St. Paul – In football’s 52-7 win over Hamline on Saturday, running back Jeffrey Dubose (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) totaled 215 yards of offense and five touchdowns, a performance that earned him MIAC Football Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors on Monday.
After not touching the ball on the first drive of the game, Dubose found the endzone on each of the next five offensive possessions for the Gusties. The senior started the stretch at the 3:23 mark of the first quarter when he leaped up-and-over a pile at the goal line to score from one yard out and give Gustavus a 10-0 lead. Dubose followed with a four-yard touchdown run off left tackle on the second play of the second quarter to extend the Gustie lead to 17-0.
Six minutes later, Dubose found the endzone again, this time on a 28-yard scamper after breaking a pair of tackles near the line of scrimmage. He then got involved in the passing game with a receiving touchdown in the final minute of the first half. The St. Paul native caught a screen pass out of the backfield and crossed the goal line untouched to put the Gusties on top 38-0 with :25 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Dubose finished his day with a 57-yard touchdown run on the second play after the break. The score proved to mark the end of the afternoon for the first team offense, as Gustavus cruised to the 45-point victory. For the game, Dubose tallied four rushing touchdowns and 200 yards rushing on 16 carries. He also caught two passes for 15 yards and a touchdown.
“Jeffrey had a big day on Saturday,” stated Head Coach Peter Haugen of his running back’s performance. “He only rushed the ball 16 times and racked up 200 yards, so he did a terrific job. The great thing about Jeffrey is he will be the first one to congratulate his offensive line. We have a veteran group up front that did a terrific job, so he will be quick to recognize them as well as perimeter players who also did a nice job blocking. He’s off to a great start this year, and Saturday was a terrific day for him.”
Through four games, Dubose leads the league in rushing touchdowns with 11 and ranks second in rushing yards per game with an average of 150.2 yards per contest. His 12 total touchdowns and 72 points scored are also top marks in the conference.
The Gusties will be back in action on Saturday at Lloyd Hollingsworth Field when they host the University of St. Thomas for a match up of conference rivals. Kick off is set for 1:00 p.m.