Peru State College Athletic Media Release
For Immediate Release Contact: Dave Walker
Sports Information Director
402.872.2344 or
dwalker@oakmail.peru.edu
Bobcats Drop OT Thriller in CSFL Opener
The Peru
State Bobcats opened the 2006 CSFL schedule at
Southern Nazarene against an opponent that has not
treated the 'Cats kindly in recent years. The
Bobcats surprised their hosts and dominated most of
the game, taking a 24-14 lead into the final fifteen
minutes. Southern Nazarene, however, tied the game
with four seconds remaining in regulation then
topped the 'Cats in 30-27 in overtime dropping Peru
State to 2-3, 0-1 CSFL.
"We
are improving each week and it can be seen by the
way we played SNU," said Bobcat Head Coach Terry
Clark. "We were three for three in the red zone.
That is a major improvement in this area from last
year and the previous games this season."
Senior
fullback Lynn Meyer (Johnson) got the Bobcats
jump-started with a 71 yard run on the game's
opening play leading to a 1 yard Derek Falor (Sioux
Falls, SD) touchdown and a quick 7-0 start. Meyer
led the Bobcats ground attack with 84 yards on seven
carries, however, his lead blocking was a key to the
Bobcats success with the running game. Mike Mertens
(Hastings) pounded his way to 67 yards on 25 carries
and one TD with Cody Smith (Ceresco) adding another
38 on 12 rushes.
Falor
completed 6 of 11 passes for an additional 172
yards. Jared Gerdes (Auburn) snagged three for 129
yards including a 79 yard catch-run and also hauled
in a TD toss from Falor. Gerdes has now gone over
the 100 yard barrier in three games this season.
Defensively the Bobcats picked off three passes on
the afternoon; two from freshman corner Devon Wright
(Omaha) and one from LB Shane Ryan (Greeley). Tyler
DeBuhr (Auburn) led the Bobcats with 15 tackles
including six solos. Dan Strobel (Auburn) and Alex
Meredith (Nebraska City) added ten apiece.
SNU
rushed for 262 yards and passed for an additional
208 for a 470 total. The Bobcats finished the day
with 362 yards.
"We
stepped up and played 60+ minutes as hard as we
could play," added Clark. "This should be a big
confidence boost heading into the second half of the
season."
The
Bobcats travel to Ottawa, KS and a 1:00 non-league
contest with Ottawa University on Saturday.
PSC's
"Campus of a Thousand Oaks," an arboretum campus, is
nestled in historic southeast Nebraska. The state's
first and fastest-growing college, Peru State offers
a unique mix of innovative online and traditional
classroom undergraduate and graduate programs,
including online graduate degrees in education and
organizational management. PSC is a member
institution of the Nebraska State College System.
For more information, visit
www.peru.edu or
call 1-800-742-4412.
