LUKE ULLESTAD ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Knights football team lost to Coe 35-21 Saturday, marking the first time the Knights have lost back-to-back home games since 1991.
The Kohawks struck first in the first quarter on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Brad Boyle to Tyler Takes.
Coe missed the extra point attempt and took a 6-0 lead.
In the following possession Nick Yordi connected with Jason Roskam for a 76-yard touchdown pass to put the Knights in front, 7-6.
Later in the quarter, Wartburg found the end zone once again.
With 1:18 left in the first quarter, Yordi completed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Matt Wickert moving the score to 14-6.
The Knights were held scoreless in the second quarter, punting the ball away four straight possessions going into halftime.
The second half was a different story for Wartburg as the scoring came to a halt and Coe began to steal the momentum by putting together three touchdowns in the second half.
Wartburg only had possession twice in the third quarter and finished the game with 22:07 for time of possession and the Kohawks had the ball for 37:53.
In the third quarter, Coe put together a 13-play drive for 63 yards and scored on a Boyle rush to put the Kohawks in the lead, 20-14.
With 1:39 remaining in the third, Levi Helbling scored on a 15-yard reception, moving the Knights back on top, 21-20.
The Knights turned over the ball four times on each of their posssessions in the fourth quarter. Coe held on to the ball for 11:02, while the Knights offense saw only 3:58 of playing time.
Knights head coach Rick Willis said the turnovers will need to be addressed.
“You can’t turn the ball over in tight ball games when trying to find a way to win down at the end of a ball game. Turnovers happen in football, it’s our job to try to make better decisions and minimize those turnovers,” Willis said.
Coe opened the fourth quarter with a 23-yard touchdown reception by Sam Hammes and a two-point conversation success by Tate Harrison to allow the Kohawks to regain the lead, 28-21, with just less than 14 minutes to go in the game.
The Kohawks picked off a third Yordi pass attempt in the fourth quarter.
However, Yordi set a school record for pass completions in his career with 544, passing Gary Walljasper on the all-time list.
Yordi finished 12-for-27 in pass efficiency for 242 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
With 7:18 to go in the fourth, Coe marched 45 yards on six plays into the end zone to extend the Kohawks’ lead to 35-21 with 4:17 remaining.
Wartburg had one more shot to close the gap; however, the Kohawks came up with another interception to seal the game.
The loss drops the Knights’ record to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the IIAC standings.
Wartburg looks to get back into the win column as they travel to the University of Dubuque on Saturday with kickoff slated for 1 p.m.