Gustavus vs. St. Olaf
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Hollingsworth Field
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Video
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus football team is set to host St. Olaf College Saturday afternoon at Hollingsworth Field. The Gusties (3-4, 2-3 MIAC) look to snap their three-game losing skid, taking on the Oles (4-3, 3-2 MIAC), who are currently riding a three-game winning streak.
MEET THE HEAD COACHES
Head Coach Peter Haugen is in his ninth season at the helm of the Gustavus football program. Haugen, the 2015 MIAC Co-Coach-of-the-Year, has a combined record of 40-47 and is 30-40 in the MIAC. In the past four seasons, Haugen directed the Gusties to an overall record of 24-16. A graduate of Bethel University, Haugen was the head coach at Washburn High School in Minneapolis prior to coming to Gustavus.
St. Olaf Head Coach James Kilian is in his first season leading the Oles on the gridiron. In his first season at St. Olaf, Kilian has led the Oles to their best start since the 2012 season, going 4-3 overall. Kilian spent the previous three seasons at the University of St. Thomas as an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2015-2016 and wide receivers coach in 2014. Prior to coaching at St. Thomas, Kilian spent time coaching at Carleton College, Louisiana State University, Tulsa University, and Del City High School in Oklahoma.
THE SERIES
Saturday’s game marks the 64th all-time meeting between the Gustavus and St. Olaf football programs, with the Gusties holding a 38- 25 advantage in the series. Gustavus is currently riding a four-game winning streak over the Oles, including a 23-3 win last season in Northfield, Minn. The Gusties outgained the Oles 407-209 in total yards, while forcing the home team to punt seven times and commit three turnovers.
FOUR-STRAIGHT VS. THE OLES
The Gusties cruised to a 23-3 victory over St. Olaf on Oct. 29, 2016 in Northfield, Minn. for the program’s fourth consecutive win over the Oles. An early 14-0 lead in the first quarter set the tone, while Gustavus outgained St. Olaf 407-209 in total yards. The Gusties also forced the Oles to punt seven times and commit three turnovers. Each Gustie score came on the ground while the team tied a season-high with 54 rushing attempts, compiling 255 rushing yards. The defense limited the Oles to a field goal, allowing the least amount of points during the 2016 season. During the four-year winning stretch, Gustavus has outscored St. Olaf by a mark of 163-85.
STOUT DEFENSE IN FINAL 30
After allowing 41 points in the first half last week, the Gustie defense made a dramatic improvement in the final 30 minutes at Saint John’s, shutting out the No. 7/8-ranked Johnnies for the entire second half. It was the first time Saint John’s was shut out in the second half since Nov. 7, 2015 and just the third time in the past five seasons. In five Johnnie possessions throughout the second half, the Gustie defense forced two punts, one turnover on downs, and a fumble.
KICKING CONSISTENCY
Senior kicker Brendan Boche (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) has been a constant source of points from the Gustavus special teams unit. Boche leads the conference with seven field goals made after nailing a 34-yarder last week at Saint John’s. He has made at least one field goal in all but one game this season. Boche also ranks second in the MIAC with 42 points, having made 21-of- 23 extra point attempts for a 91 percent completion rate. In his third season as the starting placekicker for the Gusties, Boche broke the all-time extra points made record with his 99th career PAT in the homecoming victory over Hamline on Sept. 23 to pass Hall of Famer Ryan Boutwell (1995-98). Boche holds nearly every extra point record, including career extra points made (107), most extra points made in a season (55), most extra points made in a game (9), most attempted in a career (113), most attempted in a season (58), highest career PAT percentage (94.7), and most consecutive extra points made (49).
