WELCOME
The Gustavus Adolphus football team continues Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3 at Carleton College. The Gusties enter the game with a 4-0 overall record and 2-0 mark in the MIAC after defeating Augsburg College 59-42 last week in St. Peter. The Knights enter with an overall record of 1-3 and a 0-2 mark in the MIAC after losing to No. 23-ranked Bethel University 58-21 last week in Arden Hills, Minn.
LIVE ACTION
KNUJ AM 860 out of New Ulm, Minn. is broadcasting every Gustavus regular season game. The voice of the Golden Gusties, Tom Wheeler, handles the play-by-play duties for the 10th consecutive season. Wheeler is joined by 1984 Gustavus graduate and former Gustie football player Ken Ericson on the live call for this season’s slate of games. Fans can listen to the KNUJ broadcasts on the Internet through the Gustavus Athletics website.
Live coverage of Saturday’s game begins at 12:30 p.m.
LIVE STATS/VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | GUSTAVUS GAME NOTES
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
The Gustavus football team is coming off an exciting offensive display last Saturday as it defeated Augsburg College 59-42. The scoring outburst of 59 points marked the most points scored by the Gusties since 1991 when they put up 63 against Macalester. The 101 combined points between the two teams also marked the most points scored in a single game in the 99-season history of Gustavus football.
Defensive back Nick Frandsen (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) had the play of the game as he intercepted a pass at the Gustie 31-yard line and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six proved to be a pivotal swing in the game as the Gusties took a 35-14 lead into halftime. For his performance, Frandsen was named MIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Gustavus finish the game against Augsburg by scoring eight touchdowns on a total of 12 drives, while Augsburg scored six touchdowns on 11 possessions. The Gusties compiled 517 yards of offense on 72 plays and the Auggies put 561 yards on 61 plays.
Karim Ortiz (So., Cancun, Mexico) – Gustavus’ fourth-string running back – led all rushers with 28 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Mitch Hendricks (Sr., Laporte, Minn.) led the passing game, completing 26-of-32 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns. The Bemidji High School product also ran for a score and was sacked once, which was the first sack allowed by the Gusties all season. In the NCAA Division III ranks, Hendricks’ 1,356 passing yards this season ranks second in the nation, his 14 touchdowns are third and his 102 points responsible for rank third as well.
Matt Boyce (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.) was the main target through the air last Saturday as he hauled in eight catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns. After four games, Boyce’s nine receiving touchdowns are most in the MIAC and NCAA Division III. Only one player in all levels of NCAA football (FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III) has more receiving touchdowns than Boyce. The Minnetonka High School product has 577 total yards (1st/MIAC, 2nd/NCAA), averages 144.3 yards per game (1st/MIAC, 7th/NCAA) and has hauled in 32 receptions (2nd/MIAC). Boyce currently has 2,554 career receiving yards and would need to average 105 yards per game in the remaining six games this season to become Gustavus’ all-time receiving leader. Chad Arlt (2005-08) holds the record with 3,180 career yards. Boyce is also one touchdown away from tying the Gustavus all-time record for career receiving touchdowns. Boyce currently has 28 touchdowns and the record is 29 held by Ryan Hoag (1999-2002).
On the defensive side of the ball, Frandsen and Anders Raarup (So., Eagan, Minn.) led Gustavus with 10 tackles apiece against the Auggies. Frandsen added the 69-yard interception return and two pass breakups, while Raarup contributed 1.5 tackles for loss.
Gustavus boasts the best offense in the MIAC, averaging 562.5 yards per game and 51.5 points. The Gusties also top the league in passing offense (350.3 ypg), first downs (27.5 per game), third down conversions (66%), fumble recoveries (5) and interceptions (5).
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SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
The Carleton football team had a tough test last weekend as it lost 58-21 to No. 23-ranked Bethel University. Quarterback Zach Creighton (Jr., Lakeville, Minn) proved to be the bright spot in the loss, contributing on each of the Knights’ three touchdowns on the day. Bethel took control of the game from the onset, scoring touchdowns on each of its first five possessions. The Royals also scored points on nine of its 12 possessions. Carleton was limited to 289 yards of total offense and allowed 610 yards.
Creighton finished the game by completing 12-of-21 passes for 165 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also added 40 rushing yards and a score on the ground. After four games this season, Creighton ranks sixth in the MIAC with 166.5 passing yards per game.
Andy Gustafson (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) led the ground game with 11 carries for 41 yards. Gustafson ranks sixth in the league with an average of 100.8 yards per game.
Chris Madden (Jr., Kenosha, Wis.) led the receiving corps with three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, Dylan Saline (Jr., Anoka, Minn.) posted a game-high 10 tackles, including a pass breakup. Saline has posted 32 tackles this season, averaging 8.0 per game, which ranks fourth in the MIAC. Mitch Heflin (Sr., Wayzata, Minn.) tallied nine tackles last week, while Pete Boerma (Jr., Watertown, S.D.) and Eric McGregor (Fy., Ellsworth, Wis.) added eight stops apiece.
Carleton has struggled to find the end zone this season as it ranks eighth in the MIAC in both scoring offense (24.0 points per game) and total offense (371.5 yards per game).