Bad punt, late score lift DWU past Doane 28-24

• Endres

(Luke Hagen/Republic) DWU's Josh Endres looks to rush past a Doane defender while teammate Arthur Brown, right, looks to block during a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup Saturday at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell. Also pictured is DWU quarterback Jon Bane.

Talk about it

As its offense got ready to take the field with the game on the line, Dakota Wesleyan University got a major boost when Doane punted the ball only five yards.

“They had to make a play and didn’t,” DWU coach Ross Cimpl said. “We got lucky on it.”

DWU, which trailed by a field goal with 3:05 to play, scored the game-winning touchdown four plays after the poor punt to pick up its fifth win of the season. Jon Bane, firing his third TD of the game, hit Arthur Brown on a 5-yard swing pass with 1:31 left to defeat No. 20-ranked Doane 28-24 Saturday night at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup.

In what was the most vital play of the game, Doane’s Brett Eyer had the ball go off the side of his foot and sent the punt out of bounds toward his own sideline. He dropped his head in disgust after the kick that started at Doane’s 19 and finished at the 24.

“That last punt set our defense in a really poor position and gave Dakota Wesleyan the ball where it wasn’t far for them to be able to drive in and win the ball game,” Doane coach Matt Franzen said.

In a back-and-forth affair, neither team led by more than six points.

Doane took a 16-14 halftime lead on a 37-yard field goal by Phil Thramer with 39 seconds left in the second quarter. DWU’s Josh Endres, who eclipsed 3,000 career rushing yards in the game, had a 6-yard touchdown early in the third quarter that gave Wesleyan a 21-16 lead.

But Doane continued its early assault of Wesleyan’s secondary, moving the ball down the field to answer Endres’ TD with a 2-yard rushing score with 9:30 left in the third quarter that put Doane up 22-21. With 195 first-half passing yards, Doane was handling DWU’s defense early with two, 14-yard touchdown passes in the first 30 minutes.

“We had a game plan to go after their secondary a little bit,” Franzen said. “Through the first half, we were able to do that and even some into the third quarter. But down the stretch, when the game, DWU’s secondary stepped up and shut us down.”

Endres was stopped in the end zone for a safety with 12:11 left in the fourth quarter, putting Doane up 24-21. After DWU kicker Dan Porter missed a game-tying field goal with 4:09 to play, Wesleyan’s pass defense stopped Doane to set up the botched punt and the score by Brown.

“I saw Bane throw it over my shoulder and I went from there,” said Brown, who crashed into the pylon and celebrated with teammates after the signaled score. “I’m not the primary read on that. … I’m the third receiver on it. My job is just to get to the pylon.”

After DWU’s score, Doane quarterback Jeff Weander had four straight incompletions to turn the ball over on downs. Doane had one final chance, but Weander was intercepted by DWU linebacker Jeff Maassen on the final play to seal the win.

“I give DWU credit for executing down the stretch and making the plays that we couldn’t,” Franzen said.

Endres had 36 carries for 127 yards and now is third in school history in career rushing yards with 3,017. Bane completed 18 of 28 passes for 220 yards and had one interception.

DWU (5-2, 4-2 GPAC) is tied for second in the conference with Northwestern with 4-2 league records. Wesleyan hosts the Prairie Wolves at 7 p.m. Saturday in their second straight home game.

NOTES: Endres was slow to get up on an offensive series late in the fourth quarter, leaving the game for two plays. He had the wind knocked out of him and was on the field for the game-winning drive. He had a first-half halfback pass to Michael Brown that went for 68 yards and set up a Bane to Michael Brown 3-yard touchdown on third-and-goal. Brown caught five passes for 94 yards … DWU tight end Derek Carlson caught a 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter that gave his team a 7-6 lead. It’s the fifth straight week the Sioux Falls native has caught a TD, giving him a team-high nine receiving scores this season. Carlson caught five passes for 86 yards.

DWU 28, Doane 24

First Quarter:

DOANE: Jess Ver Velde 14 pass from Jeff Weander (Kick blocked)

DWU: Dere Carlson 17 pass from Jon Bane (Dan Porter kick)

Second Quarter:

DOANE: John Tatum 14 pass from Weander (Christ Iannone kick)

DWU: Michael Brown 3 pass from Jon Bane (Porter kick)

DOANE: Phil Thramer 37 field goal

Third Quarter:

DWU: Josh Endres 6 run (Porter kick)

DOANE: Alex Dose 2 run (Kick failed)

Fourth Quarter:

DOANE: Safety

DWU: Arthur Brown 5 pass from Bane (Porter kick)

Individual stats:

Rushing: DWU: Josh Endres 36-127; Arthur Brown 2-3; Jon Bane 4-(-34); DOANE: Clayton Moore: 16-83; Jeff Weander 4-17; Josh Boggs 3-10; Alex Dose 3-2; Kai Perea 1-(-1).

Passing: DWU: Jon Bane: 18-28-1-220; Josh Endres 1-1-0-68; DOANE: Jeff Weander: 24-53-2-264.

Receiving: DWU: Michael Brown 5-94; Derek Carlson 5-86; Josh Endres 4-66; Arthur Brown 4-26; Dimitri Fahey 1-16. DOANE: Tyrone Curry 8-95; Josh Boggs 5-68; Jess Ver Velde 5-53; Nolan Kawata 4-31; John Tatum 2-17.

Defensive: DWU: Josh Thompson 8.5 tackles; Mike Barnaud 6.5 tackles; Matt McManus 6.5 tackles; Jeff Maassen interception; Andrew DeVaney interception.

Tags: sports, tigers, football, updates