Notables
-First time in program history CSS had at least 300 yards passing and 300 yards rushing in the same game
-Total Offensive yards: CSS - 659, MLC - 307
-Saints rushed for a season-high 345 yards, the most since the 2013 season
-CSS averaged 10.6 yards per play
-Olson recorded three touchdown receptions
-CSS had three TD's in the last 1:30 of the first quarter
NEW ULM, Minn. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica football team rolled to an impressive 62-19 victory on Saturday afternoon at Martin Luther College.
Early Control for the Saints
CSS found a lead early in the contest, when Kyle Stepka threw a 17-yard pass to Aaron Olson for a touchdown after less than two minutes of the game had passed. Joe Matthews came in and kicked a successful extra point, putting the Saints up 7-0, a lead they would not lose for the entirety of the game.
Most of the first quarter passed without another scoring play. With 1:34 left in the quarter, Stepka found Hunter Thompson in the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown completion. With another extra point from Matthews, the Saints extended their lead to 14-0. Only 16 seconds later, a Nick Jerhoff fumble recovery put the CSS offense in excellent position. A play later, Stepka pitched the ball out to Harry Griffin, a senior offensive lineman, who then ran the ball over the goal line from two yards out for his first collegiate touchdown, making the score 21-0.
Another fumble recovery, this time by Jeremy Moran, set the Saints up once more, and Olson received a pass for 30 yards for his second touchdown of the game, and the third Saints TD in 34 seconds. The extra point kick from Matthews took a bad bounce off the right upright, and the score would stay at 27-0 for the remaining minute of the first quarter.
The Knights made it on the board during the second quarter with a T.J Babinec touchdown. The extra point was unsuccessful, which made the score 27-6. With 2:19 left in the 2nd quarter, the CSS offense struck again when Stepka completed a 20-yard pass to Zach Dahlman for a touchdown. This made it 34-6 at the half.
Second Half Success
Martin Luther scored first in the second half when Babinec carried the ball in for six. This time the extra point was good, which put the score at 34-13 with 10:24 left in the third quarter.
Freshman Teddy Gildersleeve rushed for a 23-yard touchdown two and a half minutes later, and three minutes after that, with 5:31 left in the third quarter, Stepka threw 35 yards to Olson once more, for Olson's third TD reception of the game, which allowed CSS to extend its lead even further to 48-13.
Martin Luther's Nate Stein rushed 20 yards for a touchdown, with 3:09 left in the quarter. The 2-point conversion attempt was no good, making the score 48-19, but the action wouldn't end there. For the fifth and final touchdown of the quarter between the two teams, Ben Buthe would cross the goal line with 53 seconds left. Headed into the final 15 minutes of play, the score was 55-19 in favor of the Saints.
Scoring plays were more of a rarity in the fourth quarter. The score only changed once more when Mason Meadows collected his first collegiate score, a 34 yard touchdown run, to give the game its final score of 62-19.
Notables Performances
Stepka had 314 passing yards on 15-of-27 attempts for the Saints, with five TD's. Thompson led the team in receiving yards with 92 on four receptions and a touchdown. Olson was just behind him with 89 yards on four completions with three touchdowns. Gildersleeve had his first career 100-yard game on the ground, going for 125 yards on 11 carries. Freshman Mitchell Wolter led the defense in tackles with 10, followed by Jonathan Senger, who had nine.
Babinec had 57 yards on six completions, and he had 54 rushing yards with two touchdowns. Nate Stein led the Knights in rushing with 112 yards. Ian Paulsen had 28 receiving yards on three receptions. Tom Keller led the defense with 10 tackles.
Up Next
The Saints (4-1, 4-0 UMAC) are back at it again next weekend when they take on Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant. Kickoff is set to begin at Noon