Staff Writer- Nathan Swanson

As the Gustavus football team hit the road for their season opener in Spokane, Washington, this last weekend, excitement was high. For many players on the team, the chartered flight to Washington State was a first, and they made sure to soak it all up and not take it for granted.
“We were all super excited,” Senior linebacker Bode Hogan said, “as long as I’ve been here, we haven’t taken a chartered flight anywhere, so that whole experience was super cool, super grateful for it.” While the Gusties knew they would be facing a good team, they were excited for the challenge and to see what they were made of. They would face off against the Whitworth University Pirates, a game in which they ultimately fell 23-10.
Gustavus, winning the coin toss, chose to defer to the second half, which led to Whitworth receiving possession to open the game. The opening drive for the Pirates, which proved efficient, resulted in a touchdown as they barreled it in from the 1-yard line. The 5-minute, 65-yard, 10-play drive led to an early 7-0 advantage for the Pirates. Late in the first quarter, Whitworth would punch it in again, finding the end zone following a 64-yard touchdown pass from their quarterback.
While Whitworth would get another quick 3 points entering the second quarter with a field goal, Gustavus began to steal some momentum with a timely interception by their defense. The Gustie defense, which was backed up at their 11-yard line, found the juice they needed as Sophomore defensive back Cody Bartnes would pick off the Pirates at the 3-yard line. This crucial turnover helped to ignite the Gustie offense as the very next play led to a 52-yard scramble run from Sophomore quarterback Jacob Ginskey. With 1:45 left in the half, Sophomore kicker Jack Sieben nailed a field goal from 36 yards, making the score 17-3 Pirates. In terms of the forced turnover and change of possession, Ginskey credited the defense for making a heck of a play and helping the offense get an important drive going down the field. “Bode made a nice play and tipped it, and then Cody picked it. Obviously, it changed the game… changed it from going 24-0 into the half to 17-3. It definitely helped us for sure.”
Heading into the second half, the Gusties knew they would have to make some plays to get back into the game. “Stay doing your job and not trying to do someone else’s job… when it is your time to make a play, go and make a play,” Hogan said. Midway through the third quarter, Whitworth would connect with a 28-yard field goal, making the score 20-3 Pirates. That very next possession by Gustavus would lead to a monumental drive, including their longest pass of the day of 63 yards. On a play action pass, Ginskey drew the Pirate secondary in with a crafty pump fake. This led to First-year receiver Brayden Sturm barreling down the field with nothing but green grass in front of him. By the time the secondary was racing back for recovery, Ginskey had let the ball rip, and it was sailing through the air downfield. Sturm caught the ball mid-stride at the 35-yard line, leaving him in a footrace with Whitworth safety Trey Rose. Making a diving lunge, Rose would trip up Sturm at the 5-yard line. Ginskey soon charged into the end zone with his legs three rushes later, leading to the first touchdown of the season for Gustavus. The Pirates would end up punting back to the Gusties on their next drive, which led to Gustavus driving down the field and making it down to the 12-yard line. At the end of the 3rd quarter, with the score 20-10 Pirates, the Gusties were looking to cut the deficit even more.
Within the opening minute of the fourth, the Gusties lined it up for a field goal to make it a one-score game. The 25-yard kick, lined up at the 8-yard line, would ultimately be blocked by Whitworth. This crucial sequence halted the Gusties from making it a one-score game. While Whitworth’s next drive was stopped and they were forced to punt, their defense on Gustavus’s next possession forced an important stop on 4th and 2. This once again halted Gustavus’ momentum. The defensive stop led to a drive by Whitworth, in which they found the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown. This score, however, was called back due to a pass interference penalty. While Whitworth could regain a few yards back from the penalty, they would set up a 45-yard field goal, making the score 23-10 Pirates. With 5:21 remaining in the game, the Pirate defense would hold firm, and the Gusties would fall short of completing the comeback.
Both Ginskey and Hogan felt encouraged to go out and play their first game of the season. While they were pleased, there was also some realization that the team had things to improve upon moving forward. “I think we did really well,” Ginskey said. “We moved the ball really well against them. They are a really good team… our focus this week is the details…we got to execute every play.”
“At least defensively, a lot of guys are kind of getting their first real varsity reps, I think just getting that experience under our belt…this is kind of what a full game is like…we got to get a lot better really fast, we are not going to use our inexperience as an excuse…try to keep improving,” Hogan said about the repetition and learning from the experience. The Gusties look to rebound, and they look to do so in their home opener against Bethel on September 20th.