Staff Writer- Maddie Low
The Gustavus Football team had a record breaking game and secured a 23-0 win against Augsburg University in their last home game of the season as they celebrated their graduating class. The team improved their record to 6-3 overall and 5-3 in the MIAC. During Saturday’s game, Senior Max Olson had two sacks, bringing his career sack total to 23, breaking the previous record set by Chad Zemple ‘96 in 1995. As a team, they broke the program’s single-game sack record with 10 sacks Saturday. The previous record was set at 8 and had been done three times: once in 1995 and twice in 1997.
“The most crucial aspect is having trust in your teammates, having confidence that they will do their job will put you in the best position to succeed,” Junior Dalen Smith said.
The Gusties received the opening kickoff, with Junior Liam Frommelt returning the ball 37 yards to the Augsburg 45-yard line. Gustavus snagged a first down but turned the ball over with a fumble, and the defense responded by forcing a three-and-out to give Gustavus possession at their 48-yard line. The Gusties had a strong, six-play, 52-yard touchdown drive on their next possession. Junior quarterback Dylan Blount connected with Junior wide receiver Liam Frommelt for a 33-yard completion. Blount found him again for 16 yards to set up Gustavus at the Auggie’s three-yard line.
Shortly thereafter, Blount connected with Senior tight end Jordan Wold for a four-yard touchdown pass on a 3rd and goal for an early 7-0 lead with less than 10 minutes in the first quarter.
“It was definitely a great feeling to score a touchdown in my last game at Hollingsworth,” Wold said. “Lots of guys made plays to set it up, and Dylan threw me a great ball. That definitely gave us some momentum going into the rest of the game, but we still feel like we still left a lot on the table. Luckily we have one more game to end on a high note.”
The Gustie defense had another stop on Augsburg’s possession as Junior Torrin Smith recorded a sack before Dalen Smith and Caleb Aflakpi combined together to make a stop on a 4th and 1 rushing attempt. Gustavus took possession at the Auggie’s 34-yard line and went on to score a 27-yard field goal from Junior kicker Jack Sieben for a 10-0 lead. The defense dominated on the next Augsburg possession as Senior linebacker Drew Kretlow recorded two sacks before forcing a fumble on a rushing attempt.
On Monday, Kretlow was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Football Defensive Player of the Week. He had 13 total tackles with 10 solo, five tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a quarterback hurry. Kretlow shut down an Auggie drive in the closing minutes of the first quarter, blowing up a run play behind the line of scrimmage to force the fumble.
Sophomore Nick Anderson was able to recover the ball at the Augsburg 30-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. Sieben converted the extra point giving Gustavus a 17-0 lead with 1:37 remaining in the opening quarter.
“The strongest aspect of the game was definitely the defense,” Wold said. “They were flying around the field and making plays every drive. It’s a lot easier to play offense when you have great defensive energy to feed off of.”
The defense kept Augsburg scoreless into the second quarter. The Auggies had a 1st and 10 at the Gustie 28-yard line, but then Junior Samuel Zea and Aflakpi combined for a tackle for loss before Olson and Charlie Goodland combined for a sack. Gustavus moved into Augsburg territory on their next possession but were unable to convert on a fourth down. They forced another three-and-out capped off by an Olson sack to keep the lead going into halftime.
The defense picked it right back up after to start the second half as Goodland sacked Augsburg’s quarterback and forced another fumble that was recovered by Dalen Smith at the Gustie 47-yard line. Gustavus capitalized on the turnover with an 11-play, 50-yard drive highlighted by a 22-yard run from Junior Walker Hennen and forced a 16-yard completion from Blount to Junior Dane Roback. Sieben converted a 16-yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-0.
Gustavus forced another turnover halfway through the third quarter as Kretlow forced another fumble, recovered by Junior Cody Bartnes at the Augsburg 43-yard line. Blount connected with Junior Jacob Ginskey for an 11-yard completion before Hennen picked up another first down after a 6-yard run. Sieben converted a 30-yard field goal to put them ahead 23-0 with a minute left in the third quarter.
Gustavus held Augsburg off the scoreboard the entire rest of the game. Augsburg missed their 27-yard final field goal attempt, bringing on huge cheers from the Gustavus stands. The Gustie defense forced yet another three-and-out, stopping the Auggies on their final two possessions to secure the shutout win.
“The best moment of the game Saturday was getting to celebrate our senior class and our families for all the time and effort given to Gustavus football. It’s a surreal feeling that we won’t ever step on that field together as teammates again, but it was good to end on a win,” Wold said. “What I’ll miss most about Gustie football are all of the little things we do as a team. Competing together on Saturday’s is obviously super fun, but all of the off the field connections can’t be beat.”
Gustavus will travel to Macalester College to play their final game of the regular season, Saturday, Nov. 14 at 12:00pm.