SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College football team turned in a strong all-around performance and sent its seniors out in style with a 38-14 win over the Macalester College Scots at Lloyd Hollingsworth Field. The Gusties finished the season with a flourish, winning five of their final six games and posting a 5-5 overall record and 5-4 in MIAC play.
The first quarter saw both teams trade three-and-outs until the Gusties put together an impressive 14-play, 85-yard drive that lasted five minutes and ended with
Walker Hennen running into the end zone from three yards out.
Owen Forsythe converted the extra point to give Gustavus a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Gusties extended their lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter with an eight-play, 80-yard drive that saw
Dylan Blount find
Dom Mathies in the end zone from eight yards out. Blount was 3-for-3 in the air on the drive, highlighted by a 37-yard strike to
Liam Frommelt.
On Macalester's next possession, Gustavus defensive lineman
Myshawn King sacked Scot quarterback Jack Scully, forcing a fumble that was recovered by fellow lineman Eli Halfpap, giving the Gusties the ball on the Macalester 27-yard line. Gustavus drove down to the Scots' 10-yard line before
Owen Forsythe kicked a 20-yard field goal, and Gustavus took a 17-0 lead into halftime.
Macalester made the most of its first possession of the second half, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jack Scully to Vasco Sierra. The extra point failed, making the score 17-6 in favor of Gustavus.
The Gusties struck back on their next possession, driving 55 yards on six plays and increasing the lead to 24-6 when Blount connected with
Caden Kleinschmidt from 15 yards out for the touchdown, followed by the Forsythe extra point.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Macalester reduced the lead to 10 points at 24-14, when Jack Scully threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Paxton Boyd, followed by Boyd rushing in from 2 yards out for the 2-point conversion.
While many of the scoring drives in the game were lengthy drives for both teams, it would take Gustavus just 11 seconds to strike back as Blount connected with Kleinschmidt on a 72-yard pass on the first play of the ensuing possession. Forsythe's PAT made the score 31-14 with 8:20 left to play.
It looked like Macalester was going to cut back into the Gustie lead on their next drive as they quickly moved down to the Gustavus 5-yard line, however, senior defensive back Eric Lyons, put an exclamation point on his career and sealed the victory for the Gusties as he intercepted a Scully pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown making the score 38-14 with the Forsythe extra point. Lyons' 100-yard return tied the program record for longest return set by Matt Diercks against Augsburg in 2003.
The 38-14 victory for Gustavus was a fitting conclusion for 21 seniors who completed their Gustavus careers with an overall record of 23-17 overall and 20-13 in MIAC play.
Some of the key performances for the senior group on the day included
Caden Kleinschmidt making seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and
Dom Mathies making five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown for the offense. Linebacker
Colton Loeschke led the defensive effort with eight solo tackles and three assists for 11 total tackles, while linebacker
Bode Hogan made two solo tackles and seven assisted tackles, and defensive back Eric Lyons made four solo tackles and three assisted tackles to go along with his record-breaking 100-yard interception return for a touchdown. On special teams,
Owen Forsythe was 1-for-1 on field goals, 5-for-5 on point after attempts, and punted three times for a 33.0 yard average.
