Welcome
Gustavus welcomes St. Olaf College to Lloyd Hollingsworth Field for a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference mid-season matchup. The Gusties enter the game with a record of 1-4 overall, 1-3 in the MIAC. The Oles are 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the conference. Last week Gustavus rallied from a 14-7 deficit to defeat Augsburg 34-21 in Minneapolis. St. Olaf moved its record above .500 for the season with a 34-21 win over cross-town rival Carleton.
Today’s battle will feature two of the younger teams in the MIAC. On the Gustavus roster 61 of the 93 players are either first or second year players and nine of them are starters. For St. Olaf, 61 of its 84 players are either first or second year players and ten of them are starters. The Gusties feature freshmen Jordan Stolp at quarterback and Jared Sieling at linebacker, while the Oles will counter with sophomore Marc Olson at fullback and freshman James Bechdol at defensive end. While neither team appears ready to contend for the MIAC title this season, it looks like both teams will be serious contenders in the near future.
Today is Hall of Fame Day at Gustavus and the Athletic Department will induct eight new members into its Hall of Fame at a banquet tonight following the game. Those being inducted include Lori Allen (’88, golf), Jim Chalin (’76, basketball), Bruce Edwards (’77, hockey), Barb Jaeger (’88, soccer), Dean Kraus (’89, football), Pachi Lopez (’71, soccer), Greg Peterson (’88, golf), and Gary Reinholtz (former athletic trainer). This group will also be recognized at halftime of today’s game.
The Series
This will be the 52nd meeting between the Golden Gusties and the Oles on the gridiron. Gustavus leads the all-time series with a record of 35-16. Last year, Gustavus had its string of seven consecutive victories against St. Olaf snapped when the Oles claimed a 41-27 win in St. Peter. In the Schoenebeck era, Gustavus has compiled a record of 8-2-0 against St. Olaf. The Gusties are 14-9-0 all-time against the Oles in St. Peter.
Meet the Head Coaches
Gustavus Head Coach Jay Schoenebeck (’80) is in his eleventh season directing his alma mater. Schoenebeck has compiled an overall record of 53-52-0, 48-44 in the MIAC. Schoenebeck’s squads have placed in the top four in the MIAC for six consecutive seasons.St. Olaf Head Coach Chris Meidt, who is in his third season with the Oles, has an overall record of 12-13. His teams are 8-11 in conference contests.
A Look at Today’s Game
A Glimpse of the Gusties
The Gusties will be looking to pick up their second win of the season after posting a much-needed 34-21win at Augsburg last Saturday. Coach Jay Schoenebeck’s squad was led offensively by quarterback Jordan Stolp, running back Drew Stifter and wide receiver Kerry Zajicek. Stolp completed 24-of-36 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, Stifter rushed for two touchdowns and compiled 141all-purpose yards and Zajicek made five catches fo 113 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, sophomore safety John Horbacz recorded seven tackles and recorded two interceptions. He returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown in the third quarter. Middle linebacker Isaac Sieling also had a big day with 19 tackles.
This young Gustavus team has been steadily improving each week and could take another big step by picking up a win against a young but talented St. Olaf squad today. The Gusties have really helped themselves by not turning the ball over many times this season and the team currently ranks third in the MIAC in turnover ratio at a +3 (10 takeaways and seven turnovers). Gustavus is also the second least penalized team in the league with an average of 38.2 yards per game. The offense, which leads the MIAC in passing with an average of 231.0 yards per game, compiled a season high total of 412 yards against Augsburg. The defense bent but did not break last week allowing 466 yards, but coming up with four key stops deep in Gustavus territory. Statistically, the Gusties rank last in the MIAC allowing 456.0 yards per game, however this group has shown improvement each week and has come up with the big plays and key stops to keep the team in the game almost every week.
A View of the Oles
St. Olaf jumped out to a 34-14 halftime lead and then held on for a 34-21 win over cross-town rival Carleton last Saturday. The two teams combined to score 48 points in the first half and just seven in the second half. The Oles racked up 459 yards of total offense including 163 yards rushing and 296 passing. Sophomore running back Marc Olson had another effective day as he carried 14 times for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Olson has scored eight rushing touchdowns this season. Junior quarterback Jason Wilsey completed 19-of 33 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Defensively, freshman defensive end James Bechdol led the way with 11 tackles including two tackles-for-loss. Junior cornerback Trey Williams recorded two pass break-ups and intercepted a pass on the St. Olaf five-yard line as time expired in the game.
