Oct 17, 2015
Notables
-All 21 points were scored in the final 3:48 of the second quarter
-CSS extends UMAC win streak to 27 games and UMAC road win streak to 22 games
-Only the second time in program history CSS won a game it failed to reach 20 points (Northwestern-2010)
-UMAC Game of the Week
-Latest Road Start time in CSS history
ST. PAUL, Minn. (csssaints.com) – Following a University of Northwestern touchdown, the St. Scholastica football team scored two touchdowns in the final 57 seconds of the second quarter and that held up as the Saints won the battle of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) unbeatens 13-7 Saturday night at Reynolds Field.
End of the Second Quarter
Northwestern had its best drive of the night midway thru the second quarter, going 76 yards on 12 plays. Twice on the drive the Eagles converted third-and-longs. The scoring drive was capped off on a Chris Simon-Wallace 3-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Eagles with 3:48 left in the half.
On the ensuing possession, the Saints had a fourth-and-5 and their own 40. Head Coach Kurt Ramler called a fake punt and Jason Senger ran 20 yards for a first down to keep the drive going.
A few plays later on third down just outside the Northwestern 20, Dakota Paulson found Nick Murphy, who pulled down the jump ball for a 23-yard touchdown. Donovan Blatz converted the extra point to tie it at 7-7 with 57 seconds left in the half.
On Northwestern's first play following the CSS touchdown, Xavier Rhodes picked off an Eagle pass and returned it 30 yards inside the Northwestern 35-yard-line. Three plays later, Paulson, found Hunter Thompson on the opposite side of the end zone on a jump ball that was hauled it for a 19-yard score with eight seconds left in the half. The extra point failed and the Saints led 13-7 at the break.
Second Half
After a failed onside kick attempt by the Saints to start the second half, the Eagles drove inside the CSS 20-yard-line. Northwestern, who converted a fourth down earlier in the drive, was faced with a fourth-and-one at the CSS 19. Simon-Wallace would get the ball and would be stuffed and then stripped by Neil Vierzba and recovered by Jason Kazlauskas for the Saints.
After a series of punts, it appeared the Saints extended their lead to two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter when John Mike recovered a fumble and returned it 34 yards for a score. However, the Saints were called for roughing the passer on the play and score was wiped off the board.
After a great punt, Northwestern pinned the Saints at the 1-yard-line with 11 minutes remaining in the game. In a critical drive, the Saints picked up three first downs behind the legs of Preston Robinson and Paulson and then a great catch by Mitch O'Neil. CSS was forced to punt on the drive, but was able to flip field position and take time off the clock.
Northwestern began its next drive with under five minutes to go and once again the Saints defense rose up as Jack Miller recorded an interception with 2:08 left to almost seal the game.
Robinson picked up a big first down on CSS' next possession, but would be forced to punt with under 30 seconds remaining.
With one last opportunity, the Eagles connected on a big play when Daniel Petkau snagged a desperation pass out of the air and brought the ball down to the CSS 29-yard-line. After one pass to the end zone was batted away, Northwestern had one last play from scrimmage and Rhodes intercepted his second pass of the night to end the game with a 13-7 St. Scholastica victory.
Defense Ruled
Both teams entered the night as the top two defenses in the conference and two of the top 15 defenses in the nation. Northwestern came in with a plus-11 turnover ratio, second-best in the country, but it was the Saints winning the turnover battle (+3) this evening. The Eagles had only two drives make it inside the CSS 25-yard-line, while CSS made it inside Northwestern's 25-yard-line four times.
Key Team Stats
Total Yards: CSS-280, Northwestern-245
Rushing Yards: CSS-173, Northwestern-108
Points off Turnovers: CSS-6, Northwestern-0
Interceptions: CSS-1, Northwestern-3
Average Starting Field Position: CSS-Own 25, Northwestern-Own 32
Top Performances for CSS
Paulson, who missed the last couple of weeks due to injury, had a gutsy performance tonight, throwing for 84 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 44 yards. Robinson for 115 yards on 28 carries. O'Neil had three receptions for 44 yards. Linebacker Alex Mangan had a career-high 14 tackles. Joe Geiselman tied the program record for career sacks (14.5), recording a half-sack tonight.
Top Performances for the Opponents
Daniel Petkau not only had that one reception to give Eagles a chance at the end, but he also averaged 45.2 yards per punt and pinned the Saints inside the 20 four times on the night. Zac Cash ran for 53 yards and Ben Greener had 15 tackles.
Up Next
The Saints are back at home next Saturday when they welcome the University of Minnesota Morris to Public Schools Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be seen live on Saints Sports Net.