Gustavus vs. Carleton
Date: Saturday, Nov. 11
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Hollingsworth Field
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Video
GUSTAVUS GAME NOTES | CARLETON GAME NOTES
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus football team is set to host the season finale Saturday afternoon versus Carleton College. The Gusties (4-5, 3-4 MIAC) will face the Knights (0-9, 0-7 MIAC) during senior day at Hollingsworth Field.
SENIOR SENDOFF
As is tradition at Gustavus, 19 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 send a sincere thank you to this group of young men for their leadership both on and off the field the past four years. The seniors honored prior to kickoff include Brendan Boche, Casey Decker, Scott Eischens, Drew Fredericksen, Jacob Gonzalez, Nathan Hajder, Ellis Hirman, Cam Hufendick, Hunter Johnson, Kevin Krohn, Zach LaFavor, Jake Langevin, Alex McHugh, Chris Nelson, Karim Ortiz, Anders Raarup, Ethan Stordahl, Schuyler Thompson, Matt VanSomeren, along with Student Managers Frank Kuzma and Jake Olson.
MEET THE HEAD COACHES
Head Coach Peter Haugen is in his ninth season at the helm of the Gustavus football program. Haugen, the 2015 MIAC Co-Coach-of-the-Year, has a combined record of 41-48 and is 31-41 in the MIAC. In the past four seasons, Haugen directed the Gusties to an overall record of 24-16. A graduate of Bethel University, Haugen was the head coach at Washburn High School in Minneapolis prior to coming to Gustavus.
Carleton Head Coach Bob Pagel is in his fifth season leading the Knights and has a combined record of 9-41. He first came to Carleton in 2004 as a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach. He added associate head coach duties prior to the 2010 campaign, was tabbed interim head coach in January of 2012, and had the interim tagged removed following the 2012 season. Prior to joining the Carleton staff, Pagel spent five years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
THE SERIES
Saturday’s game marks the 43rd all-time meeting between the Gustavus and Carleton football programs, with the Gusties holding a 25- 14-3 advantage in the series. Gustavus is currently riding a 20-game winning streak over the Knights, with the last loss coming during the 1996 season. In 42 all-time contests, the Gusties have outscored Carleton by a mark of 1,067-844.
20-STRAIGHT VS. THE KNIGHTS
Last season’s 38-21 win over Carleton on Nov. 12, 2016 in Northfield, Minn. marked the program’s 20th consecutive win over the Knights. Four interceptions with two that went for touchdowns propelled the Gusties to victory over Carleton in the season finale. The last setback versus the Knights came during the 1996 season, in which Carleton took down the Gusties 17-14 in Northfield.
VELDMAN RETURNS
Coming back from an injury suffered during game five at Concordia, junior quarterback Michael Veldman (Becker, Minn.) returns to lead the Gustie offense. Veldman guided Gustavus to a 3-2 start to the season, throwing for 1,609 yards in five games, which ranked second in the MIAC. He also ranked second in the league with 123 completions, 14 touchdowns, and third with a 61.8-percent completion rate. Veldman completed at least 16 passes in each of the five games throughout the month of September, including a seasonhigh 35 completions during a victory at Augsburg, in which he threw for 430 yards and four touchdowns.
KICKING CONSISTENCY
Senior kicker Brendan Boche (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) has been a constant source of points from the Gustavus special teams unit. Boche is tied for the lead in the conference with seven field goals made and has made at least one field goal in all but three games this season. Boche also ranks fourth in the MIAC with 48 points, having made 27-of- 30 extra point attempts for a 90 percent completion rate. In his third season as the starting placekicker for the Gusties, Boche broke the all-time extra points made record with his 99th career PAT in the homecoming victory over Hamline on Sept. 23 to pass Hall of Famer Ryan Boutwell (1995-98). Boche holds nearly every extra point record, including career extra points made (113), most extra points made in a season (55), most extra points made in a game (9), most attempted in a career (120), most attempted in a season (58), highest career PAT percentage (94.2), and most consecutive extra points made (49).
