Notables
-Olson records a TD reception for the 19th consecutive UMAC game
-Olson breaks program record for TDs in a career (31)
-Edwards eclipses 4,000 career passing yards
-Most rushing yards allowed in program history (477 yards)
-CSS had won seven straight over the Knights
NEW ULM, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team surrendered 42 unanswered points in falling to Martin Luther College 49-21 on Saturday in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play.
How it Happened
After both teams exchanged turnovers on their first possessions,
Zach Edwards (St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) found
Eddie Lee (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS) for a 42-yard gain, which setup an Edwards-to-
Ben Buthe (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) 7-yard touchdown. A
Donovan Blatz (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) extra-point made it 7-0 Saints. Then after a MLC punt, Edwards connected with
Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) for a 66-yard gain. Once again that setup Edwards-to-Buthe for a 12-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Knights (3-1, 2-0 UMAC) responded by going 70 yards on 14 plays, including converting a fourth down and two third downs as Austin DeNoyer plunged in from four yards out to cut the CSS lead to 14-7.
On the second play of the second quarter, the Saints made it a 14-point lead again as Edwards found Olson for a 55-yard touchdown to make it 21-7. That extended Olson's streak to 19 consecutive UMAC games with a touchdown. That also set a program record for career touchdowns at 31.
After holding the Knights on fourth down of the ensuing possession, everything was going St. Scholastica's way. After the Knights forced a CSS punt, the Saints made another stop forcing MLC to punt. However, the Saints would be called for running into the kicker, which kept the drive alive for Martin Luther. A 43-yard rush followed the penalty and quarterback Zach Bloomquist capped the drive with a 12-yard TD run to make it 21-14.
Martin Luther would get the ball back before the half and went 68 yards on nine plays to tie the game at 21-21 at the half. Rushing yards at the half had Martin Luther at 228 yards and CSS at negative seven. Edwards was sacked three times in the half, all on St. Scholastica's final two possessions of the half.
The third quarter belonged to the Knights. They took the opening possession down the field and scored on a 33-yard DeNoyer touchdown to make it 28-21. The Saints went three-and-out on their first possession and Bloomquist scored on a 21-yard scamper on fourth-and-2 to make it 35-21.
MLC got two more scores in a blink of an eye at the end of the third quarter thanks to a CSS turnover between the scores as the Knights led 49-21 after three quarters.
The Saints would just get the ball twice in the fourth quarter as Martin Luther had a possession that ate up 11:00 in the period to make the final 49-21.
Key Stats
Rushing Yards: MLC-477, CSS-2
Time of Possession: MLC-41:09, CSS-18:51
Third Down Conversions: MLC-12 of 20, CSS-4 of 10
Sacks: MLC-7, CSS-0
Top Performers for the Saints
Edwards was 18-of-31 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. In doing so, he becomes the third Saint to throw for 4,000 yards in a career. Lee had five receptions for a career-high 127 yards. Olson finished with four receptions for 145 yards. Buthe also had four receptions for 42 yards and two scores.
Quinten McGregor (Northfield, Minn./Northfield HS) matched a career-high of 15 tackles.
Jonathan Senger (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) finished with 13 tackles and
Micadin Kahl (Boyceville, Wis./Boyceville HS) had a career-high 11 tackles.
Top Performers for the Opponents
Bloomquist threw for 107 yards and ran for 75 yards. Joshuah Kren ran for 197 yards and a score. DeNoyer rushed for 178 yards and three scores.
Dan Gensmer had a team-high seven tackles, including three sacks.
Up Next
The Saints (2-2, 2-1 UMAC) begin a three-game home stand next Saturday when they welcome rival University of Northwestern (Minn.) to Public Schools Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
