The result was a resounding 47-7 romp and the first blemish on the Norse record. Luther (4-1 overall, 1-1 Iowa Conference) contributed to its own demise with four fumbles, including turnovers on its first two possessions.
"Luther's a good football team," coach Jeff McMartin said. "They've been scoring points on everybody all season. We knew it wasn't going to be a 7-0 game. We had to get up on them."
Central (3-2 overall, 1-1 conference) sprinted to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and broke the game open with three third-quarter scores.
Running back Josh Osborn (senior, Burlington) rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, topping the 100-yard mark for the sixth straight game.
"Josh had a great day," McMartin said. "And those were hard yards. He really had to work and the line did a very good job of blocking."
Meanwhile quarterback Aaron Eiseler (senior, Mesa, Ariz., Red MouJoshntain HS) connected on 16 of 23 passes for 173 yards and a pair of TD strikes to wide receiver Brendon Boerm (senior, Traer, North Tama HS). Boerm had seven catches for 109 yards.
"We found a few things that worked pretty well," McMartin said. "Aaron (Eiseler) played very well. And we had some great catches by our wide receivers and tight ends and we were able to get the ball in the end zone. If you can score off of turnovers that's a big part of the game."
Luther came into the game averaging 465 yards a game, including 419 on the ground. But Central held the Norse to 238 yards of offense and just 217 yards rushing. Fullback Josh Vos, who was averaging 118.5 yards a game, was limited to 23 yards on nine carries. Quarterback J.J. Sirios, who averaged 108.5 yards, was Luther's top ground gainer Saturday with 51 on 18 attempts. He completed only 1-of-4 through the air for 21 yards.
"The defense played outstanding," McMartin said. "(Defensive coordinator Don) De Waard developed an excellent game plan and the players did a great job of executing it. They played assignment football. Everyone was focused and did their individual job."
An errant pitch on the game's first play from scrimmage put Central on the Luther 24-yard line. Five plays later, Eiseler sprinted 12 yards to the end zone on a play fake for a 7-0 lead.
The Dutch regained possession on a second Luther fumble but came up empty before Osborn completed an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a 9-yard TD run. His 1-yard score completed a 56-yard, 11-play drive with 7:45 left in the second quarter.
But Luther still threatened, needing just 1:08 to roll 64 yards in five plays for a late first-half touchdown and seemingly left the field with some momentum.
Central swiftly regained command in the third quarter, however, as Boerm made some difficult 6- and 14-yard scoring grabs in a 3-minute span.
"Brendon jumped over a guy in the end zone for a catch that was a really special play," McMartin said.
Osborn also displayed some theatrics on a fourth-down play from the 10-yard line, spinning and twisting his way into the end zone to stretch the lead to 41-7 with 3:35 still remaining in the third quarter.
"We were just trying to get a first down," McMartin said. "That was great second- and third-effort by Josh."
One play after defensive back Bryan Mejia (junior, Miami, Fla., Coral Gables HS) swatted down a Luther field goal try, backup running back Schyler Bardole (senior, Rippey, East Greene HS) burst up the middle for his first collegiate touchdown, a 65-yard sprint that completed the scoring with 5:14 left in the game.
The return of middle linebacker Jordan Wachter (senior, Clive, Waukee HS) gave the Dutch defense a lift. He had eight tackles, sharing team-high honors with strong safety Jacob Tune (senior, Mesa, Ariz., Red Mountain HS) and linebacker Jessie Peterson (Coralville, Iowa City West HS), who also recovered a fumble.
It was the kind of performance McMartin hoped he would see from the Dutch this fall.
"We definitely took some good steps," he said. "The kids did a good job of staying focused. They had a great mindset and really executed well."
Central returns home Saturday to meet Loras College in a 1 p.m. game at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.
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