DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team looks to remain unbeaten in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play on Saturday when it faces Martin Luther College at Public Schools Stadium.
Where:
Public Schools Stadium – Duluth, Minn.
When:
Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Watch: http://www.csssaints.com/watch/?Live=4
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/css/football
MARTIN LUTHER GAME NOTES
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 5-1, 5-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: In a closer game than many people had predicted, the Saints defeated Iowa Wesleyan University 38-28 on Homecoming last Saturday at Malosky Stadium … The 28 points allowed, was tied for the most points allowed in a victory in program history … It was the 11
th straight win for the Saints at Malosky Stadium and the seventh straight Homecoming win at the facility …
Jeff LeMay (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) carried the Saints, literally, tying a program record with 32 rushing attempts and becoming the sixth player in program history to rush for over 200 yards in a game with 202 yards … LeMay rushed for 184 yards in the second half alone and scored all three of his touchdowns (1 receiving, 2 rushing) in the final 30 minutes …
Ben Buthe (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) also had a receiving touchdown and
Donovan Blatz (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) had an interception return for a score …
Zach Edwards (West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but also had an interception returned for a score … Blatz and
Kenneth Jinkins (West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) led the team with seven tackles.
Game 100: Saturday's contest will be the 100
th game in the St. Scholastica football program's history … The Saints have an overall record 70-29 … There have been 61 games where the Saints have scored at least four touchdowns … They have only played in two overtime games and only seven games have been decided by three points or less … A blocked field goal for a touchdown has never occurred in any of St. Scholastica's first 99 games.
"Tackle Cancer" Game: Saturday's game will also be a "Tackle Cancer Game" where the St. Scholastica football team will have tackle cancer decals on their helmets … Tackle Cancer benefits the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund … Fans attending the game can make donations towards funding additional cancer research and together we are "Tackling Cancer"
Offensive Plays: The Saints had 83 offensive plays last Saturday, which was two shy of the program record set against Westminster College (Mo.) during the 2015 season.
Air it Out: Edwards continues to lead NCAA Division III in passing yards per completion (19.8) and is fifth in the nation in yards per pass attempt (10.7) … He ranks 16
th in the country with a passing efficiency rating of 170.9.
Cut Down on the Penalties: For the first time in program history, the Saints recorded over 100 penalty yards for the third consecutive game … Of the 243 teams ranked in NCAA Division III, the Saints rank 243 with 69 penalties and rank 239 with 537 penalty yards
Out in Front Early: For the first time this year, the Saints allowed a first quarter touchdown against Iowa Wesleyan on Saturday … So far, the Saints are out-scoring league opponents 58-7 in the first quarter and 86-16 in the first half.
Record Watch: Hunter Thompson (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) can become the third Saint in program history to record 20 career touchdown receptions with his next touchdown … Thompson is also 211 receiving yards shy of Keegan O'Neill's program record of 1,925 yards in a career …
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) is two touchdown receptions shy of O'Neill's program record of 25 in career.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. St. Scholastica – 73 points (3 First Place Votes)
2. Northwestern – 72 points (5 First Place Votes)
3. MacMurray – 61 points
4. Eureka – 54 points (2 First Place Votes)
5. Westminster – 49 points
6. Greenville – 41 points
7. Crown – 35 points
8. Minnesota Morris – 30 points
9. Iowa Wesleyan – 21 points
10. Martin Luther – 14 points
Upcoming Opponent
Martin Luther Knights
Record: 4-2, 3-2 UMAC
After going winless in 2016 and picked to finish last in the preseason coaches' poll, the Knights are off to a 4-2 start and are fourth in the conference standings entering the weekend … The Knights are coming off their second 14-7 victory over University of Minnesota Morris of the season last week … Martin Luther was forced to face Minnesota Morris in a non-conference game to start the season as both teams had Maranatha Baptist University (Wis.) on the schedule, but that program folded at the end of last season … Three of Martin Luther's four wins have come at home … The Knights' two conference road losses came against MacMurray College (Ill.) by 26 points and Westminster College (Mo.) by 48 points … The Knights feature the third-best rushing attack in the league, averaging 215.7 yards per game … MLC has three players ranked in the top seven of the conference in rushing … Nate Stein and Josh Wong have both rushed for over 350 yards this season … Zachary Bloomquist has a team-high five rushing touchdowns … Bloomquist has also thrown seven touchdowns, completing 56 percent of his attempts … Joshua Schroeder has a team-high 22 receptions, while Joshua Arndt has five TD receptions … Tristan Pankow leads the defense with 42 tackles … Daniel Gensmer has 3.5 sacks … Joseph Herrewig has two interceptions and four pass breakups.
Series Record: CSS leads 6-4
(Last Meeting: 62-19 CSS – 10/1/2016)
Series History: The Saints have won six straight games against the Knights, after dropping the first four in the series … St. Scholastica has put up at least 48 points in five of the last six meetings, including each of the last four.
Looking Ahead: The Saints hit the road for a conference contest at Crown College on Saturday, October 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
