The Buena Vista football team jumped out to an early lead against the University of Dubuque on Saturday, but it was the Spartans using a big second half to remain perfect in Iowa Conference play with a 44-13 victory over the Beavers.

Buena Vista took the opening drive of the game and went 63 yards in 10 plays, as senior wideout Ben Seitz, wh,o had missed the previous two games due to injury hauled in an 8-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Tory Beger for a 7-0 lead.

On the ensuing kick-off, the Spartans had trouble judging the flight of the ball which got caught up in the stiff breeze, and the Beavers ran down field and fell on top of the ball at the Dubuque 29.  BVU did capitalize on the miscue with a 38-yard field goal into that breeze from junior Tyler Stolen to make it a 10-0 lead.

Dubuque then settled in and got on the board late in the first quarter when Maurece Herrion, who rushed for four scores last week against Wartburg, found the endzone from four yards out to cut the deficit to 13-7 with 1:05 left.

Stolen then connected again early in the second quarter from 34 yards out with the wind at his back to extend the BVU lead to 13-7.

Herrion put Dubuque on top for the first time at 14-13 with his second four-yard scamper of the day midway through the second quarter.

BVU was in position to regain the lead on its ensuing drive, but Stolen had his field goal attempt blocked by the Spartans and returned back into BVU territory.  Momentum shifted from there, as Dubuque took advantage with a 10-yard touchdown pass with under 30 seconds left in the half and a 21-13 lead.

The Beaver defense stood up to the challenge at the start of the second half, holding the Spartans on 4th-and-goal from inside the one-yard line.  However, on the very next play, the Beavers were caught in the endzone for a safety and forced to send the ball back over to Dubuque.

From there, Dubuque went on to score 21 addition points, including 14 in the final quarter to break the game open.

BVU managed just 88 yards of total offense in the second half after more than 160 in the first.

Beger completed 18-of-27 pass attempts for 161 yards and one touchdown, but was intercepted three times.  Seitz finished with six catches and 59 yards, while Jalen Henningsen added three catches for 55 yards.

Cody Mowery carried the ball 18 times for 55 yards.

Dubuque ran the ball 45 times for 292 yards and three scores, including 110 from Herrion.  Quarterback Rio Johnson completed 21-of-27 attempts for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Tyler Prescott led BVU with a career-high 10 tackles.

Buena Vista is now 1-6 overall (0-4 IIAC) and will play the first of back-to-back road games next Saturday at Wartburg College starting at 1:00pm.