Dubuque holds off Knights

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- The Vince Brautigam era at Dubuque began with a win. It wasn't a pretty win; in fact, at times it was pretty ugly, but Brautigam said prior to the game he'd take an ugly one.

The Spartans' 21-14 victory over the Martin Luther Knights Saturday afternoon at "The Bowl" qualifies.

In the first game of the season for both teams, the Spartans and the Knights combined for 17 penalties, eight turnovers and plenty of inconsistent play. After early offensive success by both teams, the game turned into a defensive struggle.

"I thought our defense really sucked it up and really played a great game," MLC coach Dennis Gorsline said. "I don't know how many times we turned it over and we gave them field position and they came in on the sudden change. The (defense) just played their butts off."

Brautigam, hired away from Mount Senario (Wis.) to bring Dubuque back to football respectability, wasn't terribly concerned about how the Spartans did it, just that they won.

"I tell you, we'll take it," Brautigam said. "They won their first game (since 1999). We didn't care how it looked. We just wanted these kids to get a taste of their first college win."

When Ben Kuerth's 4th-and-11 pass from the Spartans 28, intended for Casey Holtz, was broken up by the Spartans' Brian Walker with 26 seconds in the game, Dubuque tasted victory. The Spartans were winless in 2000 and were outscored 485-34.

"It seems like they've made a commitment to football," Gorsline said. "They didn't have that many plays, they just executed them really well."

Offensively, it appeared it was going to be an auspicious start for both Dubuque (1-0) and MLC (0-1). The teams combined for 349 yards of total offense in the first half, and almost all of it came in the first 17 minutes.

With just 1:47 gone in the second quarter, the score was tied at 14. Contrary to typical first games, the offenses were way ahead of the defenses.

But then both defenses clamped down, and the game started to become more ragged for the offenses. Except for what would prove to be Dubuque's winning touchdown just before the end of the first half, scoring became nonexistent.

"We made some adjustments," said MLC senior linebacker Carlos Leyrer, who was in on a game-high 25 stops. "We didn't have a good scout on them so we didn't know what to expect. That first (Dubuque scoring) drive was on the fly. But we adjusted, we got out of our base defense and ran the 46 (defense) pretty much the whole day."

The Spartans made their adjustments, too. Sophomore Seth Fitzsimmons was 7 of 13 for 104 yards and two touchdowns midway through the second quarter before the Spartans' pass rush, which recorded nine sacks, began to capitalize on its decided advantage in quickness.

Fitzsimmons left the game when he was sacked for a 16-yard loss on the Knights' last offensive play of the first half. Preliminary indications were a right shoulder separation; Fitzsimmons throws right-handed.

After that, with Kuerth at quarterback the entire second half, MLC's offense often took one step forward, one step back. There were big plays, but there was no continuity and none of the Knights' drives could be sustained.

"We got some big plays," said Kuerth, who finished the game 10 of 35 for 193 yards with one interception. "We just couldn't string them together. Man, if we could've just put them together we definitely would've scored some more points."

MLC outgained the Spartans, totalling 347 yards to Dubuque's 315.

"I really thought the defenses would come out in the first quarter and set the tone," Brautigam said. "Obviously, that didn't happen. But it became a real defensive battle in the second half. "

For all the offense that was shown in the first 20 or so minutes of the game, you never would have guessed it at the end.

Chris Singletary -- a Mount Senario transfer -- started fast with 43 yards by the end of the first quarter, but finished with 100 yards on 27 carries, never seeing the end zone.

MLC wide receiver Mike Feuerstahler had six catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. In the second, the Knight senior was hounded by the Spartans secondary and caught just one ball for 12 yards.

"They did a good job, and I think Mike got tired, too," Gorsline said. "They were really pressing him and jamming him at the line. ... They did a good job on him, which I figured because he killed (Mount Senario) two years ago. Vince is not stupid."

That was the subplot. While the teams had never faced each other, the Knights are more than familiar with Mount Senario, the school were Brautigam coached for 11 seasons, and Brautigam and several of his players who came with him from Ladysmith, Wis., are more than familiar with the Knights.

"You just knew this was going to be a tough game," Brautigam said. "Dennis has a hell of program. They do a great job and I think they're going to have a lot success in the UMAC this year."

The Spartans opened the scoring on their first drive, going 84 yards in 10 plays, relying heavily upon Singletary, to take an early 7-0 lead. But it was an auspicious start for Fitzsimmons, too, as the Knights went 66 yards in seven plays on the ensuing drive to tie the game at 7 when Fitzsimmons and Feuerstahler got together for an 18-yard touchdown.

Dubuque needed one play to take a 14-7 lead when sophomore quarterback Brad Toussaint hooked up with senior Bryan Kuehn for a 69-yard strike. Four plays into the second quarter. MLC tied the score at 14 when Fitzsimmons and Feuerstahler connected again, this time for a 5-yard score.

Dubuque scored the final points of the game with 50 seconds in the first half after taking over at the MLC 14. Fitzsimmons was picked off by the Spartans' 331-pound senior defensive lineman Troy Blake. Blake intercepted the pass at the line of scrimmage -- the Dubuque 48 -- then lumbered, slowly, all the way to the MLC 14.

Four plays later, Jason Klinkner pounded it in from the 3 for a 21-14 Spartans lead.