Turnovers tell the story as Pride fall 37-13 to Missouri Valley
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Opening the home portion of their schedule in their third game of the year, the Clarke University football team dropped to 0-3 in a 37-13 final score to Missouri Valley College at Dalzell Field on Saturday afternoon.
Following a scoreless first quarter, it was a back and forth second quarter into the third as the first score of the game came from the Vikings defense as they forced a fumble from CU's Bradey Huseman that was returned 45 yards by Eddie Ranking of Missouri Valley for the first score of the game to make it 6-0 after a failed two-point PAT from MVC.
The following drive for the Pride, Jaden Warren would convert a fourth and one with a 13-yard rush before Carson Estrada would an open Jackson Ostrander for a 41-yard touchdown pass to give Clarke their first lead of the 2024 season and their first offensive touchdown since the third quarter of their season opener two weeks ago at Midland.
Estrada was given the reigns to the offense this week, as the freshman Tabor College transfer from Twentynine Palms, Calif. got his first start for the Pride and finished the game going 18-for-38 with 265 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Turnovers would continue to be the story throughout the remainder of the game as another fumble, this time by Warren, would give the Vikings the ball back in CU territory before they would go on to score on a six-play, 40-yard drive over 2:27 of game time as quarterback Cole Robertson finished off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run.
Looking to swing the momentum, the Clarke defense created back-to-back turnovers as sophomore safety Gabe Guyton intercepted a pair of Robertson deep passes on back-to-back Missouri Valley drives, first with 42 seconds left in the first half on a ball thrown into the end zone then in the first drive of the second half where he would be downed on the Clarke 12 yard line.
The very next play from scrimmage, Estrada would hesitate before firing a pass over the middle to Roland Hazard Jr. as Hazard Jr. would find daylight and streak down the left sideline for an 88-yard touchdown reception to regain the lead for the Pride at 13-6 following a failed two-point try from Clarke.
Hazard Jr. finished with three catches for 101 yards and added 74 yards on kick returns as he's making a habit of scoring long touchdowns as he scored that 88-yard catch and run following a week where he scored the first kick return touchdown in Clarke football history with a 99 yard return touchdown against Missouri Baptist last Saturday.
Unfortunately for CU, that lead would be shortlived as the ensuing kickoff would be ruturned by MVC's Tavion Campbell 96 yards for a touchdown to make it a 19-13 Vikings lead.
Later in the third quarter, the Vikings would turn the two Estrada interceptions into touchdown drives as the first was a six-play, 68 yard score over 2:01 capped off by a Rondarius Gregory 17-yard touchdown run then the second was a one-play 15-yard touchdown drive as Gregory would find the end zone again on a 15-yard rush to take the game from 19-13 with Clarke in MVC territory at 5:14 left int he third quarter to a 31-13 game almost exactly four game minutes later.
Clarke's fifth and final turnover would lead to the final score of the game from the Vikings as Gregory would find pay dirt for the third time with a 19-yard rush following CU's third fumble lost of the game, pushing the score to its eventual final of 37-13.
CU would finish the game with more yards of total offense than Missouri Valley at 351-260 but 157 net yards of rushing by the Vikings, led by Gregory's 65 yards on 12 carries with three scores and Robertson adding 43 yards on 10 carries with a score.
Bryan Valdes, Steele Fredricks, and Jonah Robinson starred for the Pride defense as Valdes would finish with 10 total tackles (4 solo, 6 assist) Fredricks added seven tackles with the Pride's only sack for a loss of 17 yards to finish with three total tackles for a loss of 20 total yards, then Robinson produced six tackles with 1.5 tackles for a loss of six yards.
Pride football will head back on the road for a 2:00 p.m. CT start in Fayette, Mo. against Central Methodist University on Saturday, Sept. 21 against the Eagles.