Media Release

The day didn’t start off on a good note for the Bobcats as the Broncos took the opening kickoff and returned it 85 yards for the touchdown. The Bobcats first possession resulted in a punt after six plays totaling 25 yards. The Bobcats defensive squad stayed strong for most of the game giving up just a few big plays that resulted in the Bronco win. Peru held Hastings to 297 total yards as the Bobcats finished the game with 313 yards of total offense. Hastings would put points up on the board two more times before the half as they connected on a three yard TD pass to go up 14-0 and then picked up a safety in the second quarter off a blocked punt that rolled out of the back of the Bobcats end zone.

The Bobcats had opportunities to score all day but couldn’t capitalize. Kicker Zach Kohlhoff missed a 31 yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. Peru’s offense was heading in the right direction today as they found the red zone five times during the game but could not convert. It looked like the Bobcats would score just before the half as they picked off the Hastings quarterback and used a six play; 29 yard drive to get the ball to the Broncos one yard line. It looked as though Peru had crossed the goal line and scored on the draw up the middle off a second surge but the officials didn’t call the play dead and the ball was striped by a Bronco defender and recovered.

Peru finished with 209 yards on the ground coming off 40 rushing attempts while throwing for 104 yards in the air on 11 of 28 with no INT’s. The Bobcats finished with 14 total first downs gaining eight on the ground, four in the air, and picking up two off Bronco penalties. Peru had 68 total plays for the game that gave them an average of 4.6 yards per play. Turnovers played a key role in the game for the Bobcats as they put five balls on the ground while losing three of them to the Broncos.

On the offensive side of the ball for the Bobcats, John Noojin led the team in rushing with 89 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback James Dawson finished with 57 yards on seven attempts on the ground while throwing for 105 yards in the air on 10 of 25 with his longest throw connecting with Cody Willinger on a 47 yard pick up. Willinger finished the game with two catches for 51 yards while running back Nate Jeter finished with three catches for 31 yards. Zach Kohlhoff had a busy day for the Bobcats as he punted the ball seven times for an average of 37.9 yards, his longest punt being a 78 yard boot that pinned the Broncos inside the five yard line.

The Bobcat defense was led by the linebacker core of Ryan Newell, Derek Derr, and Dustin Sealey. Newell finished the game with 11 total tackles, six of which were unassisted, and two for a loss of yards. Derr finished the game with nine tackles, two for a loss of yards and Sealey added seven tackles on the day. Defensive back Fred Whitted Jr. aided the effort with six tackles while breaking up two passes and pulling down one interception. Talyor Spears would grab an interception along with Jeremy Weidner who returned his INT for 20 yards.

The Bobcats will return to action next week as they hit the road to North Dakota to take on the Jimmies of Jamestown College. This will be the Jimmies first game of the 2008 season as kickoff is set for 1pm on September 6th.