There’s more than one tool in the box for the No. 6 Central College football team.
With Loras College keying heavily on Dutch rushing leader David Zachary, Central quarterback Nate Snead accounted for four touchdowns and helped the Dutch generate 379 yards of offense in a 41-17 victory Saturday. The Dutch are 8-0 overall and 6-0 in Iowa Conference play.
Zachary was limited to 73 yards on 15 carries, just the second time this season he’s failed to top the 100-yard mark. But Snead rushed for 92 yards and two TDs on 16 carries, while completing 6 of 9 passes for 94 yards and two scores. Quarterback Zack Bandow also hit on 6-of-9 for 80 yards and a pair of TDs.
The Dutch defense withstood a Loras air assault. Quarterback Vaughn Gesing completed 31 of 49 passes for 282 yards. But Gesing was sacked four times and intercepted twice. Central forced three turnovers and turned them all into points.
One of the biggest came in the third quarter. After Central took a 21-3 halftime lead and built it to 27-3, Loras came back with an eight-play, 79-yard scoring drive to make it 27-10. The Duhawks then forced a Central punt but Kurtis Brondyke’s 44-yard boot was fumbled at the 7 and recovered by junior linebacker Kevin Haupt. That set up a 5-yard Snead TD run to make it 34-10, ending the Loras surge.Snead had scored Central’s first TD on a 2-yard first-quarter run.
Central, which entered the game ranked 21st in Division IIII in rushing defense, limited Loras (2-5 overall, 2-3 conference) to 61 yards rushing on 15 carries. The Dutch are now yielding just 74.2 yards a game on the ground.
Central outgained the Duhawks 379-343 yards overall. The Dutch passing game was efficient as Snead and Bandow combined to complete 12 of 18 throws for 174 yards and four TDs. Jeremy Snead had six receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns, a 15-yarder from Nate Snead and a 35-yarder from Bandow. Michael O’Rourke and Alex Dittmer each caught their first scoring passes of the year. O’Rourke grabbed a 13-yard toss from Bandow and Snead found Dittmer from 11 yards out.