing what would have been its first scoreless outing since 2014, which happens to come against the Knights (W, 43-0).
Wartburg's defense delivered another dominant effort, holding the Kohawks to just 235 total yards of offense. Entering the game, Coe had been averaging 620.7 yards per contest.
Joey Anderson paced the Knights on the ground, carrying 24 times for 89 yards and a one-yard touchdown plunge late in the first quarter to give Wartburg an early lead.
After a scoreless second quarter, the Knights' defense came up with the game's biggest play when
Jake Walker punched the ball out of the quarterback's hands and scooped up a fumble in the end zone for a score, extending the Wartburg lead to 14–0 in the third.
Coe threatened again in the fourth, but Wartburg's defense forced two interceptions - one by
Blake Janssen and another by
Jason O'Boye - to keep the Kohawks off the board.
Senior kicker
Jaxson Hoppes added insurance with a 35-yard field goal midway through the final period.
Coe broke through with 42 seconds left on a short touchdown run, but Wartburg ran out the clock to secure the win.
The Knights outgained Coe 273–235 in total offense, holding the Kohawks to just 24 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Wartburg's defense tallied four sacks, nine tackles for loss, and forced three turnovers in the win.
Mac Watts led the way with 12 total tackles, while
Conner McDonald,
Owen Hatcher, and Walker each notched sacks.
Josh Papesh finished 12-of-20 for 143 yards through the air, spreading completions to six different receivers. Anderson added 31 receiving yards to his 120 all-purpose yards on the afternoon.
UP NEXT
The Knights travel up to Decorah, Iowa to take on Luther College (0-4, 0-2 A-R-C) on Saturday, Oct. 4. Kick is scheduled for 1 p.m., at Legacy Field in Carlson Stadium.
