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MOUNT VERNON — The 14 th-ranked Wartburg Knights controlled the clock and field possession and stayed unbeaten in the Iowa Conference with a 35-7 victory over Cornell in the Rams’ home finale Saturday at Ash Park Stadium.
Cornell put up a fight for most of the game, but dropped to 2-7 overall and 0-7 in the IIAC. The Rams close out the season at rival Coe at 12 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 in Cedar Rapids.
Wartburg (8-1, 7-0) worked on a short field the entire afternoon, starting its average drive on its own 48-yard line. The Knights held a nearly 11-minute advantage in time of possession (35:27 to 24:33), in large part due to converting 10-of-17 third down chances.
The Knights led 14-0 at halftime and 21-0 midway through the third quarter. Junior running back Travion Hardman ( Oak Park, Ill./ Oak Park River Forest) put the Rams on the scoreboard with a 22-yard touchdown with 6 minutes, 6 seconds left to go in the third quarter. It was just the third rushing touchdown the Knights have allowed all season and the second in 22 quarters.
With the game still in the balance at 21-7 late in the third quarter, Cornell delivered a defensive stand that turned the ball over on downs at the Rams’ 1. Cornell’s offense converted a first down, but then lost a fumble two plays later which resulted in an eventual Wartburg touchdown that made the score 28-7. The Knights finished the scoring with their fourth rushing touchdown of the game with nine minutes left to play.
Special teams hurt Cornell’s upset bid. The Rams had a 28-yard field goal blocked in the first quarter and averaged just 26.4 yards on five punt attempts.
Hardman and fullback Mike Thompson ( Eaton, Colo./Windsor) led Cornell’s ground game with 43 and 41 yards, respectively. Freshman quarterback Dallas Bush ( Plano, Texas/Plano East) completed 12-of-23 passes for 113 yards with an interception. Morgan Campbell ( Harrison, Ark./Wentworth Millitary Academy) had a team-high three receptions for 16 yards.
Sophomore safety Don Bladt (Shelby/AHST) had perhaps his best day as a Ram, tying his career high with 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He had two tackles for loss with a pass breakup and a blocked field goal.
Senior linebacker Chris Gustafson ( Lakewood, Colo./Bear Creek) shared game-high honors with 13 tackles. He tied the school’s single-season record for tackles-for-loss with 19, also held by Brett Murdock (2001). Gustafson also returned a kickoff 41 yards.
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