‘Dogs fall to top-ranked defending champs in OT

Published 2:14 pm Tuesday, September 3, 2024

A final snap from the 3-yard line determined the outcome in a game that saw two prolific offenses combine for over 1,000 yards Saturday.

Up 42-41 in overtime, NJCAA No. 1 Iowa Western (1-0) stopped No. 11 Georgia Military College’s (1-1) trick play two-point attempt that, had it been successful, would have seen the Bulldogs pull off an upset on Davenport Field. Instead the visitors enjoyed a one-point road win over a quality opponent on what was a boiling hot Georgia afternoon.

The Reivers from Iowa got the football first in the overtime period, scoring on a Jonathan Humpal 2-yard rush on their fourth play from scrimmage. They kicked the extra point to go up 42-35 and force the host Bulldogs to answer.

The home team did get six on a Trevon Kinchen TD rush from 7 yards out. He was aided by a mass of Bulldog humanity that pushed him the final 4 yards over the goal line.

Then came decision time – kick the extra point and keep playing overtime or go for the win. The Bulldogs coaching staff under Rob Manchester went for glory.

The GMC offense was not at full strength for the deciding play. Second-year starting quarterback Chip Cooper, who had rushed for 189 yards and thrown for 175, was held off the field due to injury sustained in the extra period. Still the Bulldogs trotted out the offense under backup Jaylan Brown to try and get the win after having scored the touchdown. Brown at first lined up behind center in the shotgun, then shifted out left to allow someone else to take the snap. Brown then came back to his right and accepted a reverse handoff before looking to throw the football. Unable to find a receiver, he tucked it and ran, but was stopped well short of the goal line. The ‘Dogs left Davenport in defeat while the two-time defending junior college football national champs Iowa Western celebrated victory before a long trip home.

Early on it looked as though the good crowd on hand was going to see an upset. The Bulldogs came out of the gate on fire in their second home game in as many weeks. After flipping the called play from right to left on the first drive, the QB Cooper scooted 71 yards around the right edge for the day’s first score. It was the first of three plays that went for 70 or more yards in the matchup, two by GMC and one by Iowa Western.

Cooper, a sophomore from Worth County, got a second TD rush in the first to put his team up 14-0. The Reivers got on the board late in the period, but fell behind two scores again the second before fighting back to knot things up at 21-all going into halftime.

That made for an entertaining second half as the two teams battled the heat. Each contender got a defensive stand at the goal line. The Reivers’ opening drive of the third was halted at the 2-yard line when their quarterback Hunter Dekkers threw a pick on third-and-goal to GMC’s Keith Johnson. Still tied at 21, the Bulldogs were looking to take the lead early in the fourth, but a fourth-and-goal run at the 2 was stopped cold for a turnover on downs.

All the second-half scoring took place in the fourth quarter, and all TDs were on the ground. Besides Cooper, Keenan Phillips was the standout back for the ‘Dogs Saturday. He rushed six times for 82 yards and two scores, including a 60-yard scamper to make it 28-28 with five minutes to play.

Iowa Western clapped back quickly in barely over a minute with Daniel Swinney providing the go-ahead TD from 2 yards out. The Bulldogs answered with a 72-yard bomb from Cooper to wide receiver Recordo Tarver up the right side that set up first and goal. Phillips on the next play took the wildcat snap and got across the goal line to even the score once again with just under two minutes left in regulation.

Neither team did anything with their remaining possessions as each got one before the horn sounded, signaling the need for overtime at 35-35.

The Reivers scored with relative ease on that first drive, aided by a defensive pass interference call that set them up at the 2. They scored on the next play and kicked the extra point. GMC got the necessary TD, but came up short in going for the win.

Iowa Western won the yardage battle 539-489. Their QB Dekkers was 20-of-30 passing for 296 yards with one TD and the one red zone pick. It took awhile for the visitors’ ground game to get going, but both Humpal and Swinney surpassed the century mark rushing and had two TDs apiece. Fresh Walters was Dekkers’ top target with 108 yards receiving. Fans of major college football may recognize Hunter Dekkers’ name. He was the former starter at Iowa State, but was banned by the NCAA last year for betting on his own team’s games. For a lot of student-athletes, junior college football is about second chances, and that’s what Dekkers is getting in Council Bluffs with the Reivers.

Cooper was far and away the Bulldogs’ offensive leader with his combined 364 yards running and throwing. Tarver led the receivers with 112 yards on three catches to go along with a touchdown. Linebacker Jarris Coney played a strong game defensively with 10 total tackles, 2 ½ going for losses.

With Saturday’s narrow defeat in the rearview mirror, the Bulldogs now turn their attention towards what should be another tough test in Tyler Junior College. GMC will head to Texas to face Tyler in a 2 p.m. kick Saturday.