SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College football team traveled to Saint Paul on Saturday afternoon to take on Macalester College in their regular season finale.
Jacob Ginskey caught a record-tying four touchdowns through the air as the defense held the Scots without an offensive touchdown on their way to a 33-7 victory. Gustavus finishes the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and a 6-3 mark in the MIAC.
Gustavus received the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a touchdown on its first possession.
Dylan Blount completed passes of 16 and 12 yards to
Brayden Sturm before connecting with
Jordan Wold for gains of six and 10 yards.
Alex Gross capped off the 10-play, 73-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run to give Gustavus an early 6-0 lead with 8:41 remaining in the first quarter.
The Gustie defense came up with a turnover on Macalester's opening possession as
Nick Anderson intercepted a third-down pass and returned it 15 yards to the Macalester 37-yard line. Gustavus advanced to the Scots' two-yard line before a fumble was recovered and returned 98 yards for a touchdown, giving Macalester a 7-6 lead midway through the first quarter.
Gustavus responded immediately with a four-play, 61-yard touchdown drive. Blount picked up a first down with a three-yard run on a 3rd and 3 before connecting with Ginskey for a 51-yard touchdown pass.
Jack Sieben converted the extra point to put the Gusties back ahead 13-7 with 2:41 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Gustie defense continued to hold strong in the second quarter, stopping Macalester on fourth down at the Gustavus 24-yard line. The offense responded with an eight-play, 42-yard drive that reached the Macalester 34-yard line before an interception ended the possession.
Gustavus put together another lengthy drive later in the quarter, marching 62 yards on 10 plays after taking over at its own five-yard line. However, the Gusties were unable to convert on fourth down at the Macalester 33-yard line. The Gustavus defense forced two more punts in the closing minutes of the half, preserving the 13-7 advantage heading into halftime.
The Gusties received their first possession of the second half following a Macalester punt and put together a nine-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Blount connected with Ginskey for a two-yard touchdown pass to extend the Gustavus lead to 19-7 with 7:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The Gustavus defense forced another punt on the ensuing Macalester possession, giving the offense the ball back at its own 36-yard line. Just two plays later, Blount connected with Ginskey for a 60-yard touchdown pass, Ginskey's third touchdown reception of the afternoon, to put Gustavus ahead 26-7 with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter.
The Gustie defense came up with another key turnover late in the third quarter as
Carson Boike intercepted a Macalester pass at the Gustavus 16-yard line and returned it 11 yards. The Gusties capitalized with a 10-play, 73-yard drive that carried into the fourth quarter. Blount finished the possession with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ginskey, giving the Gusties a 33-7 lead with 11:16 remaining in the game.
Gustavus continued to control the game in the fourth quarter as Anderson intercepted a Macalester pass for the second time of the day to give the Gusties possession at their own 28-yard line. The offense put together a 12-play, 71-yard drive that consumed 7:33 of game time before a fumble ended the possession at the Macalester one-yard line.
Chance Swansson ended the Scots' final possession of the afternoon two plays later with an interception, allowing Gustavus to run out the clock and secure the 33-7 victory.
Ginskey led the Gustie receiving corps with 13 receptions for 218 yards and four touchdown. His 218 reception yards are the ninth-most in a game in Gustavus program history and his four reception touchdowns tie him for the record of most in a game along side three others: Rich Ryan (1976), Josh Kirk (2019), and Jake Breitbach (2023).
Blount finished the afternoon completing 26 of 32 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns, while
Kyler Kelvie added a 28-yard completion. Following Ginskey, Sturm had five catches for 72 yards, while Wold finished with four receptions for 60 yards.
Cal Birkey led the rushing attack with 75 yards on 16 carries, while Gross added 66 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts.
On defense,
Drew Kretlow led Gustavus with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and three quarterback hurries. Boike added five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and an interception, while Anderson recorded two interceptions for 15 return yards. Swansson added an interception and a pass breakup, while
Dalen Smith finished with two tackles, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hurries.
Gustavus finished with 574 yards of total offense, including 381 passing yards and 193 rushing yards, while holding Macalester to just 141 total yards. The Gusties recorded 28 first downs, converted eight of 10 third-down opportunities, and controlled possession for 41:18. Defensively, Gustavus recorded four interceptions, five tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hurries while holding Macalester to just 41 rushing yards.
