Early deficits in each half lead to Pride 37-22 loss against Mount Marty
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Opening their 2025 season with a brand new non-conference opponent, the Clarke University football team fell to Mount Marty University by a final score 37-22 at Dalzell Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Pride took a bit get going in both halves of the game, falling behind by 20-0 early in the second quarter after Lancers quarterback Rugby Ryken was able to complete a trio of long passes, the first two after breaking contain of the CU rush then finding an open man downfield then the third took advantage of a Clarke defender not being able to find the ball as Ryken placed a quality throw into the hands of Rodney Broadnax to make it 20-0 with 8:21 remaining in the first half.
That would be when Clarke would answer offensively as CU quarterback Carson Estrada would complete all three of his four pass attempts on the drive and Bradey Huseman would rush for a 24-yard gain on a 2nd and 6 as the last Estrada pass attempt found a wide open Riley Hawkins in the end zone from 13 yards out to cut into the MMU lead 20-7 after Steele Fredricks extra point kick was good.
The last four minutes of the second quarter was a back-and-forth finish where the Lancers scored on a seven-play 63-yard drive over 2:31 of game time where Ryken would instead rush in the team's fourth score with 1:35 left on the clock.
In the Pride's ensuing possession, it would just take Estrada two passes to get the ball 65 yards down the field as Jackson Ostrander-Krier made an outstanding one-handed catch down the right sideline for a 19-yard completion then Davin Hawkins broke wide open after Estrada broke contain for a 46-yard touchdown in just 25 total seconds to once again make it a two-score game at 27-14 heading to the half.
Receiving the opening kickoff of the second half, Mount Marty used a 44-yard kickoff return from Jacob Carbajal to set them up in plus territory at the Clarke 39 yard line where they would go down and be limited to a field goal from 36 yards to make it 30-14.
The Lancers would again outscore CU by double figures to start a half as they would add another Ryken touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as he would find his fourth touchdown target in the form of Malachy Harts out of the back field for a walk-in touchdown with 7:28 left in the game to make it 37-14.
Again, Clarke would provide a late answer but a little too late when Estrada found one of his running backs out of the back field in Huseman for his own walk-in touchdown to put the score at its eventual final of 37-22.
Ryken and Estrada would both finish with 18 completions, over 200 yards and an interception in a little desperation mode as Ryken attempted to complete a hail mary attempt to end the half where CU's Jordan Summage would pick the ball off in the end zone and attempt to return it then Estrada would attempt a deep pass with the score at 37-22 after earning another possesion late where MMU's Daniel Pierce would intercept it to seal the game with 43 seconds left.
Harts powered the Lancers' rushing attack, finishing the game 148 yards on 27 rush attempts along with the 15-yard touchdown reception then the Pride's tail back combo of Huseman and transfer junior Caleb Perry combined for 138 yards on 25 rush attempts with Perry taking a bulk of the carries with 90 yards on 17 attempts.
Both teams had at least three pass catchers with multiple receptions as the Lancers had three and the Pride had four, led by Davin Hawkins' five catches for a game-high 101 yards while Ostradner-Krier had three catches for 62 yards, Riley Hawkins four catches for 47 yards, and Perry caught two balls for nine yards.
Making a position change from running back to linebacker heading into the 2025 season, Clarke's Jaden Warren led all players with 13 tackles on the game with three solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles then Camden Schoor was the only other player in the game with double digit tackles at 10 with 1.5 tackles for a loss as well.
Clarke football will head on the road next week when they face Heart of America Athletic Conference South foe Missouri Valley College on Sept. 6 with a scheduled 3:00 p.m. CT kickoff in Marshall, Mo.