The Gustavus football team will travel to Minneapolis to face Augsburg College on Saturday at 1:00 pm. The game will be played on the Augsburg campus at Edor Nelson Field. The Gusties enter the game with a record of 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the MIAC, while the Auggies are currently 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the MIAC. Gustavus has had some success against the Auggies recently having won six straight games and eight of the last 10. The Gusties have also had some success at Augsburg posting a record of 9-1 at Edor Nelson Field since Astroturf was installed in 1984.
The Gusties are coming off a disappointing 42-27 Homecoming loss to Concordia last Saturday, while the Auggies claimed their first victory of the season by defeating Carleton 42-10.
The Gustie offense is under the direction of freshman quarterback Jordan Stolp. Stolp got the Gusties off to a quick start last week as he ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in the first half. Gustavus led 21-14 at the intermission. Unfortunately, the Cobber defense shut the Gustie offense down in the second half and went on to claim the 42-27 win. Middle linebacker Isaac Sieling had a big day for the defense as he compiled 21 tackles. End Jared Chapman gave the Gusties a lift in the second half when he forced a fumble that linebacker Jared Sieling picked up and ran back 25 yards for a touchdown to cut the Concordia lead to 28-27. Gustavus will need to put together four solid quarters of play if they are to have a chance to defeat Augsburg on Saturday. This young Gustie squad has had a tough time reaching that goal against their first four opponents.
Junior quarterback Marcus LeVesseur played a big role in the Auggies 42-10 win over Carleton last week. LeVesseur, a junior who is playing college football for the first time, rushed for four touchdowns and threw for two more in the victory. He was named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week and Football Gazette Co-National Player of the Week.
Gustavus Football Notes
Stolp Off to a Good Start – Gustavus freshman quarterback Jordan Stolp has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his first four games as a collegiate player. Stolp, who moved into the starting position in the third week of the season against St. John’s, has completed 46-of-91 passes for 570 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. He has completed 50.5 percent of his passes and has a quarterback efficiency rating of 116.90.
Tough Start for the Gusties – The Gusties are off to an 0-4 start for the first time since 1993 and for only the second time in the 89-year history of the program. Coach Jay Schoenebeck’s young squad has been tested by a demanding schedule. The combined record of the four teams that the Gusties have played this season is an impressive 14-3. Wheaton is 4-0 and ranked seventh, Hamline is 2-2, Saint John’s is 4-1 and ranked fourth, and Concordia is 4-0 and ranked 23rd (rankings are from 10/3 d3football.com poll).
Sieling Plugging Up the Middle — Senior middle linebacker Isaac Sieling recorded 21 tackles last week against Concordia which was seven off the school record of 28 set by Brian Bergstrom against St. John’s on Nov. 12, 1999. Sieling currently ranks fourth in Division III in tackles per game at 15.5. He has compiled 62 total tackles (24 solo and 38 assists). At 15.5 tackles per game, Sieling is on pace to shatter the school record for tackles in a season which is 136 set by Brian Bergstrom in 1999.
Gusties Looking to Extend Streak — Gustavus has won its last six meetings with Augsburg dating back to 1998. The Gusties defeated the Auggies 28-7 in St. Peter last year. Jay Schoenebeck has posted a record of 8-2 against Augsburg since he became head coach in 1994. Gustavus has posted a record of 9-1 at Augsburg since the Auggies installed Astroturf in 1984.
Stifter Closing in on 1,000 Career Rushing Yards — Junior running back Drew Stifter needs 81 more yards to become the 24th player at Gustavus to reach 1,000 yards rushing in a career. Stifter has rushed for 919 yards in 18 games as a Gustie for an average of 51.0 yards per game.