STORM LAKE, Iowa (Oct. 14, 2023) - Junior Eman Alaniz rushed for 117 yards and two scores while Michael Beisswenger added a field goal and knocked down a fourth down pass attempt in the closing minute to help send the Buena Vista football team to a thrilling 17-10 Homecoming victory over Luther College inside of J. Leslie Rollins Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Alaniz carried the ball 23 times in the contest, and it was his 40-yard burst up the middle with 3:18 left in the third quarter that proved to be the difference maker. He also added a three-yard plunge just over a minute into the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7. The Norse got on the board first with a 10-yard touchdown pass midway through the opening quarter.

Luther had one final chance in regulation as it took over at its own 38-yard line. Anthony Domingue had other thoughts, as he sacked Luther quarterback Beau Cornwell for a loss of 11 yards on the first play. Later in the drive on fourth-and-eight, it was Beisswenger that knocked down a fade pass along the near sideline and sent the Beaver faithful into a frenzy. Earlier in the game, Beisswenger converted a 30-yard field goal attempt with 8:07 left in the first half which put BVU up 10-7.

The Norse connected on a field goal of their own from 25-yards out late in the first half which led to a 10-10 game at the half.

BVU finished the game with a season-high 143 yards rushing while holding Luther to only 70. Junior quarterback Zach Herrera completed 13-of-22 pass attempts for 126 yards. Alaniz also added 43 yards receiving on three catches, including a long of 33 yards.

Defensively, Beisswenger led the way with six total stops, including two for a loss, while breaking up two passes overall. Trey Ortman was right behind with five tackles, and he intercepted a big pass on the first play of a Luther drive late in the fourth quarter with under 3:00 on the clock.

Luther (0-6, 0-5 A-R-C) finished with 247 yards of total offense and held to just 3.7 yards per play.

Buena Vista is now 1-5 on the year (1-3 A-R-C) and defeated the Norse for the fourth straight time. The Beavers look to keep the winning ways going when they travel to the University of Dubuque on Oct. 21 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.