Wartburg College Athletics

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The No. 11/13-ranked Wartburg College football team (5-2 overall, 4-0 American Rivers Conference) overcame an early 12-point deficit with 33 unanswered points to defeat the University of Dubuque (4-3, 3-1 A-R-C) 33-14 Saturday at Chalmers Field, extending its winning streak against the Spartans to 10 consecutive games.

Dawson Rud led the Knights with 158 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, while Josh Papesh completed 21 of 33 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. Dylan Swanstrom hauled in a career-high eight receptions for 79 yards.

Defensively, Pryce Rochford recorded a career-high nine tackles, and Sam Watts added four tackles and two sacks. Mason Van Pelt tallied his second interception of the season, as Owen Rosenberg secured his first-career pick. The Knights held the Spartans to just 76 yards on the ground on 24 attempts. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Dubuque capitalized on an early Wartburg turnover to take a 6-0 lead just 33 seconds into the game on a 55-yard trickery pass from Elijah Peters to Cameron Brown. The Spartans later added a 35-yard field goal late in the first quarter before extending their advantage to 12-0 with another field goal at 11:23 in the second.

The Knights responded late in the first half, beginning with Rosenberg's interception following a Sam Watts sack. Papesh connected with Justis Bachman for a 6-yard touchdown at 2:19, cutting the deficit to 12-7. After forcing a punt, Wartburg moved downfield behind a 20-yard Papesh completion to Swanstrom before Rud broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run to give the Knights a 14-12 lead with 1:21 remaining.

Wartburg's special teams delivered another pivotal play before halftime as Rayce Heitman blocked the ensuing punt - Heitman's third blocked punt of the season. Jackson Othmer then converted on his first field goal of the season, a 32-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Knights into the break with a 17-12 advantage after scoring 17 unanswered points.

The Knights carried that momentum into the second half, stuffing the Spartans on fourth-and-short at the Wartburg 20-yard line on the their opening possession. David Borchers and Jake Walker combined on the tackle to force a turnover on downs. Wartburg responded with a 79-yard drive capped by Rud's 13-yard touchdown run at 5:56, extending the lead to 24-12.

Dubuque threatened again late in the third quarter, moving inside the Wartburg 5-yard line. However, Mason Van Pelt intercepted Rhomberg at the goal line on fourth-and-2 from the Knights' 4 early in the fourth quarter, halting the Spartans' scoring opportunity.

Wartburg turned the defensive stop into additional points on its next possession. After moving away from its own goal line, the Knights forced a safety when Borchers flew through the Spartans' offensive line and provided safety at 10:15, pushing the advantage to 26-12.

The Knights added their final touchdown at 6:52 when Rud broke loose for a 23-yard scoring run to cap a six-play, 50-yard drive. Othmer's extra point extended Wartburg's lead to 33-12. The Spartans later reached the Wartburg 4-yard line but turned the ball over on downs with 2:59 remaining. Dubuque added a safety following a sack of Papesh, but the Knights' defense recorded another fourth-down stop to secure the 33-14 victory and their 10th consecutive win over the Spartans.

UP NEXT
Wartburg returns home to host Simpson College at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa. The Storm fell to Coe College, 28-24 earlier this afternoon. 

NOTES
The Knights recorded at least three rushing touchdowns for the fourth consecutive game and at least two interceptions for the second consecutive game. ... Dawson Rud established season highs with 24 rushing attempts and 158 rushing yards while reaching 12 rushing touchdowns on the season. ... Dylan Swanstrom recorded a career-high eight receptions for 79 yards. ... Jackson Othmer converted his first field goal of the season, connecting from 32 yards as time expired in the first half. ... Jason O'Boye recorded eight tackles, surpassing his season average of 4.17 tackles per game. ... Josh Papesh surpassed 1,000 passing yards for the season, bringing his total to 1,145. ... Justis Bachman recorded his first receiving touchdown of the season. ... Sam Watts recorded a season-high two sacks against the Spartans. ... Tyler Gayer surpassed 50 total tackles on the season, bringing his season total to 55. ... Wartburg extended its winning streak against Dubuque to 10 consecutive games...The Knights have won 38-consecutive A-R-C contests...Head Coach Chris Winter improves to 58-10 all-time with a 27-5 mark on the road...