NORTHWESTERN GAME NOTES
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team will look to return the Homecoming favor on Saturday when it visits rival University of Northwestern (Minn.) in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) showdown at Reynolds Field.
Where:
Reynolds Field – St. Paul, Minn.
When:
Saturday at 1 p.m.
Watch: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/unw/
Live Stats: http://unweagles.com/sports/2012/11/7/gen_1107121456.aspx
Live CSS Audio: http://www.csssaints.com/watch/?Live=56
Social Media:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CSSSAINTSFB
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/css.football
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/StScholasticaFootball
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 3-1, 3-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints jumped out to a 17-point lead and kept the University of Minnesota Morris in check the rest of the way with a 37-3 victory over the Cougars at Public Schools Stadium …
Zach Edwards (West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) threw for a career-high four touchdowns, marking the third straight game with at least three touchdown passes …
Ben Buthe (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) had 140 all-purpose yards and one receiving touchdown …
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) caught a pair of TD passes and went over 100 yards receiving for the second straight week …
Donovan Blatz (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) led the defense with 10 tackles … The CSS defense recorded 11 tackles for a loss in the contest.
Olson's TD Streak: Junior wide receiver
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) has caught at least one touchdown in each of the last 12 conference games … He had a receiving touchdown in every conference game last season and has had at least one in each of the three league games this year … Olson went over 1,000 yards receiving for his career in last week's victory becoming the seventh Saint to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark.
National Aerial Assault: Edwards dropped to No. 2 in the NCAA Division III in passing yards per completion (22.0), but climbed up to second in the nation in yards per pass attempt (12.0) … He ranks fifth in the country with a passing efficiency rating of 194.4 … Olson ranks seventh in NCAA Division III, averaging 28.7 yards per reception and
Hunter Thompson (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) ranks 10
th at 26.9 yards per reception … Thompson ranks 12
th in the nation with five receiving touchdowns … Thompson did not play in last year's meeting with the Eagles.
Battle for the Red Zone: St. Scholastica enters this weekend ranked first in the conference converting 87 percent of its red zone chances … On the other hand, Northwestern enters Saturday ranked first in red zone defense, allowing opponents to put up points only 41 percent of the time.
Yards Through the Air: The Saints rank second in the UMAC in passing offense at 237.0 yards per game, while Northwestern ranks second-to-last in the league, allowing 234.3 yards … However, the Saints have struggled to throw the ball against Northwestern going over 200 yards only twice in the nine previous meetings … CSS threw four interceptions last year against the Eagles.
Cut Down on the Penalties: The Saints rank second in the conference with the second-most penalties (41) and the second-most penalty yards per game (81.3) … The Eagles have committed the second-fewest penalties and have the fewest penalty yards in the league (27.8).
Out in Front Early: In each of the first three conference games, the Saints have out-scored their opponents 72-9 in the first half … CSS has not allowed a point in the first quarter of those three contests with a margin of 44-0.
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
Northwestern Eagles
Record: 2-2, 2-1 UMAC
The Eagles defeated Westminster College (Mo.) 10-7 last week in St. Paul … The Northwestern defense held the Blue Jays scoreless for nearly 58 minutes of that contest … The Eagles forced five Westminster turnovers, including three fumbles in Northwestern's red zone … Northwestern also blocked a Blue Jay field goal attempt … The Eagles have struggled offensively early this season, scoring only 12.8 points per game and averaging just 203.8 yards of total offense, second-fewest in the conference … Northwestern has the fewest rushing yards per game in the league (57.5) with Dom Mcdew leading the team with only 100 yards on the year … Taylor Lindahl is averaging 146.3 yards passing per game … His favorite target has been Gavin Welch, who has 24 receptions and two touchdowns … With the offense struggling to gain traction, the Northwestern defense has excelled in a bend, but don't break approach … The Eagles lead the conference in scoring defense (20.8 points per game), but rank seventh in total defense (396.8 yards allowed/game) … Daniel Stratton leads the defense with 44 tackles … Stratton's 11 tackles per game ranks third in the league … Beau Walter, who had a big game against the Saints last season, has four tackles for a loss on the year … In the secondary, watch out for Nick Swore, who has two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks.
Series Record: CSS leads 5-4
(Last Meeting: 14-7 UNW – 10/15/2016)
Series History: Last year, the Eagles spoiled St. Scholastica's Homecoming with a 14-7 victory at Public Schools Stadium … That ended the Saints' 35-game UMAC win streak … Four of the last five meetings between the two rivals have been decided by seven points or less … Only one of CSS' five victories have been by more than two touchdowns.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will have their Homecoming on Saturday, October 7 when Iowa Wesleyan University comes to town. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at UMD's Malosky Stadium.
