The Gustie football team is back on track after a decisive 23-3 win over the St.Olaf Oles in Northfield last weekend. This victory moves the Gusties to 4-4 overall (2-4) MIAC and puts an end to a four-game losing streak.
Heading into the game, Gustavus was tied 7th in the MIAC league standings, with the 6th ranked offense and 4th ranked defense.
The Gustie defense proved its rank as it shut down the St. Olaf offense, forcing 3 turnovers and only allowing 209 yards of total offense.
The first of those turnovers was on St. Olaf’s first offensive play of the game when Junior Anders Raarup forced a fumble and Sophomore Dutch Claybaugh recovered the ball at the Oles’ 30-yard line.
Freshman Quarterback Christian Haffner ran for a seven yard touchdown six plays later, his first of two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter. The Gusties led 14-0 after the first 15 minutes, and extended their lead to 17-0 with a Brendan Boche field goal just before halftime.
The Oles responded with a field goal of their own early in the third quarter but those would prove to be their only points of the game.
The Gusties added to their lead with a six-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a 29-yard touchdown from Junior Running Back Karim Ortiz. He was joined in the backfield by Senior Luke Martinez, who accumulated 106 yards on 22 rushes.
Haffner once again started under center for the Gusties, and completed 14 of 21 attempts through the air for 152 yards. He also rushed for 71 yards on 18 carries.
The stellar Gustie defense was led by sophomore Matt Berkner, who had 5 tackles and two for a loss.
The defensive unit had a much easier task against the Oles than the previous week when they faced up against the high powered offense of No. 10 St. Johns.
On October 22nd, the Gusties hosted the Johnnies and were outmatched in a 56-10 defeat. St. Johns controlled the entire game, scoring on their second possession and leading 35-3 at halftime. The Gustie offense was held to just 129 total yards– 38 rushing and 91 through the air. Kicker Brendan Boche had a 26-yard field goal in the first half after a fumbled punt return gave Gustavus the ball on the St. Johns 14-yard line.
Sophomore Ben Rengel gave the Gusties their only touchdown of the game when he intercepted a pass and returned it 17 yards for a score midway through the third quarter to make the score 42-10.
The Gustie defense had lots of work to do and was led by Junior Leeland Lauti and Senior Zack Martinez who had 12 tackles each.
Three weeks ago the Gusties traveled to Arden Hills, MN to take on the Bethel Royals, who had the top-ranked offense in the MIAC at the time.
The Bethel offense proved tough to deal with in the early going, as they scored 12 points in the first quarter and 20 in the second to jump out to a 32-3 halftime lead.
The Gustavus offense was fueled by an interception from Junior Iker Ortiz that gave the Gusties the ball on the 8-yard line. Quarterback Sam Archer ran the ball in for a six-yard touchdown two plays later and the Gusties trailed 32-10 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Gusties had a great scoring opportunity when an interception from Freshman Avery Bachman gave Gustavus the ball on Bethel’s 10-yard line. Unfortunately, the Royals defense came up with an impressive goal-line stand, and the Gustie offense was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
The Gusties did manage to score once more when Junior Dai-Von Poole rushed for an 8-yard touchdown that cut Bethel’s lead to 15 points. The score would remain 32-17 until the final whistle as Bethel was able to run out the clock.
“I’m proud of the guys; we really hung in there and were patient with the game plan and that served us well because we had opportunities in the second half,” head Coach Peter Haugen said. “We had an opportunity in the red zone and if we convert it’s a game that goes right down to the wire. I give our players a lot of credit for hanging in there and not quitting.
This Saturday, the Gusties look to continue their momentum from the win over St. Olaf, as they take on No. 4 St. Thomas at home before concluding the regular season in Northfield against Carleton College on November 12th. Come support the Gusties in their last home game of the 2016 season!