COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College football team traveled to Collegeville on Saturday afternoon to take on the No. 3 nationally ranked Saint John's University Johnnies in a conference matchup. The Gusties struck first with a field goal in the opening quarter but were unable to find the end zone as they fell 27-3 to the Johnnies, moving to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in the MIAC.
Saint John's received the opening kickoff and drove down the field into Gustavus territory. However, the Gustie defense came up with a key turnover as
Cody Bartnes intercepted a pass after
Andrew Bartnes broke it up in the end zone and returned it 20 yards to the Gustavus 20-yard line.
The Gusties capitalized on the turnover, putting together a 10-play, 61-yard drive to open the scoring.
Dylan Blount connected with
Jacob Ginskey for a six-yard completion on a 3rd and 4 before finding Ginskey again for a 36-yard gain on a 3rd and 2 to move the Gusties down to the Saint John's 24-yard line. Blount then found
Liam Frommelt for five yards to set up a 37-yard field goal attempt from
Jack Sieben. Sieben converted the kick to give Gustavus an early 3-0 lead with 6:06 remaining in the first quarter.
The Johnnies responded with a touchdown on their next possession, taking a 7-3 lead with 2:29 remaining in the opening quarter.
Gustavus looked to answer on its next possession as Blount connected with Frommelt for consecutive gains of 17 and 24 yards to move the Gusties into Saint John's territory. The drive continued into the second quarter, but the Johnnie defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs at the Saint John's 21-yard line.
Saint John's took advantage of the defensive stop, scoring another touchdown to extend its lead to 14-3 with 10:10 remaining in the second quarter. The Gustie offense was forced to punt on its next two possessions, and the Johnnies added a 35-yard field goal to take a 17-3 lead with 5:14 remaining before halftime.
The Gustie defense came up with another key stop late in the second quarter as Saint John's missed a 38-yard field goal attempt with 1:48 remaining. However, Gustavus was unable to capitalize as an interception gave the Johnnies the ball at the Gustavus 26-yard line.
Saint John's threatened to add to its lead before halftime, driving down to the Gustavus one-yard line. However, the Gustie defense came up with a crucial goal-line stand, stopping the Johnnies on fourth down with just two seconds remaining in the half. Gustavus entered the locker room trailing 17-3.
The Gusties received the opening kickoff of the second half but were forced to punt on their first possession. Saint John's capitalized with a touchdown drive to extend its lead to 24-3 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter.
Gustavus responded with one of its longest drives of the afternoon, marching 68 yards on 11 plays to reach the Saint John's seven-yard line. However, the Gusties were unable to convert on fourth down, turning the ball over to the Johnnies with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter.
The Gustie defense came up with another turnover on the ensuing Saint John's possession as
Chance Swansson intercepted a pass at the Gustavus 45-yard line, giving the offense another opportunity to cut into the deficit.
Gustavus moved the ball into Saint John's territory on the following possession, putting together an 11-play, 37-yard drive that carried into the fourth quarter. However, the Gusties were unable to convert on fourth down at the Saint John's 18-yard line with 12:10 remaining in the game.
The Gustavus defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession, giving the offense the ball back at its own 30-yard line with 10:37 remaining. The Gusties picked up a first down before Saint John's picked off a pass, giving the Johnnies possession at the Gustavus 38-yard line. Saint John's added a 39-yard field goal to extend its lead to 27-3 with 5:23 remaining.
Gustavus was unable to generate another scoring opportunity on its final possession, eventually punting the ball back to Saint John's with 3:20 remaining as the Johnnies ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Blount finished the afternoon completing 27 of 48 passes for 214 yards. Frommelt led the Gustie receiving corps with seven receptions for 81 yards, while Ginskey added eight catches for 73 yards. Gross led the rushing attack with 30 yards on five carries.
On defense,
Drew Kretlow led the Gusties with 10 total tackles, including seven solo stops and a tackle for loss.
Zach Boutwell followed with eight tackles, while
Andrew Bartnes recorded seven tackles and a pass breakup. Swansson finished with six tackles, an interception, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup, while
Nick Anderson added six tackles and two pass breakups.
Max Olson recorded five tackles, including a sack, while
Cody Bartnes added an interception and a 20-yard return.
Gustavus finished with 245 yards of total offense, including 214 passing yards and 31 rushing yards. The Gusties converted five of their 16 third-down opportunities and one of four fourth-down attempts. Defensively, Gustavus recorded two interceptions, four tackles for loss, and six pass breakups.
Up next for the Gusties is a return home to Saint Peter for their final home game of the season on Saturday, November 7. Gustavus will take on the Augsburg University Auggies at 12:00 p.m. as they celebrate Senior Day, Parents Day, and host their Tackle Cancer fundraiser.
