The one area of concern for the Tigers in the first two games of the year was turnovers and they came back to bite the team once again as Doane committed five in a 27-26 loss to Midland Lutheran College on Saturday afternoon in Fremont.
Doane (2-2, 1-2 GPAC) held a 26-13 lead in the fourth quarter but three consecutive turnovers, one fumble and two interceptions, led to 14 unanswered points by the 25th-ranked Warriors (3-0, 2-0).
Penalties also proved costly for Doane, committing 10 in the game. However, the last one was the most costly as the Tigers were flagged for 12-men on the field as MLC lined up a potential game-tying extra point. The penalty allowed Midland Lutheran to go for the win with a two-point conversion with 1:06 remaining.
Midland Lutheran scored first on a touchdown from Khalid Waters in the first quarter. Doane responded later in the quarter with a field goal from Drew Giesenhagen (So.; Holdrege, Neb.). The Warriors regained a seven point lead with a field goal from Paul Maielua.
In the second quarter, Doane tied the game on a 24-yard run by Tim Reed (So.; Syracuse, Neb.). The score remained tied at 10 points apiece going into halftime.
The Warriors regained the lead in the third quarter on a field goal from Maielua. Doane took their first lead of the game when Anthony Dunn (Fr.; Papillion, Neb.) found Devon Niewohner (So.; Bancroft, Neb.) for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was missed following a Doane penalty and the Tigers led 16-13. Alex Hall (Jr.; Lincoln, Neb.) extended Doane's lead with a nine-yard touchdown run with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter.
Doane scored their final points of the game on a field goal from Giesenhagen with 12:08 remaining. The Warriors closed the gap with a touchdown run by Eric Hart following a Doane fumble that gave MLC the ball at the Tiger 28 yard line. The extra point hit the up-right and the score was 26-19. On the next possession for Doane, an interception near midfield allowed the Warriors to start their game-winning drive. Fifteen plays and 60 yards later, the Warriors punched in the game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion.
Reed led the Tiger ground attack with 59 yards while Hall added 50 yards rushing. Dunn passed for 221 yards and a touchdown but threw four interceptions and committed a fumble in his first start. Dunn hooked up with Blake Erickson (So.; Campbell, Neb.) for 106 yards on five receptions. Antony Ritton (Jr.; Auburn, Neb.) picked up four receptions for 59 yards.
On special teams, Giesenhagen was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts. Destry Kenning (Fr.; Hebron, Neb.) came off the bench to replace an injuried Josh Warren (Sr.; Overton, Neb.) and averaged 39.7 yards per punt on three attempts. Warren injured his ankle on his second punt attempt when a low snap was picked up by Warren and he rumbled 25 yards for a first down. On the tackle, he was rolled up and forced to the sideline the rest of the game.
Defensively, Pat Spangler (Sr.; Lincoln, Neb.) led the way with 11 total tackles. Seth Styskal (Sr.; Beaver Crossing, Neb.) added nine total tackles and a sack. Marcus Mitchell (Sr.; Phoenix, Ariz.) and Steven Wardlaw (So.; Beatrice, Neb.) collected interceptions for Doane.
Doane out-gained the Warriors on the day in total offense, 389-288. Doane held the time of possession edge for the game but the second half was controlled by Midland Lutheran on an average of four extra minutes per quarter.
Up Next:
The Tigers will have a week off before hosting No. 2 University of Sioux Falls on October 4. The game also marks Homecoming for Doane.