DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team welcomes Westminster College (Mo.) to Public Schools Stadium on Saturday for its home opener.
Where:
Public Schools Stadium – Duluth, Minn.
When:
Saturday at Noon
Watch: www.csssaints.com/watch
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/css/football
WESTMINSTER GAME NOTES
Social Media:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CSSSAINTSFB
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/csssaintsfb
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/StScholasticaFootball
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 1-1, 1-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints responded with a 47-27 road win in the conference opener at Greenville University (Ill.) last Saturday … Sophomore
Zach Edwards (West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns … He also ran in for another score … Edwards found senior wide receiver
Hunter Thompson (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) for a pair of touchdowns … For Thompson, it was his first game back since October 8 of last season … Sophomore
Matthew Hinaus (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) also had a nice game defensively, recovering a fumble and returning an interception 78 yards for a touchdown … CSS held Greenville scoreless in the first half.
Ramler a Win Shy of 50: Head Coach
Kurt Ramler is only one win away from his 50
th career coaching victory … Ramler won 22 games in six seasons at Carleton College and has won 27 games in four seasons with the Saints.
Against the UMAC: The Saints are 58-11 in conference games all-time, including 51-3 since 2011 … In home games against league opponents, the Saints are 17-1 since 2013 … At Public Schools Stadium, CSS is 19-6 all-time overall.
Block Party: The Saints blocked two kicks last week against Greenville, one a field goal and the other a point after … In 2016, CSS finished third in NCAA Division III with eight blocked kicks.
Big Chunks Thru the Air: After the first two weeks, quarterback Zack Edwards ranks seventh in the nation, averaging 20.2 yards per completion … He is 16
th in the country with 11.1 yards per pass attempt.
Olson Nearing 50: Junior wide out
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) is two receptions shy of 50 for his career … Olson had his first touchdown reception of the season last week at Greenville.
Who Scores First: The Saints are 49-5 all-time when they put the first points on the board … They are 17-24 when the opponents record the first points of the game.
Who's Leading at Half: The Saints are 59-3 when tied or ahead at the half … However, they are only 7-26 when trailing after the first 30 minutes of action.
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
Westminster Blue Jays
Record: 1-1, 1-0 UMAC
After being shutout in the season opener at Gustavus Adolphus College, the Blue Jays won their first game of the season, taking down the University of Minnesota Morris 23-7 in the conference opener on Saturday … Westminster led 9-7 at halftime and added two second half touchdowns to pull away … Offensively, the Blue Jays return 2016 Second Team All-UMAC quarterback Trent White and running back Latif Adams, both seniors … White has thrown for over 100 yards in each of the first two games … Adams has only carried the ball 10 times in the first two contests … The leading rusher has been fellow senior Chase Abbington, who had 92 yards and a touchdown against Morris last week … On the edge, returning is junior wide out Matt Quarles … Quarles, who was a First Team All-UMAC selection as a returner last season, caught a touchdown and also returned a punt for a score last weekend … Sophomore linebacker Jackson Ringhausen leads the team with 15 tackles and two forced fumbles … Senior safety Zach Roseman has 12 tackles.
Series Record: CSS leads 7-0
(Last Meeting: 21-20 CSS – 10/29/2016)
Series History: The Saints have won all seven meetings against the Blue Jays … Last season, the Saints rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to win 21-20 … It marked the largest deficit overcome in the fourth quarter in program history … In the three previous matchups in Duluth, the average margin has been 27 points … The last time the two teams played in Duluth, Thompson set a single game program record with 297 receiving yards.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will be back at Public Schools Stadium next Saturday when it faces the University of Minnesota Morris. Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 3 p.m.
