MITCHELL, S.D. - Doane led 14-7 after one quarter of play, but then Dakota Wesleyan (2-4, 2-3 GPAC) took a stranglehold on the game in the second and third quarters, scoring touchdowns on five consecutive possessions, and DWU defeated Doane (1-6, 1-5 GPAC) 47-21 in the GPAC football clash of the Tigers on Saturday afternoon in South Dakota.  

The Doane offense looked resurgent to start the game with the return of starting quarterback Sam Hartman, who was unable to play last week against Dordt. Hartman threw touchdowns to two unlikely candidates, tight end Nate Fox and linebacker Reece Zutavern, his first two passing touchdowns not to a running back in his college career, to help stake Doane to an early lead in a high-flying first quarter. Zutavern’s third career score came with 15 seconds left in the first frame, and gave the visiting Tigers a 14-7 lead.  

But then the homestanding Tigers steadily seized control. Dakota Wesleyan outscored Doane 33-0 over the middle two periods, scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives, and overall scored 40 straight points to flip a 14-7 deficit into a 47-14 lead. Quarterback Carter Robinson keyed the offense with four total touchdowns and exactly 300 yards of total offense and Cole Holden caught two scores, including one with ten seconds left in the first half that gave DWU its first lead of the day. 

And that score proved to be the play that put DWU in front for good, because Doane’s offense was able to move the ball consistently in the second half but was not able to score until the final possession of the game, a 1-yard quarterback dive by Hartman to finally end DWU’s scoring run. But the damage had more than been done: Dakota Wesleyan prevailed 47-21, its second lopsided win in a row after starting the year 0-4.  

Up next, Doane will head back home to Crete after two long road trips for the Tigers’ 2024 Homecoming game. Doane will welcome Concordia to Crete next Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 1 PM. As always, you can listen to the broadcast on Ol’ Red 99.5 starting at 12:30, and you can watch the game live here on News Channel Nebraska.