NORTHFIELD, Minn. —Trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter, the Gustavus football team fought its way back to take the lead and eventually beat St. Olaf 41-40 in overtime Saturday, capped by a goal line stop on a two-point conversion attempt by the Oles, which would have won the game for the hosts. The Gusties, now 5-3 overall, 4-2 in the MIAC, and 3-0 in divisional play, have a chance to lock up a spot in the conference championship next weekend against Carleton.
St. Olaf opened the game with a score on its first possession, going 76 yards in 11 plays and scoring on an 18-yard pass from quarterback Theo Doran to Siegel Howard III. The Gusties fumbled the ball on their first possession of the game, but got redemption in the ensuing Ole drive.
Isaiah Chambers picked off Doran's first pass, and returned it for 59 yards to the Ole 19. The momentum helped the Gusties get on the board, as
Rohee Konde scored on an eight-yard run three plays later.
Andrew Abegglen's extra point hit the upright, leaving the score at 7-6 St. Olaf to end the first quarter.
Both teams exchanged a pair of punts before St. Olaf scored its next touchdown, finding a hole in the Gustie defense to score on a 12-yard pass. The Gusties went 81 yards in 11 plays on their next drive, highlighted by two third down conversions from
George Sandven to
Jake Breitbach.
Walker Britz ran in a one-yard score for the Gusties to cap the drive, and bring the score to 14-13. St. Olaf wrapped up the first half with a 30-yard field goal for a 17-13 lead at halftime.
The Gusties took their first lead of the game in the third quarter as Sandven found
Caden Kleinschmidt for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The Oles wasted no time to respond, scoring on a five-play, 57-yard drive to erase the Gustie lead at 24-20 to end the third quarter.
St. Olaf took its biggest lead of the game in the fourth, scoring on a 26-yard pass for a 31-20 lead. The duo of Sandven and
Matthew Carreon found religion for the Gusties, scoring back to back touchdowns, including one in the final 20 seconds of regulation for a Gustie lead of 34-31. The Oles got into field goal range on the ensuing possession, connecting on a 34-yarder to tie the game at 34-34, sending the game to overtime, which was the first for Gustavus since 2018.
The Gusties converted on their opening overtime play, as Sandven found Carreon for a 15-yard score. St. Olaf's Jordan Embry ran in a five-yard touchdown on the next possession, but the Oles' ensuing two-point conversion was unsuccessful, as
Taylor Stroh made the tackle of the game to seal the deal for the Gusties at 41-40.
The Oles outgained the Gusties in total yards 459-380 and won the time of possession battle by seven minutes. Sandven went 23-for-37 for 309 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
Rohee Konde led a pedestrian rushing attack with 30 yards on seven attempts. Carreon was Sandven's top target in the receiving game, posting nine receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns. The NCAA's leading receiver
Jake Breitbach finished just behind Carreon with eight catches for 102 yards.
Carson DeKam led a balanced defense with a game-leading 10 tackles, including seven solo, while Stroh posted eight, and
Eric Lyons Jr. added seven.
The Gusties now prepare for their final Northwoods matchup of the season next weekend, inviting Carleton to Hollingsworth Field on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Saturday's game is also dedicated as the team's "Tackle Cancer Game."
