(photo courtesy of SPX Sports)
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Two blocked punts, one recovered for a touchdown, and a punt return touchdown highlighted the Gustavus football team’s 42-14 win at Hamline on Saturday afternoon. The Gusties also had three rushing touchdowns and surpassed 400 yards of total offense for the first time this season to move to .500 at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the MIAC.
“Proud of our guys, it’s the kind of effort we needed today,” Head Coach Peter Haugen said. “We didn’t give up much on defense, made some big plays, and had some turnovers, so that was fun to see.”
Jordan Kahlow (Sr., Le Sueur, Minn.) started the scoring for the Gusties as he recovered a blocked punt in the endzone after Hamline’s first possession. Two plays into the Pipers’ next drive, Jake Boykin (Jr., Las Cruces, N.M.) forced and recovered a fumble at the home 25-yard line. Rafael Soriano-Campos (Jr., Guadalajara, Mexico) ensued with four straight carries, finishing with a two-yard touchdown.
Gustavus took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter as Brice Panning (Jr., Hamburg, Minn.) received a punt at the Gustie 42 and returned it 58 yards for the score. The punt return touchdown is the first by Gustavus since Ethan Armstrong did so in 2006 against Macalester.
Hamline ended the shutout midway through the second quarter after a nine-play, 76-yard drive, but the Gusties made it 28-7 just before halftime as Michael Veldman (Sr., Becker, Minn.) found Josh Kirk (Jr., Garvin, Minn.) for a 37-yard connection.
On the first Hamline drive of the second half, Gustavus forced a three-and-out and blocked the punt for the second time in the game. Four plays later, Soriano-Campos found the endzone for the second time.
Gustavus’s last score came midway through the third quarter as David Peal (Fy., Worcester, Mass.) capped a four-play, 60-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Peal started the drive with a 48-yard scamper, his longest of the season. Hamline scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but that would be it as the Gusties held on for the convincing win.
“We need to be better in some short yardage situations,” Haugen said. “We probably could have put a real stamp on the game early and we didn’t do that. But thankfully we hung in there and kept playing.”
Gustavus out-gained Hamline 407-196 in total yards with a season-high 200 on the ground. Peal led the ground game with eight carries for 75 yards and a score. Soriano-Campos had 11 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Veldman completed 15-of-22 passes for 204 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Brayton Fich (Jr., Mount Morris, Ill.) was the top target with five catches for 43 yards. Panning finished with a game-high 120 all-purpose yards. Boykin led the team in tackles for the first time this season with six, including the forced fumble and recovery.
Gustavus hosts Augsburg at 1 p.m. next Saturday. The Auggies (2-5, 0-5 MIAC) lost 36-34 at Carleton today.
“Augsburg always has guys that are dangerous athletically so we’re going to have be on point,” Haugen said. “We need to continue to be disciplined and work hard. We have 40 percent of our season left so we need to continue to improve each week.”