DULUTH, Minn. – Senior Jordan Embry carried the ball 51 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score with 21.7 seconds to go, to carry the St. Olaf College football team to a 33-28 victory over the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday afternoon at Public Schools Stadium.
Embry set a new program record for carries and post the second-highest single-game rushing total in recorded program history to power St. Olaf (4-3, 3-2 MIAC) to the win in its first-ever game at St. Scholastica (2-5, 1-4 MIAC). The senior's 51 carries marked the highest total at any level of NCAA football this fall and his 270 rushing yards are the seventh-highest single-game total in NCAA Division III this season.
Embry's 51 carries surpassed the previous program record of 37 set by Manuel Spreigl '02 at Carleton on Nov. 11, 2000 and are eight most than any NCAA Division III rusher has had in a game this fall. His 270 rushing yards trail only Ole Gunderson's 356 yards against Monmouth on Oct. 11, 1969 in single-game program history and marked the eighth recorded 200-yard rushing performance by an Ole.
Despite Embry's monster game, St. Olaf trailed St. Scholastica by one, 28-27, in the closing minutes after the Saints rallied from a 24-7 third-quarter deficit to take the lead with 3:33 remaining. After Nick Schlender's go-ahead one-yard touchdown run, the Oles covered 70 yards on 12 plays, capped by a one-yard plunge by Embry with 21.7 seconds remaining to take the lead. Embry carried the ball 11 times on the 12-play drive and accounted for all 70 yards on the game-winning march.
Junior tight end Derek Hansen had career highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (95) for St. Olaf, which also got two field goals from junior Collin Swan and a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown by junior Mark Thrower in the win.
With time winding down in the first quarter, the Saints struck for the first score of the game on a four-yard pass from Donald West to Ricky Weber with 30 seconds remaining. The Oles responded by outscoring the hosts by a 17-0 margin in the second quarter to take a 17-7 halftime lead, taking advantage of two short fields to score touchdowns.
Early in the second quarter, junior Luke Stanga forced a fumble that sophomore Cameron Hammonds recovered to set St. Olaf up at the St. Scholastica 29-yard line, eventually leading to a one-yard touchdown run by Embry. The Oles' defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing St. Scholastica possession and, after an 11-yard punt gave St. Olaf the ball at the Saints' 30-yard line, Embry scored from nine yards out following a 21-yard pass from sophomore Theo Doran to classmate Evan Hammonds.
The Oles stretched their lead to 17-7 at the half on a 28-yard field goal by Swan with 32 seconds to go in the half. The field goal was set up by an 18-yard connection from Doran to Hansen to get St. Olaf into the red zone.
On St. Scholastica's first possession of the third quarter, the St. Olaf defense forced a punt with a three-and-out before the special teams unit made a play to push the Oles' lead to 24-7. First year Noah Barrett blocked the ensuing punt and the ball bounced back towards the goal line, where Thrower fell on it for a touchdown with 11:36 to go in the third quarter.
West ran for a two-yard touchdown late in the third quarter and found Wyatt Lahr for a 26-yard touchdown five minutes into the fourth to bring the Saints within a field goal at 24-21. St. Olaf nudged its lead back to 27-21 on a 23-yard field goal by Swan with 5:50 remaining, only for the Saints to cover 58 yards in eight plays to take the lead back on Schlender's score with 3:33 left, setting up the Oles' game-winning drive.
St. Scholastica got into St. Olaf territory in the final seconds, but junior Deonta Thomas intercepted West's desperation pass at the Oles' 14-yard line as time expired. Thomas had three tackles, a sack, and the game-sealing interception in the win. Stanga led the St. Olaf defense with nine tackles in addition to the forced fumble, while junior Ben Kettelhut had five tackles, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups.
The Oles are back on the road this week, visiting nationally-ranked Bethel University for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Arden Hills.
St. Olaf escapes St. Scholastica with 33-28 win behind Embry's monster game
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221022_e3ne.xml
2022
St. Olaf
33
St. Scholastica
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Olaf (4-3) | 0 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 33 |
| St. Scholastica (2-5) | 7 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
Oct 22, 2022