No. 8 Wartburg Dominated By Dubuque, 45-13

The run of dominance by the Wartburg Knights in the Iowa Conference (IIAC) came to a screeching halt on Saturday (Oct. 17, 2015).

The 8th-ranked Knights (5-1 overall, 2-1 IIAC) struggled to find any rhythm at the University of Dubuque. Playing in a tough Homecoming road environment and in front of nearly 4,000 hostile fans, Wartburg failed to find a rhythm in a 45-13 setback at Chalmers Field.

Entering the weekend, the Knights had won 11-straight Iowa Conference games while outscoring their league opponents 464-129. One of their wins during the streak was a lopsided 42-9 victory over the Spartans in Waverly last year.

On Saturday, Dubuque found a way to reverse its success against Wartburg. The Spartans (3-0 overall, 4-2 IIAC) rolled up 495 yards of total offense and recorded their first win over the Knights since 2006. Freshman running back Maurece "Mo Jackson" Herrion (Elgin, Ill.) was a one-man wrecking crew, compiling 140 yards on 31 carries and scoring four touchdowns.

Defensively, Dubuque grounded Wartburg's running game and kept pressure on Knights quarterback Logan Schrader (Killdeer, Ill.) all afternoon. Schrader was sacked five times for a loss of 37 yards and Wartburg was held to a season-low 21 yards of rushing.

Schrader finished the day with 197 yards through the air (18-29-0) and became Wartburg's all-time career leader in touchdown passes during the game. He set the mark on a 21-yard toss to classmate Jordan Schmitt (West Union) with 3:22 left in the 3rd quarter, surpassing the 59 that Nick Yordi and current offensive coordinator and 2011 Wartburg Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee Matt Wheeler set.

Schmitt led the receiving corp with four catches for 57 yards and one touchdown, while classmate Robbie Anstoetter (Farley) had 50 yards on four receptions. Senior Brandon Domeyer (Manchester) led the ground attack, rushing for 40 yards on 11 carries and scoring the game's first first touchdown.

Wartburg owned an early 7-0 lead. The Knights capitalized when Dubuque fumbled the opening kickoff, as Domeyer punched it in from three-yards out to end a 28-yard drive.

Junior Sawyer Anderson (New Hampton) led the Knights' defense with 12 total tackles, which included a career-best 11 solo stops. Senior Gunner Tranel (Vinton) had a team-high 4.0 tackles for a loss of eight yards.

Entering the day, opponents had recorded just 28 first downs against Wartburg's defense. Dubuque picked up 24 against the Knights and took sole possession of first-place in the Iowa Conference race as the league's only remaining unbeaten team.

The loss was the first in league play for Wartburg since a 24-10 setback to Coe in Waverly on Nov. 2, 2013. It was also Knights' first league loss on the road since Nov. 3, 2012, when Wartburg dropped a 31-28 decision to Central in Pella.

NEXT UP: Wartburg plays at Luther on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.