Box Score

ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern scored first on a 90-yard pass play from Jacob Fletcher (Moorhead, Minn./Park Christian) to Luke Couwenhoven (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) in its home opener against Eureka College, but that was about it for offensive output from the Eagles in a 26-9 loss to the Red Devils. After the initial UNW touchdown, Eureka outscored the Eagles 26-2 to start Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play 1-0.

Eureka found the end zone for the first time just under the five-minute mark in the second quarter. Northwestern went three-and-out on its next offensive possession and the Red Devils used nearly all of the remaining time on the clock to pound in another score right before halftime on a D'Anthony Doss four-yard pass from quarterback Blake Robles, making it a 14-7 ballgame at the break.

A botched long snap gave the Eagles two points on a punting situation in the third quarter that resulted in a safety but it was all Eureka after that. Dorell Baugh caught a 20-yard pass from Robles with 56 ticks left in the third quarter before Rick Martinez picked Fletcher off for a 50-yard touchdown return just 77 seconds later. Northwestern had plenty of offensive opportunities to respond, but the Eagles went empty on three fourth down tries in its remaining drives.

The Eagles seemed to find some success in between the 30-yard lines but could never find the end zone once the field depth got tighter. With UNW making its one point-after-touchdown opportunity of the game, the focus has switched to Northwestern's running game. Instead of improving on last week's 64-yard rushing performance, UNW went backwards against Eureka, carrying the ball 21 times for a mere 15 yards, which included a 25-yard scamper from Josh Sinnen (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) in the first quarter. For a team that put up more than 2,000 yards in 2012, the Eagles have averaged under 40 yards per game so far this season.

Fletcher finished 16 of 37 for 289 yards, but the highlight for Northwestern in the midst of a loss was Couwenhoven's 185 yards on four catches. The junior switched over to the receiver position from defensive back just days before the Eagles' Week 1 game against St. Olaf and looks like he's found a home on offense. The 90-yard connection between Fletcher and Couwenhoven was good for second place in the longest pass category in Northwestern's record book.

Defensively for Northwestern, Nathan Van Zee (Moose Lake, Minn./Moose Lake) turned in 14 total tackles, a statistic that included 3.5 tackles for a loss and one and a half sacks. Jason Fox (Roxbury, N.J./Hillcrest Academy) added 12 tackles for the Eagles.

Robles completed 20 of his 33 passes for 224 yards for the Red Devils (2-0, 1-0 UMAC), with speedy receiver Dorell Baugh continuing to be his favorite target. Baugh, who had a 134-yard performance last week versus Knox College, added 108 yards and a score against the Eagles.

Northwestern, now 0-2 overall (0-1 UMAC), will be hungry for a win next Saturday when the Purple and Gold heads back out on the road, this time to the southwest. UNW is slated for another UMAC contest, this time against the Knights from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.