By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University football team came up just shy Saturday, battling the rain and the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in a 14-13 Homecoming loss in a game that saw two lightning delays totaling 153 minutes in game stoppage.
Freshman Cam Robinson scored Washburn's first touchdown in Saturday's 14-13 MIAA loss to Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods opened the scoring on their first drive of the game after taking the kickoff and marched 68 yards on four plays, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Cam Robinson, but the Lopers blocked the extra point.
The big play of the drive was a 44-yard pass from Sam Van Dyne to Maury Sullivan down to the UNK 5.
Neither team would score in the middle of a downpour after trading punts and a pair of fumbles before Julius Jackson picked off a Reagan Jones pass and returned it from the redzone 78 yards to the Lopers' 16-yard-line.
Five plays later, the Ichabods went up 13-0 after Lucas Oitker scored from 2 yards out on a 4th and 2 with 2:19 go to in the first half.
Once the intermission started, the field and stadium was cleared after a lightning strike.
On the Lopers' first drive of the second half, De'Andre Washington picked off a Jones pass, setting up the Ichabods at the Washburn 48, but the drive stalled as Jake Zeller placed a punt down at the Loper 5.
The teams again traded punts and the Lopers scored cut the Washburn lead to 13-7 after a 41-yard drive.
On the Ichabods' second play of the ensuing drive, Washburn threw an interception at the Ichabod 33 and the Lopers took a 14-13 lead with 8:57 to go in the game after Jones scored on a 9-yard touchdown scamper.
The Ichabods next drive stalled and WU had to punt with 6:43 left, but the Ichabod defense held the Lopers and, after a 19-yard UNK punt, Washburn took over at its own 36 with 2:04 to play. After four plays, another lightning strike within eight miles halted the game with 1:14 remaining.
After the teams returned to the field after a 115-minute delay with a 3rd and 12, Washburn's first play back on the field was an incomplete pass. Following a timeout, another Ichabod incomplete pass turned the ball back to the Lopers on down. The Lopers ran out the clock, securing the one-point win.
The Lopers outgained the Ichabods 331 to 193, turning out 20 first downs compared to 10 for the Ichabods.
UNK also outgained the Ichabods 213 to 109 on the ground, running 24 more plays.
Washburn finished 6 of 14 passing for 84 yards while the Lopers were 13 of 29 for 118. The Ichabod defense limited the Lopers to 142 yards in the second half while the Ichabod offense was held to 47 yards.
L.J. Minner had 15 tackles for Washburn and Jordan Finnesy had 12 tackles with nine solo stops. Chase McCoy had two sacks.
Tyler Bowden had 16 carries for 74 yards and Sullivan had three catches for 58 yards.
The Ichabods will wrap up their home schedule next Saturday at 1 p.m., hosting Central Oklahoma.
