ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a Midwest Conference game that saw the teams combine for nearly 1,000 yards of offense, the Macalester College football team held on to beat Cornell College, 48-36 Saturday afternoon at Macalester Stadium. The Scots, who were playing in their final home game, improve to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. The Rams drop to 3-5 overall, 2-4 MWC.

The victory marked the 46th win for head coach Tony Jennison, who is now the winningest coach in Macalester football history. Jennison, who is now 46-42 in eight-plus seasons, passes Dwight Stuessy, who won 45 games in 13 seasons (1937-38, 1946-56). This season is also just the fourth time in the 123-year history of the program with at least seven victories, joining the teams from 1960 (7-2), 1986 (7-2-1) and 2014 (9-2).

Macalester started the game fast, driving 75 yards on 11 plays and scoring on a 2-yard run by senior running back Ethan Carpenter (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) on the first possession of the game. After junior linebacker Philip Wettersten (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) forced a Cornell fumble, sophomore quarterback Cody Petrich (Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) hit senior receiver Tre Nowaczynski (Hales Corners, Wis./West Allis Central) with a 30-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead.

The Rams got on the scoreboard on a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown by Devan Clark. Still in the first quarter, the Scots restored the two-touchdown lead on a 2-yard run by junior running back Jacob Jones (Hanceville, Ala./Holly Pond). The 77-yard drive also included a 31-yard pass from Petrich to sophomore receiver Alec Beatty (Topeka, Kan./Topeka). On the first play of the second quarter, Beatty took the snap and ran 30 yards for a touchdown and a commanding 28-7 lead.

A 7-yard pass from Daniel Brown to Charles Zilaitis followed by a blocked extra point attempt made the score 28-13. But again Macalester was able to find the end zone on the next possession, with sophomore receiver Jonathan Knee (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) making an outstanding catch for a 42-yard touchdown. The Scots gained 373 yards of total offense in the first half alone in building a 35-13 halftime lead.

In the second half, Macalester answered a Cornell field goal with a 12-play, 82-yard drive capped by a 2-yard plunge for Jones to make the score 41-16. But the Rams were not surrendering, as Clark scored on a 2-yard run just before the end of the fourth quarter. The touchdown sparked 20 straight points by Cornell, with Brown connecting with Justin Ramirez for touchdown passes of 14 and 61 yards to make it a five-point game, 41-36 with eight minutes to play.

After both teams stalled on their next possessions, the Scots wrapped up the win by driving 39 yards for the clinching score. Jones did the honors from one yard out, giving Macalester a 48-36 lead with a minute remaining.

The Scots ended up with 553 yards of total offense compared to 447 for Cornell. Petrich was 17-of-29 for 323 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Carpenter led the ground attack with 75 yards on 15 carries, while Jones had 59 yards and three touchdowns. Knee caught three passes for 90 yards, while senior receiver Garrett Eichhorn (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) had five receptions for 77 yards.

Wettersten led the Scots' defense with 14 tackles, 0.5 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Senior defensive lineman Nick Egersdorf (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) tallied 1.5 sacks and now has 13.0 for the season to rank among the national leaders. For Cornell, Brown threw for 339 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Before the game, Macalester honored its 15 senior players, who were playing in the final home game of their careers.

The Scots have a bye week before closing out the season with a Midwest Conference game at St. Norbert on Nov. 12.