And to think the game was scoreless for nearly 13 minutes.
Unleashing a blizzard of touchdowns, the Central College football team erupted for 51 points in two periods in overwhelming Nebraska Wesleyan University 72-0 on a windy Saturday at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.
Quarterback Hunter Hoffman (sophomore, Pecatonica, Ill.) needed to stretch to push the football inches over the goal line for Central's first score with 2:09 left in the first quarter to press the ignition button. Hoffman then tossed consecutive 5-yard TD passes, quarterback Keegan Glover (sophomore, Benton, Ill.) added a 2-yard scoring run to make it 42-0 at intermission and the issue was settled. Central scored 28 second-quarter points and added 23 in the third quarter.
"Defensively, we played well," coach Jeff McMartin said. "We were very opportunistic and it was good to see us throw the ball effectively. We had a lot of receivers, we had a lot of guys run the football and we played a lot of people. So that's all very satisfying. We were coming off our bye week and sometimes you're not in good rhythm but I was very happy with (the game)."
It was the first Dutch first shutout since the last time they faced Nebraska Wesleyan, a 58-0 whitewashing at Lincoln, Nebraska Oct. 1, 2022. Central (6-1 overall, 4-1 American Rivers) has outscored the Prairie Wolves 130-0 in the teams' last two meetings.
Saturday's 72-point margin was the second largest in school history, eclipsing a memorable 71-0 NCAA Division III playoff romp in the snow over Occidental (Calif.) in 1985. The record margin was an 83-0 drubbing of Iowa Wesleyan in 1964. Saturday's point total was Central's highest since an 84-16 victory at Simpson College in 2021.
While Hoffman's lunge got the Dutch started, coach Jeff McMartin pointed to Central's recovery of the ensuing kickoff, which hung up in the 20 mph winds, then took a couple of hops away from the Nebraska Wesleyan returners and was recovered at the 20-yard line by linebacker Jonathan Weaver (sophomore, Lenox). Less than 90 seconds later, Ryan Neu (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) hauled in the first of his two TD grabs. On the next Nebraska Wesleyan possession, linebacker Joe Jansen (junior, Pella) blocked a punt that was returned to the 7-yard line, setting up a 5-yard Hoffman TD pass to tight end Grant Nelson (junior, Pella), and the scoring blitz was on.
"That kickoff was a really big play," coach Jeff McMartin said. "Getting on that ball and getting possession was a huge thing. And blocking a punt was huge. They gave us very short fields which allowed us to strike quickly and kind of put the game away."
Central limited Nebraska Wesleyan (4-3 overall, 2-3 conference) to just two first-half first downs and held a 25-8 first downs advantage for the game. The Dutch had a 485-177-yard edge in total offense as Nebraska Wesleyan managed just 58 rushing yards. Two Nebraska Wesleyan quarterbacks completed 16 of 33 passes for 119 yards.
Central rushed for 132 yards, including 44 yards and a score on nine carries for Glover. Hoffman finished 18-26 through the air for 208 yards and four TDs. Brady Ketchum (junior, Mount Vernon) came off the bench to connect on 15 of 21 passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns as the Dutch were 34-of-49 overall for 353 yards and seven touchdowns.
Jacob Birch (freshman, Harlan) had a career-high five catches for 42 yards and a score. Logan Mont (senior, Aurora, Ill., North Aurora HS) had four catches for 58 yards. Nelson had the day's longest reception, a 46-yard catch and run that ended just inches from the end zone.
Nine Central players scored touchdowns, including defensive lineman Ethan Thomas (sophomore, Ankeny), who sprinted 33 yards with a fumble return.
"That's awesome," McMartin said. "Certainly it's nothing that you keep track of or worry about during the game but it's nice to hear and good for our guys."
Yet it was the defense that set the tone early.
"We have a lot of seniors up front that have a lot of experience and so it starts right there," McMartin said. "But I think our secondary's also played very well and we made good adjustments."
Central was credited for eight pass breakups, with two for corneback Derek Pacheco (sophomore, Littleton, Colo., Thunder Ridge HS). Linebacker Cameron Bannister (5th-year, State Center, West Marshall HS) had seven tackles, with one for loss. Linebackers Reid Pakkebier (junior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) and Cole Clark (junior, Lisbon) each had six tackles and linebacker Clayton Scott (junior, Cedar Rapids, Prairie HS) had five.
The Dutch have outscored their last three opponents 165-30 and McMartin is hoping they continue to press the accelerator.
"We're seven games into this and I think we're starting to see that we are getting better," McMartin said. "We are improving and some of the things that we set out to do in the preseason or the offseason, we're starting to see a lot of that happen for us and that's a good feeling."
But No. 4-ranked Wartburg College looms on the immediate horizon for the Dutch, who travel to Waverly for a 1 p.m. game next Saturday. The Knights are 8-0 overall and 6-0 in conference action after rocking Loras College 62-7 at Dubuque Saturday. The defending conference champions held off Central at Pella last year 35-28.