MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - The Coe College football team opened the 2023 season on Saturday afternoon with a dominant 56-6 victory over Cornell College, extending its current win streak over the Rams to 23 games. The Kohawks offense was explosive from the opening whistle, totaling 725 yards from scrimmage, the third-highest total in school history and the highest total in almost 30 years.
Dominic Shepardson spearheaded the big-play offense, tying the school record with four receiving touchdowns including a 48-yard score on Coe's first offensive play of the game. The Kohawks offense added two more touchdowns in the opening half on a 67-yard strike from
Carter Maske to Shepardson before
Jacob Brecht delivered a 71-yard house call early in the second quarter. The offense turned things on in the second half, adding 28 points highlighted by an 87-yard touchdown pass from
Caden Mata to
Devon Kollasch. The Kohawk defense was nearly perfect throughout the first contest of the year, surrendering just 115 total yards and one touchdown on a punt return late in the third quarter.
COE 56 - CORNELL 6
GAME FACTS
- The Kohawks struck for 14 points in the opening six minutes of the first quarter, getting two long touchdown passes to Shepardson. The senior took the opening play for Coe's offense down the left sideline and beat numerous defenders to the end zone. Later in the quarter Maske found him streaking across the field and he did the rest, sprinting past the defense for a 67-yard score.
- Brecht broke his first big run of the day early in the second quarter, busting a run to the outside down the sideline to put Coe up 21-0. Maske found Shepardson for the third time with 49 second to play in the half, capping off a four play, 50 yard scoring drive that lasted just 1:11 seconds.
- The duo struck for the final time on the initial drive following halftime, connecting this time for a 28-yard score in the middle of the end zone as Shepardson tied the school record which has been hit three times prior. Caden Mata combined with a pair of receivers for Coe's next two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, finishing off an eight play, 69-yard drive with a three-yard pass to Jeron Senters. Mata later found Devon Kollasch with a beautifully thrown deep ball down the right sideline, connecting with his target who escaped a handful of defenders before dashing to the endzone.
Up next: Coe is back on the gridiron a week from today hosting UW-Eau Claire in its final non-conference game of the regular season at Clark Field at 1 PM.
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