By james art 
UNK head coach Ryan Held posted game commentary
Kearney, Nebraska – Redshirt junior back Isaiah Harris ran for 147 yards, the defense had a second-half shutout and Nebraska Kearney overcame two weather delays to edge Washburn, 14-13Saturday night in Topeka, Kan.
The Lopers (5-4, 3-4) beat the Ichabods (2-7, 2-6) for the fourth straight time, improving to 3-2 in one-score games and 4-1 on the road. Meanwhile, a young WU team falls to 1-4 both at home and in one-score contests.
“I told our team it was going to be a dog fight and we knew the weather was going to be interesting. But I didn’t know it was going to be this interesting,” the UNK head coach said Ryan Held on KRVN Radio’s postgame show. “Our players are resilient. You lose 13-0 away, it’s a homecoming for them and we’re coming off a tough loss. This could have gone either way for us.
A steady rain fell throughout the afternoon at Yager Stadium, with the first time delay coming at halftime and the second stoppage of play with UNK ahead 14-13 with just over a minute remaining. WU faced 3rd-and-12 at the Loper 47-yard line as the teams went to the locker room with 1:10 left.
After the long layup, sophomore quarterback Sam Van Dyne threw two incompletions and the Lopers took control on downs. WU took its first time out on third down. UNK then ran for six yards on the next three plays as the Ichabods burned their final two timeouts. Eight seconds left, redshirt freshman Marty Mormino (Omaha Westside) hit a high shot that not only landed inside the WU five, but ran out of the clock. The ‘Bods were also called for roughing Mormino, but UNK refused the flag and the game ended. The Blue & Gold did not concede a single penalty on the day.
“Our guys just keep fighting; this is what we do. “It’s two straight road games with an overall win, and that’s not easy to do in this conference,” Held said. “(During the break) we made our adjustments and the guys were just hanging out. We were very excited to come back because it was right there for us.”
Harris (Millard South) had his second straight 100-yard day and fourth of the fall, going for 147 yards and a score on 35 carries. He also caught two balls for 12 yards as the Lopers dominated the second half. They outgained WU by a margin of 142-35 in large part on the legs of Harris and the quarterback Reagan Jones (Wichita).
“I told the boys this week and last night that we have to be able to embrace the circumstances. The team that does that, runs with it and doesn’t shake it, we’re going to have a chance to win. Our guys did that,” Held said.
UNK scored a TD on back-to-back drives early in the fourth as Harris bulled his way from eight yards out on 3rd-and-4. That capped an eight-play, 41-yard drive. In the subsequent second corner down Jovan Marsh (Robbins, Ill.) intercepted a Van Dyne pass that went up in the air where a defender David Lilley (Wahoo) picked it up and returned it to the WU 32-yard line. Jones called his own number to convert 3rd-and-4 and then Harris gained 11 yards on three straight plays. Finally, on 2nd and goal, Jones scampered nine yards for his 29th career rushing score. He finished with 37 in eight overs.
Van Dyne and running back QB Keller Hurla were a combined 6 of 14 for 84 yards and one INT, while six Bods carried the ball 38 times for 109 yards (2.9 avg) and two scores. Leading rusher was Tyler Bowden (16 carries, 74 yards).
Washburn’s second TD came after “STUD” Julis Jackson beat Jones at the Washburn six and raced 78 yards down the field. That led to a two-yard run by quarterback Lucas Oitker on 4th-and-goal with 2:19 left in the first half. The Bods received the opening kickoff and drove 68 yards on four plays, with Van Dyne completing a 44-yard pass to sophomore receiver Maury Sullivan. It was a botched play as on a high kick several Lopers chased down Van Dyne and the loose ball.
In addition to that Jackson interception, UNK fumbled at the Washburn 14-yard line and missed field goals of 42 and 44 yards in the first half.
“We played well on offense in the first half, but we ended up turning it over in the red zone. In this type of game you have to be able to run the football and Isaiah did that. We’re built to be able to play in any weather,” Held said.
Defensive end Quillen Felton (Lithonia, Ga.) blocked a PAT by Papillion senior Trenton Behm after WU’s first score, the Lopers’ ninth blocked punt in the last two years. He also had five tackles, a forced fumble and was part of a defensive effort that limited WU to a 3-of-12 third-down effort.
“It’s a mindset because you can score on that play (PAT). Now our boys like it because it’s like a volleyball game. Going up, breaking and blocking the ball,” Held said.
In the air and through the rain, Jones was 13 of 29 for 118 yards and two INTs with receivers Djimon Wheeler (Norman Park, GA) and Ernest McDaniel-Mitchell (Playa Del Ray, Calf.) with three catches each. Jones’ second INT of the game started the second half with a UNK defense that bent down the middle of the field and forced the ‘Bods to punt.
Also for UNK, Marsh and Lilly each had five stops with a lineman Chris Valdez (Albuquerque, NM) recovers a fumble forced by a safety Jammer Jones (Maryland). Washburn’s defense was led by linebacker LJ Miner Jr. (15 tackles) and safety Jordan Finnessy (12 tackles).
The Lopers stay on the road as they head to Joplin next Saturday to take on Missouri Southern. The Lions (1-8) had a bye today.