Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney football team got big offensive efforts from sophomore quarterback Jake Spitzlberger and junior receiver Kyle Kaiser and the Loper defense came up with three interceptions to knock off Nebraska-Omaha, 31-28, Saturday afternoon at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field.

A crowd of 5,057 watched the Lopers (1-1) snap a six-game losing streak to the Mavericks (1-1); UNK also picks up its first win over Omaha in Kearney since 1989. Finally, the Victory Bell – a 50 lbs. bronze travelling trophy that debuted in 2003 – will be at UNK for the first time.

Moment of the Game
A 35-yard INT return by Colby Henderson with under two minutes to go stopped a potential winning drive by UNO and was followed by a 1-yard TD run from Ryan Skogg

Lopers of the Game
Ryan Skogg (Fr-R, RB, Centennial, CO) - 18 carries for 50 yards and 1 TD
Jake Spitzlberger (So., QB, Lakewood, CO) - 12 carries for 35 yards and 1 TD, 16 of 23 for 230 yards and 2 TD's
Kyle Kaiser (Jr., WR, Broomfield, CO) - 8 catches for 173 yards and 1TD
Ozzie Smith (Sr., CB, Bellevue) - 9 tackles including 1 TFL
Pat Ackerman (Sr., S, Holdrege) - 9 tackles
Eric Scheele (Sr., ILB, Utica) - 9 tackles
Jake Mandelko (Sr., S, Lexington) 4 tackles, 2 INT's, 1 pass breakup

Up Next
The UNK-Western game kicks off at 11:00 a.m. next Saturday and is the RMAC opener for both.