Parker Burman-
This past weekend, the Gustavus Football team hosted Macalester for a showdown at Hollingsworth Field; the first time the two teams had faced off with each other since 2007. The Gusties delivered a win in convincing fashion on Hall of Fame Day, scoring on eight of their 11 drives during the game to secure a 55-18 victory. With the win, the Gusties returned to .500 both on the season at 3-3 and in conference play at 2-2.
The offense wasted little time in getting the scoring started as Gustavus scored on the third play of the opening drive with a bomb from Junior Quarterback George Sandven finding Senior Receiver Jake Breitbach for the 60-yard score. Gustavus took over on their second drive after the defense forced a turnover on downs. Sophomore Running Back Walker Britz carried the drive with 29-yards on the ground, punching it into the endzone from three yards out to give the Gusties a 13-0 lead. On the extra point try, Macalester blocked Senior Kicker Andrew Abegglen’s attempt and returned it for a two-point score to make the game 13-2.
With a little momentum after blocking the extra point attempt, Macalester managed to score a touchdown and a successful two-point try to pull the score up to 13-10. The Gusties were not willing to allow Macalester back into the game, and in response put up 21 points of their own in the second quarter to just eight by Macalester. Sandven and Seniors Matthew Carreon and River Wood all added scores in the quarter to make the half-time lead a commanding 34-18.
Scoring was nonexistent after the halftime break, with the third quarter not seeing a single team score: both offenses were slowed by the opposing team’s defense. The story would change in the fourth quarter. The Gustavus offense officially put the game away with three more touchdown scores. Breitchbach and Wood would both add their second score on the day, while Sophomore Quarterback Dom Mathies ran in a touchdown from five yards out to push the score to 55-18.
“We’re really pleased with our execution today,” Head Coach Peter Haugen said. “We made a key fourth down play early in the game to get us going, and I’m really proud of the guys’ effort today. Our defense deserves a lot of credit, especially in the second half. The stop on the three-yard line to set up the 97-yard drive was truly an outstanding effort from the whole team. As we get ready for next weekend, we need to approach the week with a lot of respect and do what we need to in practice to prepare for Saint John’s. If we keep doing that, the results will continue to come.”
The Gustavus offense accumulated 443-yards on the day while the defense managed to hold Macalester’s offense to only 245-yards. The Gusties showed their dominance both through the air and on the ground as Gustavus outrushed Macalester 143-37. With this ability to keep pounding the rock, Gustavus was able to have near complete control of the clock, making it even more difficult for Macalester to attempt a comeback. This showed in total time of possession, as Gustavus held the ball for six more minutes than Macalester throughout the game.
Sandven had both an efficient and explosive day completing 16 of 21 passing attempts for 300-yards and three touchdowns, averaging more than 14-yards per attempt. Breitbach hauled in 11 passes from Sandven for his third 200-yard receiving game of the year, showing once again that he is one of the most -if not the most- dominant receivers in the country.
On defense, Senior Linebacker Carson Dekam led the way with 13 total tackles on the day, including one for a loss of two yards. Junior Defensive Back, Nathan Le, was close on Dekam’s heels with nine tackles of his own – including 1.5 tackles for loss. Senior Defensive Back Isaiah Chambers picked up five solo tackles of his own, including leading the defense with two pass breakups.
The Gusties play this coming weekend in a huge Northwoods Division showdown with rival No. 7 Saint John’s at Hollingsworth Field. The game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21st. Make sure to come out and support your Gustie Football team as they face one of their biggest tests this season!