The Oles run a balanced offensive attack averaging 202 yards passing and 137 yards rushing per game. Coach Chris Meidt’s offense ranks fifth in the league in total offense with an average of 339.0 yards per game. Quarterback Jason Wilsey leads the way having completed 81-of-152 passes for 1,098 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions. Marc Olson is the leading rusher with 39 carries for 273 yards and Horace Gant is the leading receiver with 23 catches for 427 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, St. Olaf ranks sixth in the league allowing 376.7 yards per game. Junior linebacker John Davis leads the team in tackles with 35 (28 solo and seven assists). End James Bechdol has recorded 7.5 tackles-for-loss and junior cornerback Matt Dean leads the team in interceptions with three.
GAME NOTES
Sieling and Sieling Incorporated – The brother tandem of senior middle linebacker Isaac Sieling and freshman outside linebacker Jared Sieling has been going about its “business” quite effectively for the Gusties this season. Isaac leads the team in tackles with 81 (26 solo, 55 assists) and ranks second in Division III with an average of 15.5 tackles per game, while Jared ranks third on the team in tackles with 43 (20 solo, 23 assists). Isaac needs 10 tackles to become only the 11th player at Gustavus to record 200 career tackles.
Home, Sweet Home – The Gusties begin a string of three consecutive home games this week against St. Olaf. Next week, Gustavus hosts non-conference foe UW-Eau Claire and then on October 30, St. Thomas travels down highway 169 to face the Gusties. Gustavus has compiled an all-time record of 202-92-8 at home since 1929.
Stifter Set to Surpass 1,000 Yards Rushing — Junior running back Drew Stifter needs 17 yards to become the 24th player at Gustavus to compile 1,000 yards rushing in a career. Stifter has rushed for 983 yards in 19 games as a Gustie, for an average of 51.7 yards per game. He leads the team in rushing this season with 326 yards on 69 carries for an average of 4.7 yards per carry.
Millan Getting Defensive — Sophomore running back Jerry Millan, who is second on the team in rushing with 45 carries for 141 yards, will make the move from the offense to defense this week. Millan is expected to see action this weekend at defensive end for the Gusties. He will help fill the hole created by the loss of starting end Kris Storvick who broke his wrist last week against Augsburg and will miss the rest of the season.
Kraus Being Inducted into Gustavus Hall of Fame — Former Gustie quarterback Dean Kraus will be inducted into the Gustavus Athletics Hall Fame tonight at a banquet in Alumni Hall. One of the most versatile and prolific quarterbacks in Gustavus football history, Dean Kraus threw for 5,760 yards and 45 touchdowns and rushed for 948 yards and 21 touchdowns from 1985 to 1988. He was selected as the MIAC’s Most Valuable Player in 1987 after helping the Gusties post a 10-0 record and earn a NCAA Tournament bid. Kraus, who lives in Eden Prairie, is the manager of data services for Wilson Learning Corporation.
Radio — The Gustavus-St. Olaf game can be heard on KRBI Radio (1310 AM) in St. Peter. Clay Kepner will handle the play-by-play, while Ken Ericson will add the color commentary. You can also listen to the game via the internet at:
http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/athletics/audio.cfm.
STARTING LINEUPS
Gustavus Adolphus College
OFFENSE
08 Sean Smith WR
03 Clint Riegelman WR
17 Kerry Zajicek WR
66 Andy Klaers LT
76 Brian Trussell LG
68 Dan Tiegen C
79 Mark Iverson RG
70 Anders Haugen RT
85 Jamie Germscheid TE
11 Jordan Stolp QB
05 Drew Stifter RB
DEFENSE
95 Jared Chapman LE
94 Karl Spilseth LT
65 Nick David RT
96 Nate Clobes RE
54 Jay Frederickson OLB
99 Isaac Sieling MLB
04 Jared Sieling OLB
36 Tyler Ringquist S
02 Chris Thorson S
21 Brian Evans CB
29 Loren Havemeier CB
SPECIAL TEAMS
16 Kevin Hegland LS
15 A.J. Bouquet H
32 Wade Vrieze KR
29 Loren Havemeier KR/PR
1 Kase Niles K
22 Mike Leonard P
St. Olaf College
OFFENSE
80 Horace Gant WR
21 Andrew Schmiesing WR
74 Matt Schraan LT
56 Eric Yuen LG
62 Peter Cathcart C
57 Charlie Krois RG
68 Blake Hamel LT
17 Kyle Fritze TE
9 Jason Wilsey QB
30 Mark Olson RB
31 Ben Roff FB
DEFENSE
91 Andre Conner DE
93 Pete Nelson DT
94 Jason Holthus DT
95 James Bechdol DE
20 Tony De La Hunt OLB
52 Craig Botnen ILB
41 Matt Bucka ILB
29 John Davis OLB
12 Eric Yerigan S
18 Trey Williams CB
6 Matt Dean CB
SPECIAL TEAMS
13 Evan Klefsaas LS
16 Matt Penz H
32 Nick Rost KR
30 Marc Olson KR
32 Nick Rost PR
37 Paul Fortman K
19 Nate Johnson P