Macalester vs. Grinnell statistics

For the second year in a row, Macalester has lost its season-opener to Grinnell College of Iowa. Last year's game was a 45-35 shootout; Today's game was a defensive struggle until the visitors opened things up and turned a 10-0 lead after three quarters into a 31-6 victory with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Macalester's lone score came on a 36-yard scamper by tailback Mike Adams (Jr., Chippewa Falls, Wis.), who finished with 74 yards rushing on seven carries. Wide receiver Riley Koval (Jr., Mount Horeb, Wis.) caught eight passes for 67 yards and safety Joe Dykema (So., Roseville, Minn.) led the defense with 11 tackles and an interception.

In addition to getting 11 tackles from Dykema, the Scots received seven stops from Spencer Robinson (Jr., Chattaroy, Wash. / Riverside)and six from David Melms (Jr., Wauwatosa, Wis. / Wisconsin Lutheran).

Leading the Mac special teams was punter Auburn Jimenez (So., East Los Angeles, Calif. / St. John Bosco), who averaged 41.5 yards on eight punts, with three trapping Grinnell inside the 20 yard line.

Grinnell didn't have an offensive snap in Mac territory in the first quarter and both teams had troubles sustaining drives. Midway through the second quarter, the Pioneers drove 50 yards on 11 plays to set up a 37-yard field goal for the game's first score with just 2:53 left before halftime. Grinnell followed that by recovering a surprise on-side kickoff, capitalizing on this big play by getting 40-yard and 13-yard receptions by Logan Granera, the second for a touchdown just 1:20 after the field goal and a 10-0 lead.

That was all the scoring until the fourth quarter.

In the game's final period, the offenses opened up and Grinnell's three TD's were more than enough to hold off any Macalester comeback possibilities.

Grinnell quarterback Mike McCabe went 21-for-39 passing for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Robert Seer pulled in seven passes for 191 yards – including a 78-yard catch and run to put the icing on the cake. The Grinnell defense held the Scots to 11 first downs while forcing five turnovers. Kevin Hwang and Kelsey Davis registered eight tackles apiece to lead the effort.

Macalester looks to get into the win column next Saturday when it travels to Mount Vernon, Iowa, to take on Cornell College.  The Scots beat the Rams 24-20 last year in St. Paul.