Zack Bandow run Oct. 25, 2008

More OT magic--Central rallies past Cornell

MOUNT VERNON—Relying on the kind of late-game theatrics that were the hallmark of Central College’s 2007 championship football season, the Dutch surged from a 16-point second-half deficit for a 29-22 overtime victory at Cornell College Saturday.  

Quarterback Zack Bandow (sophomore, Manilla, IKM HS) came off the bench to fire three touchdown passes to deliver the win for Central (5-2 overall, 3-2 Iowa Conference). Cornell had been on the brink of securing its first Iowa Conference victory since Oct. 15, 2005. The Rams (0-8 overall, 0-6 conference) haven’t defeated Central since 1978, a string of 16 games.        

Bandow’s 5-yard scoring pass to Kurtis Brondyke (sophomore, Clinton) with 2:56 remaining helped force the overtime. Then he hit Matt VerMeer (senior, Montezuma) for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of the overtime and the Central defense shut down Cornell on four plays for the victory.

It was Central’s third come-from-behind win of the year and its 11th over the past two seasons.  The Dutch have won their last six overtime games and are 10-2 overall in extra periods.

Central won despite getting outgained by Cornell 393-241 yards. In the last 20 regular-season games in which they’ve been outgained, Central is 18-2.

“To our credit, the kids never quit,” coach Jeff McMartin said. “They just battled. The longer we played the better we got. They never quit, they just kept working and found a way to succeed. Those are qualities that are what Central College football is all about and they’re also qualities that are important in your life.”

With Central trailing 22-6 midway through the third quarter, freshman defensive back Ryan Schmidt (Keswick, Tri-County HS) intercepted a Cornell pass at midfield. Earlier in the period Bandow had replaced Jarred Lackey (sophomore, Somerton, Ariz., Cibola HS) who was making his third consecutive start at quarterback. Bandow directed a four-play, 51-yard scoring drive, delivering a 32-yard TD strike to VerMeer. Central got the 2-point conversion on a Bandow pass to Mike Furlong (freshman, Davenport, Assumption HS).

Central stopped a Cornell drive at the Dutch 28-yard line with 7:51 left in the game, but then saw comeback hopes fade on the next play, losing a fumbled snap. But again the Dutch defense stiffened and Central took over on its own 25-yard line where Bandow began a nine-play, 75-yard drive. After Central gained a first down on the Cornell 5-yard-line, hopes again began to dim as a run and two pass incompletions left the Dutch still on the 5. Bandow’s fourth-down pass was incomplete but Cornell was flagged for defensive holding, giving the Dutch a first down. Two plays later Bandow completed the scoring pass to Brondyke. Lackey then reentered and tossed a game-tying 2-point conversion pass to VerMeer.

Michael O'RourkeAfter Central’s overtime touchdown, the Dutch pushed Cornell back to the 36-yard line on two rushes, an incompletion a sack and a 5-yard penalty to secure the win.

“They (the defense) showed up,” McMartin said of the overtime. “It reminded me of the Dubuque game last year (a triple-overtime victory). They just started making plays.”

Cornell dominated the first half, taking a 7-0 lead on the opening drive and a 16-6 advantage at halftime. Central’s lone first-half touchdown was set up by Cam Waugh’s (senior, Fort Collins, Colo., Loveland HS) 59-yard kickoff return. David Zachary (junior, Des Moines, Dowling HS) found the end zone on a 21-yard run.

Cornell quarterback Dallas Bush completed 16 of 25 passes for 250 yards and a score with one interception. Running back Travion Hardman rushed for 139 yards on 37 carries.

“We didn’t execute real well in the first half,” McMartin said. “We weren’t able to get much going. Cornell played extremely well. They have a good offense and some very good athletes. They did a great job and we couldn’t get them off the field.”

But Bandow stepped in and was 10-of-19 for 151 yards with no interceptions in the second half.

“Zack has done a very good job of preparation every week,” McMartin said. “For every game for seven weeks, there’s been no change. He watches film, he studies and he puts the time in during practice. When you do those things, you can come off the bench, run the offense and execute like he did today.”

Lackey was 4-of-8 for 22 yards. Zachary rushed for 50 yards on 11 carries. VerMeer had three receptions for 61 yards and two TDs while Brondyke had three catches for 47 yards and one score. Brondyke, the conference punting leader, also averaged 45.7 yards on six kicks, landing four inside the 20-yard line.

“Kurtis punted extremely well and made a couple of huge catches as well,” McMartin said.

Defensive stinger Shane Wong (freshman, Pleasant Hill, Southeast Polk HS) recorded the sack in overtime. The league’s sack leader had three on the day, giving him nine for the year. He had nine tackles while linebacker Justin VerSteeg (senior, Pella) and defensive stinger Corben Schueler (junior, Granger, Woodward-Granger HS) had eight. Linebacker Greg Best (sophomore, Clive, Valley HS) made seven stops.

“Shane’s got a great motor,” McMartin said. “He’s got great pass rush techniques that make him hard to defend. But you also have to credit the playmaking ability of his teammates. There were times where they pressured the quarterback and Shane came in and cleaned it up.

Also one of our sacks was a coverage sack. We just didn’t leave anybody open.”