For the second straight week, Buena Vista senior running back Dylan Barrett carries the ball 42 times, but on Saturday at the University of Dubuque, it was his final carry that sent him into the end-zone from two yards out, putting BVU in front 44-39 with 35 seconds left, and the BVU defense held on in the final seconds for the five-point win.

After the Spartans regained the lead at 39-37 with 1:40 left in a game that was back-and-forth all afternoon, BVU marched 77 yards down the field  in only four plays to score the go-ahead TD.  On the drive, senior Gunner Gilland caught a pass, and after the defender missed on the ball, he went 43 yards up the BVU sideline down the Spartan five yard-line. Dubuque was then called for pass interference in the end-zone on the next play to set up Barrett's two yard go-ahead plunge.

Dubuque tried for a game-winning drive, but on first down from its own 45 and 11 seconds left, quarterback Zach Fry was sacked by BVU's Mason Frost and time ran out.

It's the third straight game that has come down to the final possession of the game and the second in which BVU scored with under a minute to play to take the lead and win.

Barrett finished the game with 220 yards and two touchdowns and now has 84 carries and 484 yards rushing the last two weeks.  Senior quarterback Bobby Brown had another record-breaking afternoon, as he threw for three more touchdowns to break the program's single season record of 20 by Rick Wulkow set back in 1966.  He now has 22-and-counting for the year.  For the game, Brown completed 23-of-37 attempts for 306 yards, while also being intercepted twice.

Ben Seitz posted a team-leading nine catches for 109 yards and a TD, while Gilland followed with 101 yards on just five grabs.  He now has 12 touchdown grabs on the year which ties Jesse Schmidt's single-season record set in 2004.

Brown scored the game's first points with a one-yard run with nearly five minutes gone by.  The PAT attempt was blocked and BVU led 6-0.

After the Spartans responded with a scored to make it a 7-6 contest, the Beavers again found the end-zone when Brown hooked up with Gilland from 29 yards out.

Sophomore Tyler Stolen kicked a 24-yard field goal to extend the lead to 16-7 less than three minutes into the second quarter before back-to-back touchdowns by the Spartans put them back in front 21-16 with 4:33 left in the first half.

BVU had one final scoring drive in the half, capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass from Brown to senior Adam Cave with only 31 seconds left, giving BVU a 23-21 halftime lead.

Dubuque went back in front midway through the third quarter at 28-23, but the Beavers again responded with a nine-play, 81-yard drive that was capped by Barrett's 30-yard TD run.

Late in the quarter after BVU forced Dubuque to punt, the Spartans then intercepted Brown on a screen pass, and on the very first play following the INT, Dubuque threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to go back on top 36-30 with 1:06 left in the quarter.

Seitz then put BVU back on top, 37-36, with a 16-yard catch-and-run on third-and-four, capping an eight-play, 59-yard drive.

BVU forced a punt by Dubuque and looked poised to run out the clock after Dubuque had spent all of its timeouts to conserve time.  On fourth and less than a yard, the Spartans stopped Barrett about an inch shy of the first down, and took over on its own 42. 

After marching all the way down to the Beaver 17, Dubuque was held to three incomplete passes and had to settle for a 34-yard field goal and a 39-37 lead with only 1:40 left in regulation.

That was more than enough time for BVU to go on its game-winning drive and its eighth straight Iowa Conference victory.  The loss dropped Dubuque to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in league play.

Connor Downs led the defense with nine stops, including a pair for a loss while Nick Amundson added eight.

Buena Vista (5-2) wins for the fifth straight time this season and remained tied with sixth-ranked Wartburg College atop the IIAC standings at 4-0.  The two teams will now meet next Saturday in Storm Lake with the outright lead on the line.  Kick-off for the contest is scheduled for 1:00pm.