Battle Of The Unbeatens, Football Welcomes Hamline On Saturday Posted on September 19th, 2014 by Ethan Armstrong

The Gustavus Adolphus football team heads into its MIAC opener with both an offense and a defense that look to be in mid-season form despite being just two games in.

Although it took the Gusties a quarter to find their rhythm in what was unfamiliar territory against an unfamiliar opponent last weekend in Lake Forest, Illinois, they eventually did. With just a 14-9 cushion at halftime, Gustavus’s offense hit its stride and its defense went into lockdown over the course of the final 30 minutes. The Gusties scored 28 unanswered points, allowed just three first downs and a total of 58 yards in a second half that was dominated by Black and Gold.

Zack Martinez currently leads the team and ranks fifth in the MIAC in tackles with a total of 17.

For the second straight week, the offense clicked under the direction of junior quarterback Mitch Hendricks (Laporte, Minn.). Hendricks was once again efficient through the air, completing 78 percent (32–41) of his passes for a total of 356 yards to go along with four touchdowns. He connected with ten different receivers throughout the afternoon including two touchdown passes to Gabriel Boyce (Jr., Excelsior, Minn.) and one to both Matt Boyce (Jr., Excelsior, Minn.) and Hunter Johnson (Fr., Cannon Falls, Minn.). Gabriel Boyce was the top receiver of the day, catching nine passes for 105 yards. Matt Boyce finished next in line with 74 yards on six grabs. Matt and Gabriel rank sixth and 11th, respectively, in the nation with four and three touchdown receptions this season. They have each caught 15 passes for a combined 395 yards. Amongst MIAC institutions, no two receivers have combined for more touchdowns and yards than the Boyce twins.

To go along with Gustavus’s impressive aerial assault, its defense was nearly impenetrable. After allowing Lake Forest a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, all the Foresters could scrap together from that point on was a 42- yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Gusties shut down Lake Forest’s running game, kept its passing game out of sync, and forced two turnovers. Michael Hintze (Sr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) picked off his first career pass and Xavier Fust (Sr., Columbia Heights, Minn.) later came up with an interception that he returned 79 yards. Linebacker Zack Martinez (Jr., Lenexa, Kan.) led the defense with nine tackles (4 solo), bringing his team-best total to 17 (eight solo) on the year. Gustavus allowed 34 yards rushing and 179 yards passing for a total of 213 yards, which is the best defensive performance since holding Carleton to seven points and just 141 yards on Nov. 12, 2011.

Through the opening two games of the season, Gustavus ranks 19th in the country with a 43.0 points per game scoring average. The Gusties currently boast the 13th ranked passing offense (338.0 ypg) and are averaging 444.5 total yards per game. Gustavus has given up an average of 13 points and rank 22nd in total defense, allowing an average of 111.5 yards rushing and 125 yards passing for a total of 236.5 yards per game.

Gustavus Game Notes | Roster | Statistics | Schedule/Results

Scouting The Pipers

The Hamline football team rolls into St. Peter looking to maintain momentum following a 23–13 win over Macalester College in front of a record crowd at Klas Field last Saturday in St. Paul. With a 9–6 lead halftime lead, Hamline scored 14 unanswered points to come away with a 10-point victory and improve to 2–0 for the first time in nine seasons.

Thanks in large part to a punishing running game that was fronted by 2013 all-conference performer Austin Duncan (Jr., New Orleans, La.), the Pipers were able to grind away the clock and go to work on Macalester’s ground defense. Duncan carried the ball 32 times for a total of 240 yards (7.5 ypc) with one touchdown. Quarterback Tim Bona (Jr., Columbia Heights, Minn.) went 15-for-27 for 125 yards through the air. Bona spread the ball around to seven different receivers with his top target being Nick Kampa (So., St. Anthony, Minn.) who made three catches for 39 yards. The Pipers totaled 397 yards of offense and controlled the ball for 33:46 of the game.

Gabriel Boyce led the Gusite receiving corps last weekend with nine catches for 105 yards with two touchdowns.

In order to slow down Hamline’s ground attack, the Gusties will need to key on Austin Duncan. Duncan has carried the ball in 32-percent of the team’s plays, gaining a total of 390 yards on 51 carries for an average of 7.6 yards per rush. His total rushing yards and per-game average (195.0) currently rank second in the nation.

Tim Bona is 34-for-57 (59.7%) for 283 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. No standouts emerge from what is a balanced Piper receiving corps that is currently led by Nick Kampa and Derick Fleming. Kampa has five catches for 58 yards, and Fleming has four catches for 48 yards. As a unit, the Piper offense is averaging 30 points per game, and 271.5 yards rushing and 161.5 yards passing for an average of 433 yards per game.

Through its non-conference schedule, Hamline is allowing 9.5 points per game and 198.5 yards of total offense, which ranks 15th in the nation. Against Macalester, the Piper defense gave up 120 yards rushing and 109 yards passing for a total of 229 yards. Hamline forced four turnovers on two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, bringing its season total to six (17th/NCAA). Leading the defense is safety Anthony Hill (So., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and linebacker Corey Touchette (Sr., Bainbridge Island, Wash.). Hill has a team-high 14 tackles (five solo) with one and half tackles for loss, while Touchette has 11 tackles (four solo), two and a half tackles for loss, and two sacks.

Hamline Game Notes | Roster | Statistics | Schedule/Results