GPAC

[Football] Defense Lifts Football to First Win

Doane Football picked up the first win of the season on Saturday with a 13-6 victory over Briar Cliff in Crete. The Tigers moved to 1-1 on the year while BCU fell to 0-1. Both teams have the same record in the conference.The first half was a defensive battle as the teams went into halftime after a scoreless opening 30 minutes of play. Both teams collected 43 rushing yards in the half while Doane had more yards through the air, 90-54.The biggest play in the first quarter came from the Doane defense. Briar Cliff pushed their way deep into Tiger territory and on 4-and-1 from the Tiger 2-yard line, Doane's defense made a stop behind the line of scrimmage for a turnover on downs. In the second quarter, the defense made another 4th down stop at the 19-yard line, forcing back-to-back incomplete passes.In the third quarter, Doane was able to drive into Charger territory on their first drive of the quarter. However, the Tigers were stopped and forced to punt. Mason Krause (JR/Lyndon, Kan.) pinned BCU at the 3-yard line with a 37-yard punt. Briar Cliff used a 29-yard pass to move up field and would continue to drive the field until they found the end zone on a John Bell four-yard pass to Kreggor Clark. The 97-yard drive took 13 plays however the extra point was missed as the hold was bobbled.The Chargers took a 6-0 lead into the fourth quarter. With 12:25 to play, the Tigers took control of the ball near midfield. Jacobi White (SR/Grapevine, Texas) raced 30 yards for a first down on the drive to set-up an 11-yard pass from Adam Wasserman (SO/Fairbury, Neb.) to Josh Baker (SR/Omaha, Neb.) to tie the game. The extra point try was blocked and the score remained 6-6.Briar Cliff took the ensuing kickoff into Tiger territory following a 45-yard return by Mar'Kaybion Wallace. The Chargers went to the air on their first play and Donte Wiggins batted it away from the intended receiver and into the hands of his teammate, Ryan Lasauskas (JR/Omaha, Neb.). The Tigers took the ball and drove into BCU territory before a penalty slowed down the progress and they were forced to punt.BCU picked up a first down on three plays and 11 yards to open their next drive before moving backwards. Joaquim Robinson (SR/Kearney, Neb.) sacked Bell, and that was followed by a pair of incompletions to force the Chargers to punt.Doane was set-up in prime position as the BCU punt traveled 35 yards and Brehan Lambert (SO/Lincoln, Neb.) returned the ball back 22 yards to the BCU 31-yard line. The Tigers initially moved backwards on a penalty but an 8-yard run by White and a 7-yard completion gave the Tigers a first down. Doane moved the ball to the BCU 8-yard line and had first-and-goal. Wasserman hit Baker for a 5-yard completion and then found Lambert in the back of the end zone for a 3-yard score to go in front. The extra point was good to give the Tigers a 13-6 lead.The Chargers marched down field on their next drive, looking to tie the game. They were able to work their way to the Doane 28-yard line before the Tiger defense came up with the stop and forced a turnover on downs. Doane went into victory formation to close out the game.Doane out-gained Briar Cliff on offense, 283-252. White led Doane with 81 yards rushing and Jamaine Derogene (SR/Dunedin, Florida) finished with 50. Drake Davidson (SR/Moberly, Mo.) was 11-of-20 passing for 112 yards with Wasserman going 7-of-10 for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Baker pulled in five receptions for 54 yards and one score.On the defensive side, Cooper Bates (JR/Wilber, Neb.), Riley Homolka (SR/Wilber, Neb.), and Riley Heithoff (SR/Raymond, Neb.) were in on 10 tackles apiece. Bates led the way with seven solo tackles and also had two pass breaks. Doane recorded three sacks in the game and eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage.Doane will take to the road for the first time this year when they take on Hastings on Saturday, September 26. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 PM.