GAME NOTES
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team wraps up a three-game home stand on Saturday when it welcomes non-conference opponent Thomas More University (Ky.) to Public Schools Stadium.
Where:
Public Schools Stadium – Duluth, Minn.
When:
Saturday at Noon
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Stats: https://csssaints.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
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St. Scholastica Saints
2018 Stats
Record: 4-2, 4-1 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
What You Need To Know About The Saints:
-The Saints dominated in their homecoming win over Greenville University (Ill.) 47-13
-Edwards set four personal records, including three program records. Edwards was 34-for-59 (both program records for passes completed and attempted) for 386 yards (personal record) and seven touchdowns (also a program record).
-Edwards is one of six players in the country this season to throw for seven TDs in a game.
-Edwards is fourth in NCAA Division III in passing yards per game (329.5)
-
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) also put more ink in the record book, Olson hauled in seven passes from Edwards, including four touchdowns (program record for receiving touchdowns in a game). He also became the Saints leader in career receiving yards, with now a career total 2,094 yards.
-Olson previously had three, three touchdown games. Olson also continued his UMAC touchdown streak to 21 games
-Senior
Ben Buthe (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) gained 14 yards on the ground Saturday, good enough to make him the sixth Saint to break the 1,000 yards rushing in a career
-CSS ranks 11th in NCAA Division III in passing yards per game (319.0).
-The Saints defense is sixth in the nation against the pass, allowing just 123.5 yards per game.
Offensive Players to Watch:
-Junior wide receiver
Eddie Lee (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS) – Lee continues his nice season, he and Edwards connected 11 times Saturday for 129 and a pair of scores.
-Junior quarterback
Zach Edwards (St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) – Edwards keeps torching the field this season and rewriting the record book in the process, Edwards had nearly 400 yards Saturday and is only 23 yards off 2,000 for the season, and the Saints still have four games to play. He needs 298 yards to reach 5,000 in his career and two TD passes for 50 career.
-Senior wide receiver
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) – Became the first Saint to have four touchdown receptions in a single game, thanks in part to a seven reception, 135-yard day against the Panthers.
Defensive Players to Watch:
-Senior linebackers
Jonathan Senger (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) and
Quinten McGregor (Northfield, Minn./Northfield HS)- Senger and McGregor both added 11 (both four solo and seven assisted) tackles to their season total Saturday and both continue to lead the Saints with 62 tackles this season.
-Senger ranks 21
st in Division III with 6.3 solo tackles per game.
-Junior defensive lineman
Trevor Schwartz (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) – Schwartz had one of his best games of 2018 Saturday, he recorded nine tackles including one for a TFL and two sacks.
What You Need to Know About Thomas More:
5-2
-Thomas More was added to schedule to fill in for Eureka College (Ill.), who left the UMAC for the NACC.
-The Saints were part of the Presidents' Athletics Conference, but the left the league in 2017-18 and will also leave NCAA Division III after this year to join the NAIA.
-Thomas More has made the NCAA postseason eight times, most recently in 2016.
-The Saints have sandwiched a five game win streak between two losses this season. Their two losses have been by a combined 10 points including a 34-31 loss to #23 ranked Muhlenberg last week.
-Their five game win streak included a victory over University of Wisconsin-Platteville who were ranked #16 at the time.
-The Saints also use a third year signal-caller, Justin Post has completed 58 percent of his passes this season for 1483 yards.
-Post spreads the ball around in the air, he has five different receivers with more than nine receptions and 150 yards.
-The Saints ground game is just as much of a factor as the air attack. The Saints have almost 300 more yards on the ground than they do the air. Their lead rusher is senior Hjavier Pitts. Pitts through seven games has 152 touches and 976 yards (6.4 YPC) and 10 touchdowns. The 976 yards ranks sixth in the nation.
-Thomas More ranks fifth in NCAA Division III with 172 first downs.
-The Saints will kick the ball if need be this weekend, Cole Mathias is 6-for-10 this season on field goals including a 47 yarder. He is also 32-of-33 on PATs.
-Defensively, Steven Everson ranks sixth in the country, averaging 2.0 passes defended per game.
-Thomas Williams leads the team in tackles at 8.3 per game.
Series Record: This is the first ever meeting between the two squads.
Looking ahead: The Saints jump back into UMAC play next weekend to play Iowa Wesleyan University, for a critical three games to finish out the season. Two of the last three will be on the road.