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
On Nov. 11, 2006, Gustavus defeated Carleton 14-10 during the regular season finale in Northfield, Minn., as the Gusties finished the season with a 6-4 overall record and 4-4 mark in the MIAC. Down 7-0 after the first quarter, Gustavus recorded a 14-point second quarter with two touchdown passes from Jordan Stolp, while the Gusties held on throughout the second half for the victory in the defensive battle.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
Gustavus enters Saturday’s matchup after suffering a 58-7 setback at the No. 4/6-ranked University of St. Thomas last Saturday, moving to 4-5 overall and 3-4 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Gusties kept the game close against the Tommies early on as Josh Kirk (So., Garvin, Minn.) ran in his second rushing touchdown of the year from 12 yards out, making the score 14-7 early in the second quarter. The Tommies were able to build separation the rest of the game, though, and kept the Gusties at bay in the convincing win. Casey Decker (Sr., Mapleton, Minn.) registered career-high punt totals, tallying 11 boots for 409 yards, including a career-long 59-yard blast. Drew Fredericksen (Sr., Forsyth, Ill.) and Tamir Beeler (Fy., Roseville, Minn.) paced the defensive unit with eight tackles each.
As the MIAC enters the final weekend of the regular season, Gustavus sits in fifth place in the league standings. The Gusties have the sixth-best offense in the league, averaging 342.6 yards per game. The passing offense is fourth-best with 229.9 yards per game, while the rushing offense is No. 5 with 112.7 yards per game. Karim Ortiz (Sr., Cancun, Mexico) is the team’s leading rusher with 111 carries, accumulating 451 yards and four scores. Since starting quarterback Michael Veldman went down with an injury in Week 5, Hunter Johnson (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) has stepped in, completing 35-of-79 passes for 403 yards and two touchdowns. Kirk has been the top target in the receiving game, totaling 506 yards and five scores on 35 receptions.
On the defensive side of the ball, Gustavus ranks fifth in the MIAC, allowing 339.1 yards of total offense per game – 204.9 yards through the air and 134.2 yards on the ground. After recording two sacks last week against St. Thomas, the Gusties now have 22 on the season, which is third most in the league. Matt Berkner (Jr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) leads the team with 61 total tackles, including 1.5 sacks, one interception, and five tackles for loss. Decker is sixth in the league with five sacks to go along with a team-best 9.5 tackles for loss.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Carleton suffered its ninth consecutive loss of the season last Saturday, falling by a score of 35-12 against No. 19 Concordia College in Northfield, Minn. The Cobbers (8-1, 6-1 MIAC) proved why they are the top rushing team in the conference, rumbling for 331 yards on the ground. Senior wide receiver Dane Birkeland accounted for all of the Knights’ scoring, totaling two touchdown receptions.
Heading into the season finale in search of its first win of the season, Carleton sits at the bottom of the conference standings and has been outscored 289-85 by its MIAC foes. After being shut out in back-to-back games against Bethel and Saint John’s in weeks six and seven, the Knights have come back to compile 38 points despite being unable to claim a victory in the past two contests against St. Olaf and Concordia.
Sophomore dual-threat Emanual Williams guides the Carleton offense, leading the team with an average of 136.7 all-purpose yards per game. Williams also leads the Knights in both rushing and receiving categories, having compiled 325 yards on the ground along with 38 catches for 257 yards. Williams, Tyler O’Keefe, and Logan Emholtz have each recorded three rushing touchdowns, while Dane Birkeland has registered 430 yards receiving and is a proven redzone threat with five touchdowns. Quarterback Chrisitan Zaytoun ranks second in the MIAC with 164 completed passes and averages 179.3 passing yards per game (5th/MIAC).
Defensively, the Knights have allowed an average of 488.3 yards of total offense per game, surrendering 298.0 through the air and 190.3 on the ground. Carleton’s 11 fumble recoveries are the most in the conference. The linebacker duo of Kwaku Bodom and Merrick Ducharme guide the Knights’ defensive unit. Ducharme ranks third in the MIAC with an average of nine tackles per game, while Bodom leads the team with 66 tackles and 8.5 for loss.