ST. PETER, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus College football team put on an offensive show in front of a large Homecoming crowd at Lloyd Hollingsworth Field on Saturday, but came up short in a 45–28 loss to Carleton College. The two teams combined for 73 points and more than 800 yards of total offense on a sunny and windy afternoon in St. Peter.
The game was evenly matched through much of the first half. After the Knights took a 7–6 lead late in the first quarter, Gustavus tied the score 14–14 midway through the second when
Dylan Blount connected with
Dom Mathies for a 61-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion pass from Blount to
Jordan Wold. Carleton, however, regained momentum with two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the half to take a 28–14 lead into the locker room.
The Gusties opened the second half with an impressive 12-play, 50-yard drive, capped by a 4-yard touchdown run from
Walker Britz to cut the deficit to 28–21. The Knights responded by scoring the next 17 points to build a 45–21 advantage. Gustavus added one final score with 1:07 remaining, as Blount found
Caden Kleinschmidt for a 14-yard touchdown pass to round out the day's scoring.
Blount led the Gustavus offense, completing 28-of-41 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Mathies was his top target, hauling in nine receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Kleinschmidt added five catches for 54 yards and a score. Britz contributed 10 carries for 18 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Defensively,
Bode Hogan paced the Gusties with a game-high 17 tackles, including nine solo stops.
Colton Loeschke added 10 tackles and an interception, while
Chance Swansson also picked off a Carleton pass.
The Gusties are back in action next Saturday, traveling to Northfield to face St. Olaf for a 1 p.m. kickoff.