The Gustavus football team opens Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday with a game at Hamline at 1 pm. The Gusties enter the contest with a mark of 0-1 after falling to Coe 27-24 last Saturday, while the Pipers enter with a record of 1-0 after defeating Martin Luther 34-0 last weekend. This will be the 77th meeting all-time between the Gusties and Pipers.
Series With Hamline — This will be the 77th meeting between Gustavus and Hamline on the football field. The Gusties have compiled an all-time mark of 53-23 in the previous 76 contests against the Pipers including a 21-14 win last season in St. Peter. Gustavus has compiled a mark of 8-2 against Hamline in the past 10 meetings.
Listen To The Game On KNUJ Radio – You can listen to the game on the radio and over the internet. Tom Wheeler will handle the play-by-play on KNUJ Radio (860 AM) out of New Ulm, Minnesota. Ken Ericson will provide the color commentary. The broadcast will also be available through the Gustavus web site.
Golden Gustie Game Notes
Special Teams Off To A Strong Start — The Gustavus special teams turned in a very strong effort in the season opener against Coe. Senior Matt Knutson punted seven times for an average of 37.9 yards per punt including two punts inside the 20 and a long punt of 48 yards, while first placekicker Tom Huepenbecker made a 27-yard field goal and executed a perfect on-side kick in the fourth quarter that led to a touchdown. Cody Sukalski also had a great day returning kicks as he registered three returns for 68 yards including a long return of 31 yards.
Hall Impacts Gustie Rushing Attack — First year running back Kendrick Hall turned in an impressive performance in his first collegiate appearance last week against Coe. Hall, a 5-9, 160 pound, tailback from Minneapolis Roosevelt carried 17 times for 83 yards and one touchdown to lead Gustavus on the ground. Hall, an accomplished sprinter, who also plans to compete on the Gustie track and field team, showed excellent speed on the perimeter in addition to being able to show some power running off tackle.
Gusties Explode For 21 Points in Fourth Quarter — The Gusties scored 21 points in the fourth quarter against Coe last week. That is the most points a Gustavus football team has scored in the fourth quarter in the past 10 years, matching a 21-point outburst by the Gusties in a 34-25 win over Willamette in 2007. The most points that a Gustavus football team has scored in any quarter over the past ten years is 28 in a 40-27 win over Carleton on Nov. 6, 2004.
Turnover Streak Snapped — The Gustavus defense was unable to force a turnover against Coe last week and that snapped a string of 22 consecutive games where the Gustie defense had forced at least one turnover. The last time the Gusties failed to force a turnover against an opponent was on October 28, 2006 against Augsburg. Records show that Gustavus has registered at least one turnover against its opponents 47 times in its past 50 games.