DECORAH, IOWA — Luther pinned a 49-7 loss on Knox in the first matchup between conference foes.
Luther opened the scoring with a touchdown on its first possession and added two more scores in the opening quarter to build a 21-0 advantage. The Norse extended their lead with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to take a 35-0 lead into the break.
The Prairie Fire defense held Luther scoreless in the third quarter, but the Norse added another touchdown early in the fourth to extend their lead to 42-0.
Knox responded with its best offensive possession of the afternoon, marching 65 yards in eight plays to find the end zone. Izayiah Hawes capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, and Sophia Fallacara converted the extra point.
Luther answered with a 75-yard touchdown run on its next possession to complete the scoring.
Hawes led the Knox rushing attack with 54 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown, while Jaizon Balthazar added 39 yards on six attempts. The Prairie Fire finished with 121 rushing yards.
Isaiah Liptac led the Prairie Fire with 12 tackles, followed by Jason King with 10. Aaron Estes carried his success from last week into this contest as he finished with six tackles, including two TFLs and a sack.
Abdul Bangura handled the punting duties, averaging 39.7 yards on nine punts, including a long of 62 yards.
The loss drops Knox to 1-7 (0-6 MWC) and they will return to the Knosher Bowl next weekend when they host Illinois College with a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
