(Photo courtesy of David Faulkner, SPX Sports.)
SAINT PETER, Minn. – Saturday in Saint Peter will feature two of the top passing offenses in the country as Carleton comes to Hollingsworth Field for a 1 p.m. contest. The Gusties enter the game 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the MIAC while the Knights are 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the MIAC.
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The Series: Saturday’s game marks the 45th all-time meeting between the Gustavus and Carleton football programs with the Gusties leading the series 27-14-3. Last season in Northfield, Gustavus used a strong all-around offensive attack to defeat the Knights 62-28. The Gusties saw success both through the air and on the ground, passing for 443 yards and rushing for 138, out-gaining the Knights 581-348 in total offense.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus comes off its third straight win after defeating Augsburg 59-27 last Saturday in Minneapolis. The offense continued to thrive, scoring touchdowns on the first six possessions to jump out to a 42-21 halftime lead. During their three-game win streak, the Gusties are averaging 54.3 points, while allowing 25.3.
Through seven games, the Gusties average 44.0 points per game, which ranks second in the MIAC, along with 445.3 yards of total offense. On defense, Gustavus allows 27.7 points and 338.3 yards per game. The Gusties are the most successful MIAC team in the red zone this season, scoring touchdowns on 32-of-38 possessions (84 percent), which is 12 percent higher than the next best conference foe.
Michael Veldman continues his all-out aerial attack, completing 146-of-215 passes for 2,273 yards and 26 touchdowns. His 26 passing touchdowns lead the MIAC and his 2,273 yards are second most in the league. Veldman’s top two targets, Josh Kirk and Brice Panning, are two of the top receivers in the MIAC this season. Kirk and Panning are the only two players in the conference averaging more than 100 yards receiving per contest. Kirk has amassed 46 catches for 916 yards and seven touchdowns, while Panning has 44 catches for 711 yards and a MIAC-best 13 scores. David Peal has been the team’s top running back, rushing 85 times for 402 yards and nine touchdowns, with the nine scores ranking second in the MIAC.
Jake Boykin and Zach Jakes lead the defense with 46 and 39 tackles, respectively, with Jakes having a team-best 6.0 tackles for loss. Austin Fest is the team’s top tackler in the secondary recording 34 stops to go along with a fumble recovery and interception. Kaleb Scott has two interceptions and eight pass deflections to lead the team in both categories.
Scouting the Knights: Carleton enters today’s game after a 63-15 loss to St. Thomas last Saturday. The Knights stood strong early, holding a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter and trailed 14-9 at halftime, but the Tommies scored four touchdowns in the third quarter and three more in the fourth to secure the win.
Through eight games, the Knights average 21.8 points and 347.3 yards of offense per contest. Defensively, they allow 29.1 points and 437.5 yards per game. The Knights have completed 236 passes this season, which ranks first in the nation, and exactly half of those passes have gone for first downs.
Carleton’s offense employs a pass-heavy attack, with quarterback Jonathan Singleton completing a MIAC-high 164 passes for 1,589 yards and 12 touchdowns. The receiving duo of Emanual Williams and Mack Journell rank first and second in the MIAC in receptions with 60 and 58, respectively, with Williams adding 756 yards and eight touchdowns. Sean Goodman leads the team on ground, rushing 69 times for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Knights have recovered a MIAC-high 10 fumbles. Travis Brown is a presence in the secondary as he is second in the league with 84 tackles and has recorded two interceptions. Carlos Lua Pineda is third in the conference with 63 tackles, including 3.0 for loss, while Peter Hagstrom has 57 tackles and 7.0 for loss. John Witte is solid on the defensive front with a team-best five sacks.
Climbing the Quarterback Ranks: Veldman is making his way up the Gustavus quarterback ranks, climbing the program record book in many statistical categories. In his career, Veldman has completed 511-for-811 passes (63.0%) for 7,169 yards and 65 touchdowns. His yardage is currently third on the all-time list, trailing only Jordan Stolp (8,496) and Mitch Hendricks (8,410), while his 65 touchdowns are tied with Stolp for second most in program history, trailing only Hendricks’ 77.
This Day in History: On Nov. 2, 2013 the Gustavus football team hosted No. 22 Saint John’s and defeated the Johnnies 23-20 in overtime. Gustavus fell behind 10-0 early but responded with a touchdown late in the second quarter to bring it within three at the half. Both teams scored once in the third quarter before a Thomas Schleusener field goal early in the fourth quarter tied the score at 17 with 14:15 to play in regulation. The Johnnies then went on a 14-play, 56-yard drive, but Torey Asao picked off a pass in the end zone to end the threat. Neither team could score in the remainder of regulation as Schleusener missed a field goal with time winding down, sending the game to overtime. Both teams got a field goal in the first overtime before the Johnnies missed a 37-yard field goal attempt in the second overtime. That set up Schleusener from 37 yards as he buried to kick to give Gustavus the win. Jeffrey Dubose scored both Gustavus touchdowns in the game as he carried the ball 22 times for 69 yards and a pair of scores.