DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team will face an unbeaten team for the second straight week when it welcomes Eureka College (Ill.) for its home opener on Saturday at Public Schools Stadium.
Where:
Public Schools Stadium – Duluth, Minn.
When:
Saturday at Noon
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 1-1, 1-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints scored 23 unanswered points in the second half to break a 14-14 halftime tie to pull away from MacMurray College (Ill.) and won their conference opener 37-28 last Saturday in Jacksonville, Illinois … The 28 points allowed are tied for the most allowed in a victory in program history … In his first start of the year, senior
Kyle Stepka (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns … Stepka also ran for a score … Two of his TD passes went to sophomore wide out
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) for his first collegiate scores … Olson had six receptions for 90 yards … Freshman
Teddy Gildersleeve (Osceola, Wis./Osceola HS) ran for 88 yards on 23 carries and also scored his first collegiate touchdown …
Kenneth Jinkins (Eagan, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) and
August Marleau (Deer River, Minn./Deer River HS) each recorded a team-high 11 tackles … Jinkins also forced two fumbles, recovering one.
20 is the Magic Number: The Saints are 51-0 since 2010 when they score at least 20 points … The Saints are 2-18 all-time when they fail to reach 20 points with both wins coming against the University of Northwestern.
UMAC Streaks: The Saints will enter this weekend having won 31 straight UMAC games; a streak dating back to October 20, 2012 when they fell to Northwestern 14-13 at Ordean Stadium … That conference win streak is second-longest in NCAA Division III, behind Mount Union's (Ohio) 96.
Record at PSS: The Saints are 16-5 all-time at Public Schools Stadium … The last conference loss at PSS came to Greenville College (Ill.) on October 9, 2010 … Since then, CSS has won 12 straight UMAC games at PSS … The Saints are currently on a 15-game conference home winning streak.
Keys to Saturday: One of the keys in Saturday's game against Eureka will be the St. Scholastica run defense vs. Eureka run offense … In its first two games, the Saints have allowed 254.0 yards on the ground, while Eureka has ran the ball around 75 percent of its offensive plays and is averaging 237.5 yards per game … On the other side, the CSS passing attack vs. Eureka pass defense will be another key … The Red Devils have limited opponents' rushing attack in the in their first two games, but are allowing 145.0 yards through the air.
Blatz Still perfect: Sophomore kicker
Donovan Blatz (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) improved to 4-for-4 on field goal attempts in his career last Saturday after connecting on a 35-yard attempt against MacMurray … Three of Blatz's four career attempts have been over 30 yards … Blatz was named the UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.
Slow Starts: The Saints have failed to score in the first in each of their two games this season … Under Head Coach
Kurt Ramler, the Saints have found success in the second quarters of games, outscoring teams 326-87 the previous two seasons.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. St. Scholastica...................................... 81 points (9 First Place Votes)
2. Northwestern.......................................... 72 points (1 First Place Vote)
3. Greenville................................................ 57 points
4. Westminster............................................ 56 points
T-5. Eureka.................................................. 43 points
T-5. MacMurray........................................... 43 points
7. Crown....................................................... 42 points
8. Minnesota Morris................................... 30 points
9. Martin Luther........................................... 14 points
10. Iowa Wesleyan..................................... 12 points
Upcoming Opponent
Eureka Red Devils
Record: 2-0, 1-0 UMAC
The Red Devils are coming off a 38-7 victory over Martin Luther College last weekend … Sophomore running back LeAnthony Reasnover ran for 130 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown on the day's first play from scrimmage … The 31-point win marked Eureka's largest margin of victory at home since the 1999 season … The Red Devils ran for 241 yards for the game and are averaging a conference-best 237.5 yards per game thru the first two games and are only averaging 89 yards/game thru the air … Reasnover was a second team All-UMAC selection as a freshman last season … He is averaging 136 rushing yards per game so far on the year … Freshman Drew Barth, nephew of head coach Kurt Barth, has guided the offense in the first two games … Barth has only attempted 26 passes, but is a threat to run as he is averaging 56.5 yards per game running … Defensively, the Red Devils return three Second Team All-UMAC selections from last season, including leading tackler in linebacker Chris Friend … Red Devils ranked third in the league in points and yards allowed per game last season … Eureka will have to replace First Team All-UMAC defensive lineman Austin Blair … Junior Trevor Zeibert currently leads the team with 15 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss in the team's first two games.
Series History: CSS leads 6-1
Last Meeting: The Saints needed two fourth quarter touchdowns, including the game-winning score in the final 10 seconds to defeat Eureka in Illinois 21-14 last season. The last time Eureka visited Duluth in 2014, the Saints won 59-0, which was the program's first shutout.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will be at home again when it welcomes Crown College to Public Schools Stadium on September 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
