PELLA—Loras College will have the full attention of the Central College football team as it does its homework prior to Saturday's contest with the Duhawks at Dubuque
             
Loras outscored the Dutch at Pella last year 38-35 and the memories of the disappointing contest linger.
             
"You want to work hard to put the past in the past but certainly that was a game that didn't go well for us," coach Jeff McMartin said. "We made some mistakes near the end of the game that really hurt us, both offensively and defensively. We made two turnovers in the last (7:19) and then could not get a stop to get it to overtime. So give them credit. They found a way to win the game and we need to play better this year."
             
Game time is 1 p.m. at the Rock Bowl in Dubuque.
             
Loras (2-2 overall, 1-1 American Rivers) was off last week while Central (4-1 overall, 2-1 conference) sprinted past the University of Dubuque 55-16.
             
The series— Last year's Loras victory was its first over Central since 2015 and its first at Pella since 2008. Central holds a 35-8-1 record in the teams' series.
             
The Duhawks—Loras running back Jamel Britt is fifth in the conference with 57.0 yards rushing per game. Johnnie Carson II is ninth at 42.3 yards. Quarterback Evan England is fourth in the lead in passing yards, completing 112-of-157 for 274.3 yards per game with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
             
"Offensively, everything goes through their quarterback," McMartin said. "He can run it and throw it really well. And he's a playmaker.
             
Da'Mani Brown has 35 pass receptions for 84.8 yards per game and eight touchdowns.
             
"He's caught a lot of passes and is somebody they really look to for big plays," McMartin said.
             
Loras is getting outscored 36.8-34.3 but outgaining opponents 411.8 yards to 391.5.
             
"They've got experience in the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary," McMartin said. "They will bring pressures from all over the place and give a lot of different looks."
                         
On the air and online—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, calls Saturday's action on KRLS-FM (92.1), with retired Central defensive coordinator Don DeWaard providing the color. The KRLS pregame show will air at 12:35 p.m. The broadcast can be accessed through www.kniakrls.com or directly at rdo.to/krls. It's also accessible via mobile device with the KRLS app available through iTunes and other outlets.
             
Dual threat—With Central's receivers providing a deep threat, quarterback Hunter Hoffman (sophomore, Pecatonica, Ill.)  found plenty of running room Saturday against Dubuque. While he completed a career-high 27-of-40 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns, he also rushed for a career-best 110 yards on 16 carries. McMartin likes the decisions Hoffman is making.
             
"I think that's one of the strengths Hunter has," McMartin said. "He's shown the ability to identify coverages and fronts and protections and get us into the best play possible. You want to see improvement in those areas each week and he's continued to grow."
             
National numbers—Central is ranked second in the NCAA Division III in first downs with 131 through five games. The Dutch are also second in interceptions with 12 and turnovers gained with 17 while ranking 14th in turnover margin at plus-1.8 per game.
             
Individually, cornerback Gavin Smith (sophomore, Audubon) is fourth in passes defended (breakups and interceptions) with 2.0 per game. Hoffman is 28th in touchdown passes with 12. Receiver Ryan Neu (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) is 19th in touchdown catches with six.
             
Central is outscoring opponents 35.8-17.6 and outgaining them 421.0 yards to 337.4.
             
Dual role—McMartin is grateful for the versatility sophomore Sebastian Duarte (Spring, Texas, the Woodlands HS) is displaying. He came to Central as an offensive lineman but moved to defensive line during his freshman season. Earlier this year he jumped in as Central's starting center when Max Reitano (sophomore, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS). Reitano returned to action Saturday, so Duarte moved back to defensive line. But when Reitano had to exit for a series in the second half, Duarte made the quick switch to center yet again.
             
"Sebastian's having a great year," McMartin said. "He's very unselfish and willing to play whatever role the team needs him to play. He's got a great motor, he's in great shape, he's very strong and he's very smart. It's not an easy thing for someone to know all the blocking schemes, rules and protections and then also know all the stunts, alignments and responsibilities on the defensive line. He's been able to do both. He is someone that prepares well."
             
And having Reitano back gave the Dutch offense a lift.
             
"When you have someone close to 300 pounds who can move well and can make the line calls, it's great," McMartin said. "He does an excellent job both in pass and run blocking."
             
Hidden yardage—While McMartin puts an emphasis on the hidden yardage special teams can generate, there's one especially surprising stat amid the blizzard of numbers the statistics reports generate each week. In five games the Dutch have punted 23 times and opponents have yet to return one. Meanwhile Central has returned 12 punts for 69 yards (5.75 yards per return).
             
"We do spend a lot of time on special teams," McMartin said. "We give it a lot of attention and practice. Sometimes those plays may not be a third of the game, but they might be a third of the big plays that happen in a game if you do things right. Field position is a very important part of success and special teams provide you the opportunity to win those battles."
             
Notes—In the first five games, Central was quick out of the blocks, outscoring opponents 56-10 in the first quarter. It's Central's best quarter both offensively and defensively…Linebacker Reid Pakkebier (junior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) remains Central's tackles leader with 42, including a team-high 18 solos with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks… Loras is 2-0 at home this year…Since 2019, Central is 16-1 in regular-season road games…Central's seven TD passes Saturday marked the 13th time in the past three seasons that the Dutch have thrown five or more in a game.