COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — No. 2 Hutchinson at No. 1 Iowa Western came down to the final play.
The back-to-back national champion Reivers (1-1) scored with three seconds left and sent kicker Max Bartachek out to tie the game with an extra-point.
Before Bartachek could completely set up for the kick, Iowa Western head coach Scott Strohmeier took a timeout.
At that point, Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas knew the Reivers were going for the win.
"Get your defense ready and talk it through," Dallas said when asked about his thought process in the moment.
The Reivers returned to the field and Hutchinson (2-0) took a timeout before the snap.
After a minute's-worth of timeouts, the game was on-the-line.
Just last week, the No. 1 Reivers were in the opposite situation. Against Georgia Military in overtime, the Iowa Western defense used a two-point conversion stop to hold on 42-41.
Down 38-37 with three seconds left Saturday, it was the Reivers in need of the conversion.
Hunter Dekkers, the transfer quarterback from Iowa State, looked left and had two receivers. He chose Titus Myers, who was bottled up by three Blue Dragon defenders.
The pass flew wide, high and incomplete.
Hutchinson recovered the onside attempt as time expired.
FINAL: Hutchinson 38 Iowa Western 37
Dekkers finished the day 29-of-47 throwing with five touchdowns for 425 yards.
Myers caught nine of those passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Hutchinson jumped out to a 21-7 lead to start the day behind two Samari Collier rushing touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter.
His first touchdown, a 28-yard scamper, capped a six-play, 40-yard drive.
His two-yard run with 5:15 left in the first quarter finished another six-play drive that covered 78 yards.
Collier's 32-yard touchdown pass with 2:46 in the first frame to Tate Hoover (his first catch as a Dragon) put Hutchinson up 21-7.
Reiver running back Jonathan Humpal got some redemption on a 22-yard TD reception. Humpal started the day with a fumble that Hutchinson turned into the first points of the day.
Humpal was coming off a 106-yard rushing performance against Georgia Military and needed just 86 yards to hit the 1,000-yard mark in his Iowa Western career. The Dragons held Humpal to 65 yards.
Collier left the game with an injury and the Dragons turned to redshirt freshman Christian Johnson. Johnson had a passing and rushing touchdown in Hutchinson's season-opener against New Mexico Military.
Johnson was 4-of-5 for 45 yards passing and ran for 28 yards, including the game-deciding touchdown.
With 4:22 remaining, Collier hobbled back on the field with Johnson still in the game. As Collier took the snap and handed off to Johnson — who was looking to throw — Iowa Western took a timeout.
Johnson returned from the timeout as Collier stayed on the sideline.
"Our depth was tested today," Dallas said. "Samari was battling cramps but was super-efficient."
Collier finished 8-of-11 for 152 yards through the air and had 82 yards rushing for two more scores.
"(Johnson) gives you the ultimate security blanket," Dallas said of his backup quarterback. "Christian picked up where (Samari) left off."
Johnson faced third-and-goal from the 2 and punched it in for the score.
It was the only third down Hutchinson converted all day (1 for 8).
Johnson entered late in the second quarter the first time Collier was helped off the field. Facing second down and goal-to-go, the Blue Dragons were pushed back on consecutive plays. Hutchinson settled for a 25-yard Nestus Burger field goal.
The Reivers converted 6-of-9 attempts on third down in the first half. The Dragon defense held the Reivers to 1-of-5 in the second half.
"We settled down, especially on the defensive side," Dallas said of the difference in third-down stops.
Hutchinson returns home next Saturday to face Iowa Central (1-1). The No. 8 Tritons lost to No. 13 Highland 14-13.
Kickoff is set for noon in Gowans Stadium on Sept. 14.