WELCOME
The Gustavus Adolphus College football team is set play in its season finale today at Carleton College. The Gusties come into today’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup with a 4-5 overall record and a 2-5 mark in the league after a 40-6 loss to No. 4 St. Thomas last Saturday, while the Knights are 1-8 overall and 1-6 in the league after a 40-3 loss to Concordia 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 11th consecutive season. Fans can listen to the KNUJ broadcasts on the Internet through the Gustavus Athletics website.
Live coverage of today’s game begins at 12:30 p.m.
LIVE STATS/WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | GUSTAVUS GAME NOTES
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
In the final home game of the 2016 season, the Gustavus football team lost to No. 4-ranked University of St. Thomas 40-6. The Tommies outgained the Gusties 458-128 in total yards and limited the home team to two field goals. Gustavus had a significant advantage in time of possession at 35:46-24:14, but was unable to finish drives in the endzone. The Gusties fell to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Confernce, while the Tommies remained undefeated at 9-0 overall and 7-0 in the league.
St. Thomas was able to establish its offense early in the game, which set the tone for the remainder of the contest. The Tommies scored a touchdown on their first offensive series and went on to score three more touchdowns over the next four possessions. Luke Martinez (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.) led the ground game for the Gusties with 41 yards on 17 carries. Martinez eclipsed the 1,000-yard career rushing mark and now has 1,040 yards on the ground. Gustavus used two quarterbacks during the game as Christian Haffner (Fy., Lebanon, Tenn.) started and completed 3-of- 8 passes for 32 yards and two interceptions, while Sam Archer (So., Zimmerman, Minn.) came in relief and completed 5-of-13 passes for 50 yards. Hunter Johnson (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) hauled in three catches for 45 yards. Casey Decker (Jr., Mapleton, Minn.) had a productive day punting the ball with six boots for 235 yards for an average of 39.2 yards per punt and a long of 57 yards. Jordan Kahlow (So., Le Sueur, Minn.) led the defense with eight tackles. Tanner Jensen (Sr., Lewiston, Minn.) had an interception.
After nine games this season, Karim Ortiz (Jr., Cancun, Mexico) leads the Gustie rushing game with 113 carries for 527 yards and five touchdowns. Haffner has been the quarterback for the bulk of the season with a 60.7 completion percentage. The first-year quarterback has completed 68-of-112 passes for 886 yards and eight touchdowns. Johnson leads the receiving corps with 38 catches for 512 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, Zack Martinez (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.) leads the way with 54 tackles, including 3.5 for loss.
GUSTAVUS ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
The Carleton College football team made its longest road trip of the season last Saturday, traveling northwest to Moorhead, Minn., to take on the Concordia College. The visiting Knights were put on their heels early and never recovered, as they were handed 40-3 loss at the hands of the Cobbers.
Concordia (6-2, 5-1 MIAC)—who is receiving votes in both national polls—demonstrated why it entered the day with the 13th-best rushing attack in the nation as the Cobbers rumbled for 300 yards on the ground. Carleton placekicker Brandt Davis (Sr./La Verne, Calif./Bonita) got the Knights on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter with a 33-yard field goal, with his MIAC leading ninth field goal made of the season.
Ethan Trujillo (Sr./Brighton, Colo./ Brighton) led the way for the Knights on offense, coming off the bench to complete 60.8 percent of his passes and throwing for 158 yards. Dylan Saline (Sr./Anoka, Minn./Champlin Park) and Mark Leedy (So./Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) led the way defensively for the Knights, each totaling a game-high 10 tackles. Saline also intercepted a pass–third interception of the season—and recovered a fumble in the game. After nine games this season, Zach Creighton leads the ground game with 62 carries for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He also leads the receiving corps with 55 catches for 439 yards and three scores. Trujillo leads the quarterback group with a 58.6 completion percentage. Trujillo has completed 95-of-162 passes for 994 yards and six touchdowns. The defense is led by Saline with 64 tackles, including three interceptions and seven pass breakups.