WELCOME
The Gustavus Adolphus College football team returns home to St. Peter on Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup against the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The Gusties enter the game with a 1-0 overall record after defeating Westminster College 35-6 last Saturday in Fulton, Mo., while the Falcons are 0-1 after a 35-20 loss at Coe College.
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 11th consecutive season. 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 | WATCH LIVE | GUSTAVUS GAME NOTES
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
The Gustavus football team started its 100th season on the right foot, defeating Westminster College 35-6 last Saturday afternoon in Fulton, Mo. The Gusties scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and never looked back. Gustavus accumulated 479 yards of offense on 275 passing and 204 rushing. Luke Martinez (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.) had a breakout game after missing all last season due to injury as he scored three touchdowns with 129 yards on 21 carries. In his first start under center, Michael Veldman (So., Becker, Minn.) was extremely efficient, completing 21-of-25 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown. Veldman also added a six-yard rushing touchdown. Jordan Kahlow (So., Le Sueur, Minn.) led the defense with six tackles.
The Gustie defense was stout in its first outing, holding Westminster’s ground game to 73 yards. Westminster was also limited to 213 total yards, which marks the fewest yards allowed by Gustavus since Oct. 4, 2014 when it held Carleton to 58 yards. Last Saturday, Iker Ortiz (Sr., Cancun, Mexico) registered four tackles, including two tackles for loss. Tanner Sparrow (So., Edina, Minn.) tallied his first sack wearing the Black and Gold, and Sergio De Pablos (Sr., Cancun, Mexico) made an interception at a crucial point in the game as Westminster was threatening to score after a turnover.
Gustavus’s aerial attack was productive and spread out as eight different players caught passes. Hunter Johnson (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) was the top target of the day as he caught a career-high eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. In his first collegiate game, Jackson Feddema (Fy., Cleveland, Minn.) hauled in five passes for 37 yards, while Jamison Beulke (So., Montgomery, Minn.) and George Buchner (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.) each posted three receptions for 35 and 25 yards, respectively.
The special teams unit also had a good day as Brendan Boche (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) made all five extra points and averaged 60.8 yards on six kickoffs, including one touchback. Casey Decker (Jr., Mapleton, Minn.) punted the ball three times with an average of 36.3 yards and a long of 56 yards.
When the final whistle blew, Gustavus totaled 29 first downs compared to 10 by Westminster. The Gusties also dominated the time of possession 39:18-to-20:42. Head Coach Peter Haugen’s offense averaged 12 yards per completion and 4.5 yards per rush.
GUSTAVUS ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
The UW-River Falls football team dropped its season opener last Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, falling to Coe College 35-20. The Falcons fell behind 21-0 in the first half and were unable to climb their way back. Senior wide receiver Griff Christensen (Hudson, Wis.) led the offense as he scored twice on three catches and finished with 57 yards.
UW-River Falls threw two interceptions in the first quarter on tipped passes and fell behind 14-0 after the opening frame. It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that the Falcons scored their first touchdown of the day on a 15-yard run by Trenton Monson (So., Big Lake, Minn.). Six different Falcons ran the ball and combined for 134 yards in the game with a 4.8-yard average. Rance Ashley (Sr., North Branch, Minn.) led the ground game with 40 yards on six carries.
Playing from behind the entire afternoon, the Falcons turned to the passing game with the hopes of making a comeback. Junior quarterback Sawyer Moon (St. Paul, Minn.) attempted 62 passes, completing 25 for 287 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Wide receiver Tony Denn (Jr., North Branch, Minn.) registered the longest play of the day for the Falcons with a 30-yard reception.
The Falcon defense sacked the Kohawks twice with linebacker Geno DeMike (Jr., St. Paul, Minn.) and defensive lineman Charlie Sanders (So., Hampshire, Ill.) each registering a sack. DeMike led the defense with 14 total tackles. Queety Badio (Sr., Elk River, Minn.) was next in line with seven tackles, including a tackle for a loss. Safety Matt Ekman (Sr., Lake Elmo, Minn.) forced a fumble, which was recovered by Kyle Hunter (Fy., Luck, Wis.).
UW-River Falls ran 92 plays in the game – 28 rushing and 64 passing – which marked the most plays by the Falcons since Sept. 8, 2012 against St. Thomas when they ran 96 plays. The offense produced 426 total yards – 292 passing and 134 rushing.