DE PERE, Wis. -- Samson Bialostok rushed for two touchdowns, passed for another and the Macalester defense did not allow St. Norbert in the end zone as the Scots claimed the Midwest Conference North Division title with a 21-13 win over the Green Knights.
With the win, Macalester finished its divisional slate with a 5-0 record and advanced to the Midwest Conference championship game, where they will face Illinois College, in Jacksonville, Ill., next Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Scots took a 7-0 lead when Bialostok scampered 47 yards for a touchdown with two minutes, 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter and they would never trail.
The Green Knights got on the scoreboard 2:51 into the second quarter when Dan Egan blocked a
Matt Glasenapp punt and Zach Klarkowski returned it 30 yards for a game-tying touchdown.
Barely four minutes later, Macalester took the lead for good when Bialostok hooked up with
Victor Bordo for a 32-yard touchdown strike, capping a nine-play, 79 yards drive to give the visitors a 14-7 lead heading into the half.
Twice the Scots' defense made key defensive stands in the second half as St. Norbert drove inside the Macalester 10-yard line on consecutive possession, but only came away with 23- and 24-yard field goals by Randy Hill to cut the lead to 14-13 with 13:05 to play in the game.
Macalester's offense followed Hill's second field goal by putting together an impressive, 14-play, 79-yard drive, using 7:49 on the clock before Bialostok scored on a two-yard run with 5:16 to play.
Jacob Lueck and
Reid Callahan recorded quarterback sacks when St. Norbert got the ball back and forced a punt. However, an interception by the Green Knights gave them the ball back at the Macalester 34-yard line but, facing a 2nd-and-12,
Konnor Fleming intercepted a pass in the end zone with 45 seconds to play to seal the win.
For the second week in a row, Macalester's offense produced two 100-yard rushers as Bialostok went for 100 yards while
Zandy Stowell rushed for 143 yards while recording a career-high 36 carries. Bialostock also completed eight of 16 passes for 122 yards.
Fleming had nine tackles to lead the Scots defense, including one for loss, while also breaking up a pair of passes.
The win is Macalester's eighth of the season, a school record. The Scots have also established a school record for consecutive wins in a season, having won their seventh game in a row.
The winner of next week's conference championship game will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs, which begins Nov. 21, and culminates with the Amos Alonza Stagg Bowl for the NCAA Division III title, Dec. 19, in Salem, Va.
