Sports Editor- Liv White

The Golden Gusties began their 109th football season last Saturday, September 5th at home facing off against the Central College Dutch. 

This game was the homecoming for offensive coordinator Charlie Cosgrove after 2 years of coaching at Winona State. He helped the Gusties find 331 offensive total yards, 270 of which were passing yards by Junior Quarterback Dylan Blount. Blount was 21 of 30 on passing, throwing 2 touchdown passes. The other two touchdowns were runs by Junior Alex Gross, running for 25 total yards, but nonetheless finding the end zone. 

Defensive highlights showcased Owatonna natives Senior Drew Kretlow and Junior Torrin Smith as well as Senior Max Olson from Trimont. Kretlow made his first start at middle linebacker Saturday, tackling the Dutch 12 times, including two solo tackles for loss. Smith sacked Central’s quarterback 2.5 times resulting in a loss of 19 yards. Olson was key in creating pressure on the Dutch o-line, creating 4 quarterback hurries, half a sack, contributing to Central’s passing completion score of 52%. 

Opening the game, a Central punt put the Gusties into good field position at the Dutch 46 yard line. The Gustavus offense got right to work with a 21-yard pass to Junior Liam Formmelt, followed up by a 17 yard completion to Junior Wide Receiver Jacob Ginskey, placing the Gusties at the 10-yard line. The drive ended with a pass from Blount to Senior Jordan Wold for the first touchdown of the season. During the first quarter the defense held Central to 1 first down and 10 total yards of offense, compared to Gustavus’ 6 first downs and 101 total offensive yards.

In the second quarter the defense forced another Central punt, which was returned by Frommelt for 31 yards, placing the offense at the Dutch’s 47-yard line. During this drive Junior running back Walker Hennen broke free on a 3rd and 2 for 15 yards. A few plays later, Gross was able to run the ball into the end zone to score his first touchdown of the season. The Gusties extended their lead, opting for a 2 point try after Frommelt decided that his hold was not fit for an extra point. He was able to run towards the pylon for a successful 2 point attempt, putting the score at 15-0. 

Gustie Football conceded its only points all day in the last 10 minutes of the first half when Central was able to drive down to the 6-yard line. However, Senior Chance Swansson was able to break up a pass so the Dutch had to settle for a 23-yard field goal.

Coming off a great first half, the Golden Gusties came out of the locker room fired up. The half opened with another turnover on downs for the Dutch with a key tackle from sophomore Brett DeRoo. The Gustie offense responded by scoring on their drive of the half. This drive showcased the grit of the team showcased by a roughing the passer penalty, a 14-yard pass to Ginskey, some runs, a loss of 22 yards, which placed the Gusties at a 2-and-32. In three passes from Blount, Gross was able to position himself for another rushing touchdown. The defense did not let up either. Defensive Coordinator Landon Rauen and the Gustie Defense made it impossible for the Dutch to score, forcing turnover after turnover. 

In the final quarter the Gusties secured their win when Blount passed to Ginskey for a 26-yard touchdown bringing the score to 29-3. 

Though the time of possession in the game was nearly the same, Gustavus was far more dominant in every aspect of the game. The Gusties had 22 first downs in comparison to Central’s 14. Gustavus was also far more successful in 3rd down conversions being 5 for 10, while Central was 3 for 15. Even though the Dutch had 268 total offensive yards, the 5 sacks for the Gustavus defense made it nearly impossible for Central to score. This dominant performance sent a message to the nation after defeating a team that was receiving votes in both AFCA and D3football.com polls. 

This week the Gusties have a bye week before beginning their MIAC competition. Next Gustavus football will face no. 2 Bethel at 7pm, Saturday September 19. With the Golden Gusties’ momentum from this weekend’s win and Bethel’s loss to North Central College this MIAC season opener should be interesting!