The Gustavus Adolphus football team evened its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference mark at 1-1 Saturday with a 20-8 victory at Hamline. The Gusties trailed 8-6 at the half, but rallied with two third-quarter touchdowns.
The Pipers got on the scoreboard first as quarterback James Leary found Andrew Seymour from 27 yards out to give Hamline a 6-0 lead. Hamline stretched the lead to 8-0 as Seymour found Kyle Milburn for the two-point conversion.
The Gusties responded with 1:31 to play in the first half as junior quarterback Jordan Stolp (Mankato, Minn.) found tight end Patrick Wieneke (Sr., Jackson, Minn.) in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown play to cut the Piper lead to 8-6. Gustavus’ attempt at a two-point conversion failed as the Gusties were flagged for having an ineligible receiver downfield on the fake PAT attempt. The Gustavus defense then forced a quick three-and-out from the Hamline offense, giving Stolp and company the ball back at their own 47-yard line with 25 second left in the half. Two quick passes from Stolp to Chad Arlt (So., St. Michael, Minn.) gained 36 yards and moved Stolp into field goal range at the Hamline 24. The Gusties set up for a 34-yard field goal attempt, but Stolp’s effort missed wide left as time expired in the first half.
Gustavus scored touchdowns on both of its drives in the third quarter. The first score came as Adam Lukes (So., Watertown, Minn.) ran it in from two yards out for his fourth touchdown of the season, capping a 13-play, 63-yard drive that ate 6:38 off the clock. The second came as Stolp connected with wide receiver Kerry Zajicek (Sr., Glencoe, Minn.) for a 13-yard touchdown with 2:53 to play in the period to give Gustavus a 20-8 lead.
The Gusties nearly added to their lead early in the fourth quarter, driving to the Hamline 1-yard line, but Hamline recovered a Gustavus fumble in their own end zone to end the threat with a touchback.
Gustavus outgained Hamline 317-196 in total offense, holding the Pipers to 105 yards passing and 91 yards on the ground. Gustavus got what it needed through the air as Jordan Stolp went 20-of-29 for 232 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes. Hamline’s James Leary, who felt pressure from the Gustie defensive line all afternoon, finished 12-of-24 for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Chad Arlt and Kerry Zajicek led the Gustie receiving corps with Arlt making eight grabs for 94 yards, while Zajicek hauled in six balls for 63 yards. Hamline’s Andrew Seymour led all pass catchers with 97 receiving yards on seven grabs.
The Pipers’ Ben Ganske finished as the game’s leading rusher, picking up 55 yards on 13 rushes. Ray Wilson (So., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) was the leading ground-gainer for the Gusties with 26 yards on eight carries. Stolp added 22 yards on seven carries and Lukes finished with 21 yards on eight carries.
Defensively, Gustavus linebacker Adam Miron (Sr., Princeton, Minn.) led all players with 10 tackles, while defensive lineman Nick David (Sr., Morristown, Minn.) added six tackles and 1.5 sacks. Hamline’s Robert Thompson and Brody Anderson each finished with a team-high eight tackles.
With his first completion of the day – a 16-yard pass to Adam Lukes – Jordan Stolp moved past Dean Kraus into fourth place on the Gustavus career passing yardage chart. Stolp now has 4,481 career passing yards, 353 behind Brad Baker (4,834 yards; 1976-79).
Gustavus is now 2-1 overall and hosts St. Olaf (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) next Saturday during Hall of Fame Weekend. The Oles downed Augsburg 68-17 on Saturday.