kramerkj@lopers.unk.edu
UNK’s football team made history in its season debut against Pittsburg State. The Lopers beat the Gorillas for the first time since 1983 in a 31-26 victory.
UNK walked away victorious in a thrilling game fit for Halloween.
“It’s been a long time coming, and they [Pittsburg state] have always been a tough team,” said Quinn Brummer, an inside linebacker and redshirt senior for the Lopers. “We’ve come a long way as a team, and it was fun to go out there, make the plays that we did, and come out with a victory. This team talks a lot and it was nice to ‘shut them up’ to say the least”.
The game, featured a battle between two of the best sophomore quarterbacks in the MIAA, with Mak Sexton controlling the air for the Gorillas and TJ Davis controlling the ground game for the Lopers.
“Pittsburg started moving the ball a little bit better towards the fourth quarter,” Brummer said. “We were controlling their run game, and they had to go back to passing. Getting pressure on their quarterback was a big deal for us.”
Running the ball was expected from UNK, which led the MIAA in rushing last year.
UNK rushed for 207 yards in the first half alone, helping the Lopers control the time of possession and shorten the game. UNK rushed for 287 yards in total with Dayton Sealey as the star runner, with 105 yards.
Success on the ground didn’t stop Davis from trying out his arm, connecting with Michael Koch for two of his five pass completions and 90 of 154 yards.
The Lopers owned the clock for nearly the entirety of the first half with more than 36 minutes in total, controlling the tempo of the game and making Pittsburg State score quickly. The first half ended with a score of 17-10.
The game picked up in the second half, with a lot of action happening in the fourth quarter. Davis led the team with a touchdown in the first play of the fourth quarter, making the score 24-14.
The Loper defense was put to the test late in the when the Gorillas recovered a fumble, but fell short of what could have been a comeback.
The defensive line proved their mettle again when the Lopers held the Gorillas on third and goal in arguably the most impressive defensive performance in the game.
The Lopers’ last touchdown came on a throw from Davis to Xavier Jackson. The extra point wrapped up the scoring.
“I think our guys believe. We have a system in place,” said Josh Lynn, head coach for the Loper football team. “The first couple of years were hard, but now it’s starting to get really fun and that’s a credit to these guys. Next week we have a rival game that we get to play at home, and we’re excited for that.”
Saturday the Lopers will be home to take on Chadron State. The game is set for 3 p.m. on Nov. 7. Students need to reserve their tickets online, and fans can purchase tickets through the box office. Tickets will be sold in advance and will not be on sale at the game.
