The 2016 Gustavus football seniors.
WELCOME
The Gustavus Adolphus College football team is set to host the University of St. Thomas on its annual Senior Day Saturday. The Gusties come into Saturday’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup with a 4-4 overall record and a 2-4 mark in the league after a 23-3 win at St. Olaf last Saturday, while the No. 4-ranked Tommies are 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the conference after a 27-6 victory at Bethel last week.
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
SENIOR DAY
As is tradition at Gustavus, 16 seniors will be honored as part of Senior Day at Hollingsworth Field this afternoon. The Gustavus Adolphus College Department of Intercollegiate Athletics would like to extend a sincere thank you to this group of young men for their leadership both on and off the eld the past four years. The seniors honored prior to kickoff include Luke Martinez, Trevor Maxwell, Sergio De Pablos Velez, Zack Martinez, Trevor Groschen, Mitch Feske, Tanner Jensen, Jordan Sorensen, Iker Ortiz, Andrew Allen, Ryan Landherr, Tyler Jakes, Joe Theiler, Jake Schmitz, Aaron Brau, and Levi Folkert.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
Last Saturday the Gustavus football team traveled to Northfield, Minn. to face the St. Olaf Oles and snapped a four-game losing skid in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 23-3 victory over the Oles, improving to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the league. An early 14-0 lead in the first quarter set the tone for the Gusties, who outgained the Oles 407-209 in total yards, while forcing the home team to punt seven times and commit three turnovers.
Luke Martinez (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.) led the Gustie ground game with 22 carries for 106 yards. Christian Haffner (Fy., Lebanon, Tenn.) added 18 carries for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns. Haffner also completed 14-for-21 passes for 152 yards and an interception. Hunter Johnson (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) was the top target with five catches for 39 yards. Matt Berkner (So., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) led the defense with five tackles, including two for a loss.
After eight games this season, Karim Ortiz (Jr., Cancun, Mexico) leads the Gusties on the ground with 109 carries for 526 yards and five touchdowns. Haffner has been behind center for the bulk of the season, completing 65-of-104 passes for 854 yards and eight touchdowns, including a 62.5 completion percentage. Johnson leads the aerial attack with 35 receptions for 467 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, Zack Martinez (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.) paces the team with 49 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss.
As the MIAC enters Week 10 of the season, Gustavus sits at No. 6 in the league standings. The Gusties have the fifth best offense in the league, averaging 348.6 yards per game. The passing offense is No. 8 in the league with 187.4 yards per game, while the rushing offense is No. 5 in the league with 161.3 yards per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Gustavus ranks fourth in the MIAC, allowing 352.0 yards per game – 203.4 yards through the air and 148.6 yards on the ground. After collecting one interception last week against St. Olaf, the Gusties now have 11 picks on the season, which is fourth most in the league.
GUSTAVUS ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
SCOUTING THE TOMMIES
The No. 4-ranked University of St. Thomas football team is at the top of the MIAC standings with a perfect 8-0 overall record, including a 6-0 mark in the league. The Tommies are coming off a 27-6 victory at Bethel University last week. Senior quarterback Alex Fenske passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense picked off three passes to end a two-game losing streak at Bethel. The Tommies led just 7-0 at halftime and overcame two lost fumbles in the fourth quarter to post the 21-point win.
Along with sitting atop the MIAC standings, the Tommies also rank No. 1 in the league in multiple statistical categories. St. Thomas has the league’s top offense, averaging 46.3 points per game and 468.6 yards per game. The Tommies’ 26 rushing touchdowns are most in the MIAC and their 23 passing touchdowns rank second. St. Thomas has proven to be efficient in reaching the line to gain, converting on third down 50-of-119 times (42%), which ranks third in the league, and converting on fourth down 18-of-31 times (58%), marking the most conversions in the league on fourth down.
After eight games this season, Tucker Trettel leads the Tommie rushing game with 117 carries for 665 yards and 11 touchdowns. Josh Parks is not far behind with 71 carries for 458 yards and six scores. Fenske has been under center the most for the Tommies, completing 103-of-186 passes for 1,813 yards and 16 touchdowns. Nick Waldvogel is the top receiving target with 41 catches for 522 yards and six touchdowns. Joe Reed has 15 catches for 547 yards and six touchdowns. Adam Brant leads the defense with 37 tackles, including six for loss, two sacks, and two forced fumbles.