The aura at Bettendorf after Wednesday night's substate football game wasn't so much disappointment as it was surprise.

Heavy underdog Cedar Rapids Kennedy matched the Bulldogs defensively, and in the final two quarters outshined them on offense.

Unable to get a stop in the final 5 minutes, third-seeded Bettendorf fell to No. 14 Kennedy 17-14 at TouVelle Stadium.

"They stuck to their scheme of running the ball," Bettendorf linebacker Daniel Byrne said. "We thought they were going to come out and throw it in the second half, but they stuck with (the run). Eventually, they just wore us out, got some yards and some big plays on us."

No play for the Cougars (5-5) was bigger than Anthony Crawley's 18-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The strike put Kennedy up 17-7 and stuck Bettendorf with the pressure.

Crawley's run was put in motion by a fake Bettendorf punt on fourth-and-3 from its own 27-yard line.

Byrne took off to the outside before launching the ball downfield in the face of a rapidly advancing defense. The ensuing intentional grounding penalty put Kennedy in position.

Bettendorf (8-2) put together just 144 yards of offense and had no run longer than 9 yards. It marked the first time since 2005 that the Bulldogs lost their postseason opener.

The Bulldogs did their job on defense in the first half, allowing 59 yards and three first downs.

But after intermission Kennedy - usually a spread team - stuck with the run, this time using Crawley up the middle.

Bruising Brody Berrie barreled through for Bettendorf's second score to pull within 17-14 at the 7:54 mark in the fourth quarter. But the Bulldogs went four-and-out on their next possession

The Cougars, who will play Cedar Rapids Washington on Monday, maintained a drive through the final 4:50, taking two knees to finish off things.

"We just couldn't get them stopped when we needed to," Bettendorf coach Aaron Wiley said. "I don't know the answer.

"They were able to convert some crucial third downs, and we had a hard time getting anything going offensively."

Bettendorf quarterback Dylan Jones finished with 90 yards and an interception on 9-of-18 passing.

Crawley totaled 57 rushing yards - 54 of which came after halftime - for Kennedy.

The Cougars weren't surprised with their play, not after their five losses came to Mississippi Valley schools with a combined 50-7 record after Wednesday's games.

"Coming to Bettendorf is never an easy thing," Kennedy coach Tim Lewis said. "I've never been here. All you hear about is the tradition.

"The MVC is brutal this year. We knew we could play. We felt we had a lot more speed than they did."