photo courtesy of Tim Kruse
SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus football team hits the road Saturday for a 1 p.m. MIAC Northwoods Division matchup at Carleton. The Gusties enter the game 5-2 overall, 3-2 in the MIAC, and 1-1 in the division, while the Knights are 6-1 overall, 4-1 in the MIAC, and 1-1 in the division.
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The Series
Saturday’s game marks the 46th all-time meeting between the Gustavus and Carleton football programs with the Gusties leading the series 28-14-3. Carleton owned a 14-5-3 advantage in the all-time series through the 1996 season, but since then the Gusties have won 23 consecutive matchups. The last meeting in 2019 was a 55-28 Gustie win at Hollingsworth Field. The Gusties outgained the Knights 669-322 in total offense with a balanced attack of 346 yards on the ground and 323 yards in the air. David Peal and Dalton Thelen combined for 267 rushing yards, while Michael Veldman completed 19-of-23 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Scouting the Gusties
Gustavus looks to get back on track after a 37-7 setback against No. 5 Saint John’s last week. The Gusties trailed just 10-7 at halftime, but the Johnnies were able to score 27 unanswered points in the second half.
Through seven games this season, the Gusties have the top rushing offense in the MIAC, averaging 240.3 yards per game, which ranks 21st in NCAA Division III. Their 91 rushing first downs are also tops in the conference along with the 34:25 average time of possession (8th/NCAA). The Gusties average 467.7 total yards per game, which ranks second in the league and 22nd in the country, and their 37.7 points per game are third most in the conference.
Rohee Konde (So., Hopkins) leads the ground game with 71 carries for 549 yards and six touchdowns. David Peal (Sr., Worcester, Mass.) is next with 85 carries for 390 yards and seven touchdowns.
Dalton Thelen (Sr., Cold Spring) leads the receiving corps with 31 catches for 518 yards and five touchdowns. At tight end, Ethan Sindelir (Sr., Wells) has caught 18 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown.
The signal caller this week will be Brett Hufendick (Sr., Edina), replacing Jake Breitbach (So., Golden Valley) at quarterback who is returning to receiver. Hufendick will make his first career start. This season he saw limited time at quarterback in the 72-7 blowout win at St. Scholastica, completing 4-of-4 passes for 50 yards.
Kicker Andrew Abegglen (Jr., Mound) is the top kicker in the MIAC this season, making 8-of-11 field goals and 27-of-30 extra points for 51 points.
Austin Fest (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa) continues to lead the team in the secondary with 45 total tackles. Carson Dekam (So., Owatonna) is the top linebacker with 44 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and an interception. Zach Jakes (Sr., North Mankato) is the leading defensive lineman with 37 stops, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks.
Scouting the Knights
Carleton is having one of its best seasons in program history with a 6-1 overall record after most recently defeating Concordia 28-27 in overtime last week. The Knights erased a 14-point fourth quarter deficit with a 35-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-20 with six seconds left in the game to beat the Cobbers. The Knights are having their best season since 1992 when they won the MIAC at 9-1 overall and 8-1 in the league.
Through seven games, Carleton is averaging 33.1 points and 347.0 total yards of offense. The passing game is averaging 235.9 yards with 111.1 yards on the ground. The defense has done well, allowing just 13.4 points and 277.0 yards per game.
Jonathan Singleton has completed 159-of-273 passes for 1576 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just one interception. Singleton has distributed the ball well with 16 different receivers catching a pass this season. Beau Nelson is the leading receiver with 37 catches for 317 yards and two touchdowns. The ground game is led by Aiden Chang with 95 carries for 400 yards and six touchdowns.
Travis Brown has proven to be a threat on special teams and as a defender. Brown leads the team with 583 all-purpose yards with 311 on kickoff, 55 on interception returns, and 35 receiving. He also leads the defense with 56 total tackles, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups. Isaac Simons is next on the defense with 54 stops, and leads the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.