ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Olaf College football team scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to break open a one-point game and claim a 39-21 non-conference victory over the University of Northwestern in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night at Reynolds Field.
After Northwestern (0-1) got within a point at 22-21 late in the third quarter, St. Olaf (1-0) outscored the hosts by a 17-0 margin over the final quarter to open its season with a win for the first time since 2019. The meeting was the fourth between the two programs and the first since the Oles and Eagles met each season from 2013-15.
Fifth-year senior Derek Hansen and junior Gus Gartzke combined to score all five of St. Olaf's touchdowns in the victory, with Hansen hauling in three scores from senior Theo Doran and Gartzke recording the first two rushing touchdowns of his collegiate career. Gartzke and fifth-year senior Siegel Howard III combined to account for 156 of the Oles' 182 rushing yards in the victory. The three-touchdown performance was the first of the career for Hansen, who also has four two-score games to his credit.
Hansen caught six passes for 90 yards with the three touchdowns, while junior Will Skemp hauled in seven passes for 90 yards. Doran finished 17-for-29 for 216 yards with three touchdowns and one interception on a night that saw him move up one spot to third in program history in passing yards (6,431) and jump up to second in passing touchdowns (52).
In the first extended playing time of his career, Gartzke carried the ball 19 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns for St. Olaf. Howard III added 70 yards on 12 carries while sparking the Oles' offense late in the third quarter and into the fourth.
Defensively, fifth-year senior Deonta Thomas recorded seven tackles and had one of St. Olaf's two interceptions in the win. Junior Alijah Cruel snagged the first interception of his career and finished with five tackles. Junior Noah Barrett picked up 3.5 tackles for a loss and a sack among his seven tackles.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Oles marched 77 yards in 10 plays on their first drive of the season to grab an early lead. Doran hit senior Evan Hammonds for a 27-yard gain down to the two-yard line on a second-and-13 play before Gartzke plunged into the end zone on the next play for his first-career touchdown. Fifth-year senior Jacob Halek ran in a two-point conversion to make it 8-0 less than five minutes in.
Northwestern proceeded to use up almost the remainder of the opening quarter with a 19-play drive but was unable to put any points on the board after missing a 26-yard field goal. Early in the second quarter, Cruel picked off a deflected pass and returned it to the Northwestern 23-yard line to set up the St. Olaf offense, which needed just three plays to score on a 15-yard pass from Doran to Hansen.
Later in the quarter, the Eagles got on the board on a 17-yard run by Sivert Klefsaas one play after a 45-yard pass play to make it a 15-7 game. Doran connected with Hansen for a six-yard touchdown on St. Olaf's next possession to extend the Oles' lead to 22-7, but Northwestern struck on the next play from scrimmage with a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Caden Cantrell to Beau Burk. Fifth-year senior Mark Thrower blocked the ensuing extra point to keep St. Olaf up by two scores at 22-13 at the half despite being outgained by a 237-206 margin.
An errant snap on a St. Olaf punt that hit the upback set up Northwestern at the St. Olaf 16-yard line early in the third quarter, but a trio of penalties backed the Eagles up outside of the red zone before sophomore Tytan Small forced a fumble that senior Jacob Vasquez recovered to get the ball back for the Oles.
After a three-and-out, Northwestern covered 58 yards in six plays to make it a one-point game on a nine-yard scoring pass from Cantrell to Ashton Lofton with 4:17 remaining in the third. After gaining just 16 yards on its previous three drives, St. Olaf's offense came to life with three consecutive runs of 10 or more yards by Howard III late in the third quarter on his first carries of the game, leading to a 25-yard field goal by fifth-year senior Collin Swan.
Leading 25-21, the Oles reestablished a two-score lead when Doran found a wide-open Hansen up the left sideline for a 40-yard touchdown with 7:29 remaining for the duo's third scoring connection of the night. Thomas picked off a Cantrell pass on the next possession and ran it back into Northwestern territory, leading eventually to a one-yard touchdown run by Gartzke with 1:11 left to close the scoring. The St. Olaf defense held the Eagles to 25 yards of offensive over their final four possessions starting late in the third.
The Oles will host Luther College in their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. at Klein Field at Manitou.
Hansen, Gartzke score five TDs to lead St. Olaf past Northwestern in opener
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20240907_5tdn.xml
2024
St. Olaf
39
Northwestern (Minn.)
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Olaf (1-0) | 8 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 39 |
| Northwestern (Minn.) (0-1) | 0 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 21 |
Sep 07, 2024