TOUGH ON THIRD DOWN
The Gustie defense has proven to be one of the best in the MIAC to get off the field after third down. The Gusties have limited their opponents to a 29 percent (25-87) conversion rate on third down this season, which is lower than every MIAC team’s season average. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gusties have converted on 41-of-109 (38%) third downs, which is fifth best in the league. Last season against the Oles, Gustavus stopped the opposition on 10-of-14 third down attempts.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
On Oct. 28, 2006, Gustavus defeated Augsburg 41-27 at Hollingsworth Field. The Gusties jumped out to a 34-0 lead at halftime and never looked back. Jordan Stolp completed 19-of- 35 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, while the backfield duo of Mitch Anderson and Ray Wilson combined for 25 carries for 154 yards and four touchdowns.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
Gustavus enters Saturday’s matchup after suffering a 41-17 setback at No. 7/8-ranked Saint John’s last Saturday, moving to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Despite a large first half deficit, the Black and Gold would not go without a fight as the defense held the Johnnies scoreless in the final 30 minutes. Karim Ortiz (Sr., Cancun, Mexico) scored two oneyard rushing touchdowns, while Brendan Boche added a 34-yard field goal. Drew Fredericksen (Sr., Forsyth, Ill.) and Matt Berkner (Jr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) led the defensive effort with seven tackles each. Fredericksen’s seven tackles marked a career-high while adding one pass breakup. Berkner also recorded a sack and one tackle for loss.
As the MIAC enters Week 9 of the season, Gustavus sits in sixth place in the league standings. The Gusties have the third-best offense in the league, averaging 386.9 yards per game. The passing offense is second best in the league with 273.7 yards per game, while the rushing offense is No. 6 in the conference with 113.1 yards per game. Jamison Beulke (So., Montgomery, Minn.) is the team’s leading rusher with 55 carries for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Ortiz has the most attempts with 69 carries, accumulating 242 yards and three scores. Since starting quarterback Michael Veldman (Jr., Becker, Minn.) went down with an injury in Week 5, Hunter Johnson (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) has stepped in, completing 21-of-43 passes for 250 yards. Josh Kirk (So., Garvin, Minn.) has been a top target in the receiving game, totaling 439 yards and four scores on 29 receptions.
On the defensive side of the ball, Gustavus ranks fifth in the MIAC, allowing 322.6 yards of total offense per game – 191.4 yards through the air and 131.1 yards on the ground. After recording one sack last week against Saint John’s, the Gusties now have 18 on the season, which is third most in the league. Berkner leads the team with 47 total tackles, including 1.5 sacks, one interception, and 3.5 tackles for loss. Casey Decker (Sr., Mapleton, Minn.) is second in the league with five sacks to go along with a team-best nine tackles for loss.
SCOUTING THE OLES
A 31-yard touchdown pass from Jack Goldstein to Gonzalo Game 8 – October 28 – St. Olaf Notes Pirela guided St. Olaf to a third consecutive conference victory last Saturday at Klein Field at Manitou, defeating its cross-town rival Carleton College by a score of 29-26, improving to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the MIAC.
Goldstein completed 17-of-30 pass attempts to compile 324 yards to go along with three passing touchdowns and no interceptions. Khayleb Willis led the Ole rushing attack, totaling 145 yards on 25 carries, including a season-long 67-yard touchdown run. Pirela was responsible for nine of St. Olaf’s 29 points – including the game-winning touchdown. He was also three-for-three on extra point tries and brought in a 31-yard touchdown pass. For his performance, Pirela earned MIAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
After opening up its 2017 conference schedule with losses against Saint John’s and Bethel, St. Olaf has outscored its opponents by a mark of 91- 79 during its winning streak and is tied for the No. 4 spot in the conference standings.
Sophomore running back Khayleb Willis and senior wide receiver Troy Peterson lead the St. Olaf offensive output, ranking among the top running back and receivers in the MIAC. Willis ranks second in the conference with an average of 79.6 rushing yards per game, while Peterson also ranks second with 82.6 receiving yards a game. Goldstein has seen the most time under center for the Oles, completing 60-of-102 passes for 751 yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, Jacob Ossell leads the way with 39.5 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and two interceptions. Max Karpinske leads the secondary with three picks, one fumble recovery, and 21.5 tackles.