WELCOME
The No. 23-ranked Gustavus Adolphus football team welcomes St. Olaf College at 1 p.m. Saturday for a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup. The Gusties enter with a 5-0 overall record and 3-0 mark in the MIAC after defeating Carleton College 63-14 last week, while the Oles are 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the MIAC after losing 54-0 at No. 9 St. Thomas 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 10th consecutive season. Wheeler is joined this Saturday by Tim Kennedy, Gustavus Vice President for Marketing and Communication. 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 | LIVE AUDIO/VIDEO | GUSTAVUS GAME NOTES
TACKLE CANCER
Saturday’s game is designated as “Tackle Cancer Day” at Hollingsworth Field. The effort is a part of the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund, whose mission is to support the cancer community in Minnesota by funding research, prevention, treatment, and other programs relating to Minnesota’s cancer community. The Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund has challenged every high school and collegiate football team to sponsor at least one “Tackle Cancer” game during the months of September and October. Fans are encouraged to make donations toward funding additional cancer research during the game by giving to members of the Gustavus football volunteer staff, who will be making their way through the stands throughout the afternoon. Less than 10 percent of the monies raised are spent on administrative costs, making it one of the most efficient uses of your charitable donation. Grants given are spent on technology and tools that enhance early detection of cancer, new programs promoting research to help prevent cancer relapses, projects that demonstrate research in the area of cancer, and programs that enhance the lives of Minnesota’s cancer community by providing aid and assistance.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
The Gustavus Adolphus football team continued its offensive dominance last Saturday as it defeated Carleton College 63-14 in Northfield, Minn., scoring the most points in a single game since 1991. In the process, Matt Boyce (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.) cemented his name in the Gustavus record books by scoring two touchdowns – his 29th and 30th career scores – becoming the program’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns.
The Gusties scored touchdowns on nine of 11 possessions and tallied 445 yards of offense. The offense also continued to impress on its third down attempts, converting 9-of-12 on the day, improving its season average to a NCAA-best .677.
The Gustie defense held Carleton to a three-and-out on its first possession of the game and on the punt, Josh Curtis (Fy., Houston, Texas) got a hand on the ball for the block, which was returned 20 yards for a touchdown by George Buchner (Jr., Excelsior, Minn.). The blocked punt return for a touchdown was the first by the Gusties since 2011.
The Knights then marched 75 yards in 11 plays, capped by a five-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. But it was all Gustavus from there out as the Black and Gold led 35-14 at halftime and scored 28 unanswered points in the second half.
Karim Ortiz (So., Cancun, Mexico) and DaiVon Poole (So., San Angelo, Texas) led the ground game with 57 and 56 yards, respectively. Ortiz had 10 carries and a touchdown, while Poole added eight carries and two scores. Mitch Hendricks (Sr., Laporte, Minn.) completed 20-of-29 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns. Matt and Gabe Boyce (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.) tallied eight catches apiece to lead the receiving corps. Matt posted a game-high 161 yards and two touchdowns, while Gabe had 64 yards and two scores as well. Gabe also added two punt returns for 71 yards. Anders Raarup (So. Eagan, Minn.) and Kysten Zierke (So., Blue Earth, Minn.) led the defensive front with seven tackles each. Raarup also contributed two tackles for a loss of 11 yards.
Halfway through the 2015 season, Gustavus has one of the most prolific offenses in all of college football. The Gusties have the highest third down conversion rate (.677) and completion percentage (.746) in all levels of collegiate football (FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III) and rank fourth in Division III in points per game (53.8). In the conference ranks, the Gusties top the league in passing yards (341.0 per game), passing touchdowns (18), first downs (26.4 per game) and red zone scoring (.930).
Individually, Hendricks is the top quarterback in NCAA Division III with 1,626 passing yards and he ranks second nationally in points responsible for with 126. Within the MIAC, Hendricks tops the league in completion percentage (.756), completions (130), attempts (172) and touchdowns (18).
Matt Boyce is the top receiver in Division III, leading the nation in yards (738) and receiving touchdowns (11). Not a single player on any level of collegiate football has more receiving touchdowns than Boyce.
SCOUTING THE OLES
The St. Olaf football team had a tough task last week against No. 9-ranked St. Thomas as it lost 54-0 in St. Paul, Minn. St. Thomas scored 27 points in the first quarter and never looked back. The Oles were limited to 42 yards of total offense on 52 plays, while the Tommies accumulated 650 yards on 82 plays.
Quarterback Nate Penz (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) completed 6-of-18 passes for 32 yards, Connor McCormick (Sr., Caledonia, Minn.) rushed the ball 22 times for 38 yards, and Jack Goldstein (So., Plymouth, Minn.) had the most receiving yards for the Oles with 14 on one catch.
After five games, McCormick leads the Oles on the ground with 271 yards on 58 carries. Troy Peterson (So., Edina, Minn.) is the team’s top receiver with 211 yards on 23 receptions and a touchdown.
Keenan Gladd-Brown (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.) punted 14 times for 411 yards and an average of 29.4 yards against the Tommies. After five games, Gladd-Brown leads the MIAC in punting with an average of 30.7 yards on 37 punts. Spencer Malick (Sr., Augusta, W.V.) posted three kickoff returns for 51 yards and a long of 20.
On the defensive side of the ball, Brice Peterson (Sr., Northfield, Minn.) and Tyler Vajdic (Sr., Deerfield, Ill.) each posted double-digit tackles with 12 and 11, respectively. Peterson added one tackle for loss, while Vajdic had an interception. Peterson is the league’s top tackler through five games as he’s posted 60 stops (26 solo).
The Oles have struggled offensively this season as they rank last in the MIAC in points (8.4 per game), yards (221.0 per game), passing (120.2 yards per game), rushing (100.8 yards per game), first downs (11.2 per game), third down conversions (.310), red zone scoring (.670) and time of possession (25:50).